72MM INFRARED FILTER

This part is crudely made on Indian atomic machines: it is cast off of an original part and is therfore thicker and poorly formed.

Around 2006 brand new atomics started appearing on the market. Though they didn't exactly look brand new... For many years prior to this the only source of Atomic coffee makers was second hand markets and auction houses. Lucky individuals found one in the attic or at a church sale, but most people had to bid high, and pay through the nose.

However all was not as it seemed with these new machines. Although they were labeled as being Bon Trading (australia) imports of Italian made Atomics- they were very poorly made with a rough, hand finished appearance. Many of them did not work very well, and they were 'not quite right'...

It was soon discovered that these machine were made in India and falsely labeled as being made in 'Italy'. The prices of these dodgy machines dropped rapidly and then they disappeared from the market altogether. Today it is hard to find one of these Indian made Atomics and they are collectible in their own right.

For the collector interested in purchasing an Atomic it is a simple matter to identify one of these fakes. The most prominent difference between these machine and earlier Italian made Atomics is the boiler plug. On the Indian machine this plug sticks out in an ugly fashion. Other obvious differences can be seen in the bakelite parts. These parts are much thicker and are poorly formed compared to vintage Italian machines. The filter basket is distinctive: the holes in it appear to be randomly punched with a nail or similar implement by hand.

These machine are not too bad as a hand finished attempt to replicate the atomic form. It is by no means an easy (or cheap) process. Sand casting the body is an art in itself. It is clear this atomic was reverse engineered from an Italian made Atomic- probably a model dating from the 70's. They copied every detail right down to the label.

The example pictured here works and was actually used to make coffee by its original owners for over 4 years. When they purchased it they were told it 'was made in Italy'. When they complained of the poor quality they were sent another one...

However the machine was marketed deceptively, and we would not recommenced using one to actually to make coffee: they are poorly made from inferior materials. There are rumors the alloy was recycled from old car parts...

this example is in the Ikon Exports collection.

If you saw this coffee machine, could you, without instruction, figure out how to make a pot of coffee with it? I am not looking for "no, I use a French press, no00b," coffee snob answers, I want to know if you could figure this system out without help.
To the left of this picture are a can of Folger's ground coffee, and a water cooler.

Because I think the concept is simple. And I have been told by many in my office they "can't figure out how to make coffee," and while I am a systems admin, I believe I could teach a child of five to do this by only showing them once.

I think they don't WANT to know how, and have someone make it for them.

Lazy bastards.