Le_Pamplemousse Senior Member Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Posts: 81 Location: Rural KY., USA Expertise: Just starting
Posted Tue Aug 31, 2004, 8:40am Subject: Re: Newbie With Grinder Question....
I hope so, Craig- I keep wonderinhg iffin(sic) I'll be one of those people who can't tell the difference? Ahhh...it's worth a shot though....and if it doesn't work out.....I can sell my grinder on Ebay for close to what it cost me! (This supermarket swill is getting old fast....literally!) :)
Well....my package from Koffee Klatsch just arrived not 10 minutes ago! I opened the box...and pulled out my grinder, with keen anticipation.....and voila! Out comes this cheesey piece of crap! I say to myself "This is the precision German-made piece of excellence?" I attached the handle and adjusted the burrs and gave it a turn.....clunk-clank-clink.....I say "Wait a minute!" I inspect the casing- it looks like brass-plated tin! This is not a quality unit....what gives? I look on the bottom of the unit: "Made In Greece"!!!! I knew the price was too good to be true! It said Zassenhaus on the website...made in Germany. I ended up getting an Atlas, made in Greece- available new, on Ebay for <$20.00
There must be a half-inch of end play in the shaft of this thing!
I called Koffee Klatsch- they told me to ship it back, and they'll refund my purchase price and shipping.
My opinion of coffee Klatsch has gone way down! Advertising a Zassenhaus....and sending an Atlas at Broadway prices! When I had spoken to the KK person on the phone the first time, I even said "I'd like to order the ZASSENHAUS Turkish grinder". What a bummer!
Now I'll have to order one from Sweet Marias....and wait again, for it to come!
Man, I'm sorry to hear that Rich...!! {:-( Talk about false advertising...!!*$%!! In our discussions about the Zass Turk & the knee mill or even the box type, the Turk doesn't have "cam followers" to center the rotating burr inside the outer ring gear that I took all those pics of.
In our posts & the info on Sweetmarias, Tom Owen says I believe, if I remember correctly., the grind range is excellent from very fine to fairly coarse. 1st-line's says suitable for espresso/turkish only. If you adjust the gap too big there is a lot more play there as the grinder relies on the coffee being in this interface between the inner grinding conical burr & outer conical ring burr. Also the tolerance between the shaft & the support guide bushing could be much better.. You might not find this acceptable.
There isn't a satisfactory pic on the web that I've seen, so I'll dis-assemble my Z156 knee mill & take a close up pic of these cam followers that center the conical inner burr, & they're plastic also, just to let ya know!
A better choice would be IMO the knee or box mill (you said ya wanted the Turk for Turkish grind & press pot), & liked the looks/ruggedness of it. The cam followers keep a much tighter tolerance for wider grinding needs, which would & does result in better grind particle size.
The business end of the the Zassenhaus Model Z156 varnished Beechwood knee mill. From the left, stationary outer conical ring burr, inner rotating conical burr, hard black plastic/nylon cam follower housing.
I know the wooden mills would be great for the Press pot.....but can they actually grind fine enough for Turkish too? I had assumed that the range on the Turk was greater.
Now I'm afraid to order the real Zassenhaus Turk- ....but it's gotta be better than this Atlas....it's gotta be! For eighty bucks.......
After this experience....I just might go down to tghe Amish store and see what they have....it's gotta be better than the Atlas!
I have a feeling it's gonna be a while before I get a good cup of coffee. I've grown long tired of the supermarket stuff....I haven't made coffee in days. I have a bag of beans....I'm thinking of grinding them up in a food chopper with a whirly blade!
Bottom line with the grinder: I just want something that's gonna work good, and be well-enough made that it doesn't seem like a piece of crap for the price. (I'd better order from a place that offers refunds....I'll have to check Firstlines policy).
Luckily, the mailman came just before I was going to go into town- so I packed the Atlas up, and mailed it back already! (There was an instruction sheet in the box...it was hand written and had just been photo-copied!)
Anytime Rich! I'd just like you to have as best an informed buying decision as possible, & save you time & money. Well way back up in two of my posts, one from SM's, one from 1st-line., they say full range from stove top espresso/moka to drip, which is coarser than presspot. I read on the SM's website that in three years of having the burrs adjusted till they're rubbing together, the burrs showed NO signs of appreciable wear. Adjust a tiny bit tighter & try it out maybe, I haven't though for Turkish coffee...
Quote from SM's Tom Owen:"I have noticed that on the www.zassenhaus.com web site sells coffee mills that say "Espresso" on them. As far as I know these mills are identical on the inside - they are no different in terms of the burrs. But they are not sold in the US - at least our distributor is not able to get them.
Can it grind extremely fine and even for pump and piston espresso machines? Yes it can ...you must adjust the burrs tight so they rub a bit (they won't wear though --mine is 3 years and shows no significant wear)." End quote. http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.zas.shtml#zassenhaus.faq
Plus ya STILL have that 10 yr warranty!!, nothin' to lose really, that I can see! {:-D
No- I didn't get your email. I have a "junk" email account that notifications from this forum are sent to- I receive the notifications, but nothing from you.
No- I didn't get your email. I have a "junk" email account that notifications from this forum are sent to- I receive the notifications, but nothing from you.
Hi Rich, I sent you an email to your real email address on Fri Sept 10th @ 9:47am but you didn't respond.. I only/just wanted to say hello on my new broadband phone, shoot the breeze, (equipment etc)., to a fellow Coffeegeek & talk about what grinder you're possible going to get now, because of that screwup with Klatsch.
I know yer pissed about what happened, but once ya get your refund., then you can choose a better online retailer. Maybe in the long run which you certainly didn't need for sure, just starting out & all (talk about being put off/turned off!! {:-/)., it'll be for the better.
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