Pallo Coffee Tool, Cherry

Good piece of kit cleans the portafilter holes and steam spout- brush replaceable. Worth the money.

I needed a brush to clean grounds out of the group head and this brush I had to try. The bristles on the brush are nice and firm , absolutely love the color and the other side has a sharp point (needle like) that is protected by a cover. The back end has a scoop/spoon to remove extra grounds if you grind too much coffee. I have used this coffee tool for over 6 months and still looks new.

It does it's job, BUT it's awkward to hold with the gimmicky little scoop on the end. Apparently, the mfr added that small scoop and the skinny poker for cleaning the steam spout in order to charge $15+ for a $3 brush. I am experienced with cleaning espresso machines, owning 5 espresso machines over the last 30 years (Gaggia, Saeco, Rancilio, Expobar). The skinny poker and small scoop do not add any functionality and are not needed. I use common sense and wipe off the wand and blow it out with steam after every use. Since the scoop made it awkward to hold and too long, I used a Dremel tool to cut off the handle and smooth/polish the cut end. Now it feels balanced and it's easier to hold with the handle end resting in the palm of my hand. Whenever I use powdered cleaner, I use a teaspoon, just like I've used for the last 30 years. I also bought the Noxus Bros. Espresso Machine Nylon Brush for $2.40. It's almost exactly the same, but priced reasonably. No simple brush is worth 5 stars, but if priced reasonably and the nylon bristles stiff, it might be worth 4 stars. Having to cut off the end to make it ergonomic deducts one star. Pricing it exorbitantly deducts another star. Thus it's worth 2 stars. I wouldn't recommend it, but rather the Noxus Bros or similar brush.

Stiff bristles that do the job and replaceable brush recommend this brush to the serious coffee aficionado. It's important to clean the shower head before brewing the next cup if you ever hope to pull a God shot. The measuring scoop on the end is for the cleaning agent you use to back flush your machine if it has a three-way valve. There's a little pointy thing opposite the brush for cleaning your steam wand, but, hopefully, you shoot a little blast out of the wand after steaming your milk to clear it, and shouldn't really ever need to clean coagulated milk out of the interior. But, if you do, you're covered. The red color seemed a bit much when I ordered it, but I got a matching knock box, and I find I rather like both. Cheerful kitchen colors. Cheers!

This tool seems good enough. The angle is just right to clean the group head. It seems a little flexible, like it could break if not held far enough up (close to the bristles). There is a little indentation for your thumb, but I am always afraid I will burn myself if I use it with the water running, so I tend to hold it closer to the tail end. The bristles seems a little cheap, like they will have to be replaced more than I would like. The little tool on the end (for cleaning out the steam wand hole) might come in handy if I neglect to purge the steam wand on occasion. Like the color!