Gas station espresso machine taught me a cheap portafilter trick

Stopped at a Shell outside of Flagstaff last week and their Bunn machine was pouring shots that somehow beat my home setup. Guy behind the counter showed me they wedge a thin rubber gasket under the portafilter basket to stop the sneaky side channeling. I got home and cut a strip from an old bike inner tube, same idea, cost me nothing. It dropped my shot time from 22 seconds to a steady 18 on my old Gaggia, and the crema is way thicker now. I know it sounds sketchy but it's just stopping water from finding the easy path around the edges. Has anyone else tried shimming their basket with random household rubber, or am I the only one risking a blowout mid-pull?

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