I have just noticed that SBM has pre-empted some of this post, but I won't bother to edit, it doesn't matter if I'm repeating some of his post.
I sometimes think that the difficulty of using a Pavoni is somewhat over emphasised. They do require good techniques, but are not that much more demanding than a typical semi-auto machine. However I should also admit that I had a couple of years experience with semi-auto's before I got my first lever.
You will need to find the right combination of grind/dose/tamp. It's always important to treat these as a set, because they are inter-dependant and that applies just as much or maybe even more with a lever.
Pavoni's are very easy to inspect for scale and easy to de-scale if needed. Just take off the tank cap and with a small torch you can easily see what it is like inside the tank. They are also fairly easy to de-scale if necessary, and there are plenty of guides on line.
One of mine started to leak a little past the group head seals, so I replaced them – it wasn't a big deal, but I was a bit over cautious with the lube during reassembly and it squeaked a little until I did it again with a bit more grease.
As for the dreaded portafilter sneeze – the key word is patience. If you do choke your machine, just turn it off and wait a short while. The combination of time, and falling temperature should reduce the pressure to allow removal. If you want to be super cautious, once it is cool and there is no actual danger from a bit of a sneeze, you could take it outside where a bit of mess wouldn't matter.
So if you are inclined to be a bit impatient, and who isn't when they have just got a new toy, it may be better to start grinding a bit too coarse, and then go finer to get a good extraction, rather than to choke the machine then work back.
QUOTE by SBM :- “never happened to me :-) ” Oh yeah ??? Well it has to me, but then I never was very patient.

) but yes it would happen if you try to remove it when it's under pressure in the way that you described. Time heals all wounds.
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