Comparing metal and plastic espresso mirrors
The mirror lip on the Decent is made of plastic, stuck on with double sided tape. We settled on this design so that if the mirror became damaged, it could be easily replaced.
We recently tried some stainless steel mirrors. These have the advantage of being sturdier, and they can be “locked on” with a magnet behind the lip, instead of using tape. That means you can easily remove it, such as if you wanted to do a deep clean of the machine. It also makes replacement easier.
From a distance, the stainless steel mirror looks just fine (top right photo). Comparing the two, you can see that the stainless mirror is darker, and the optical quality is not as good as the plastic mirror (compare the vertical black line reflected in the mirror, bottom right)
I realize that this is not astronomy we're doing here: amazing optical quality is not the most vital thing when looking at an espresso shot pouring out.
What I don't know is if the optical compromise is worth it in exchange for the increased durability and ease of removal. What do you think?
-john
Updated 2023/04/13