I have been playing with this for a month or so and I think that I'm done. I purchased this thinking it was a MD-64 (64mm flat burrs), but when I opened it up to clean it out I found that I had an MD-85 with monster 85mm burrs. I have since been logging how the dose changes as the hopper volume decreases.
This is a really weird grinder. As far as performance is concerned it is very good. The burrs are big, fast, and produce a surprisingly fluffy grind. The adjustment is handled by a worm gear, which I like a lot. The doser sweeps very clean inside and out. All the other details about this are bizare. The doser cylinder is sort of encased in the grinder body, so you can't sweep the chute without some sort of angled brush. Similarly, you can't really see the PF when it is in the fork because it to is enveloped by the grinder body. When I disassembled the doser for cleaning I had to remove all sorts of panels and plates. It can't be single dosed without the hopper, beans get caught in both the burr carier and the threaded cuff that mates it with the worm gear. This is a weird grinder, one that seems to have been styled first, then sent to the engineers with orders to make it happen.
In the end however, this is a very solid grinder. The burrs are like new. The grind is good. The grind adjustment is good. The dosing is clean. For an 85mm burr grinder, it is actually rather compact. With the hopper it is shorter than the K6 I was testing along side it. The doser arm has a very short throw, which is nice. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to improve the action, so while dosing is quick and immediate, it is also a little clacky. Because of the design the chute cant really be swept, and the big square hopper isn't really optional. I have been testing it on a GraLab timer, and it has worked very well, which is why I am selling it with the time. It grinds a bit more than 5g a second, and seems to retain about 10g. I programmed the timer to purge for 1.5 seconds, then advance to a repeated 3 second programed grind. I don't know about other timers, but the 900 I have is all solid state and is rated to control up to a 1/2 HP motor, so I didn't need a SSR.
Obviously this grinder is not for everyone. It is a bit of a curiosity, but a curiosity that makes a nice grind, fast. It's big and small at the same time. It's weird, and is looking for a new home that appreciates its weirdness.
Listing Details Asking / Suggested Price: 300 Seller Name: Russel Philip Seller Location: Los Angeles Sale Type: For Sale
Just a plug here, I had one for a while and it is indeed a good grinder, well worth the money being asked and yes get the timer too, life is much better with a grinder when you put beans in the hopper and time the grind for dosing.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
This is a strange grinder. Compared to a Major w/ hopper it's "compact", but really what does that mean? With the shuttle-launch-worthy timer this is sort of a setup for someone making the transition into serious coffee geek-ery, so I'm not sure how much of an audience this thing will have.
I'm going to bump this. I usually try to keep that to a minimum, but I feel like this is a really good deal on a really good grinder, and with the timer a really serious coffee geeky set up.
Bump. I still have this, it's hanging out in under my kitchen table. I've been thinking of adding a Delta timer into the side, but want to see if anyone is interested in it as is (a timer would increase the starting price $60).
I've been told that I should be more positive in my descriptions, so here goes. This grinder really is a very good value. It's priced at the low end of SJs, and is less than half of what a Major in comparable condition would cost. The grid is excellent and the doser is cleaner, straighter, and has a shorter throw than the Mazzer doser. I think the worm gear adjustment is much better than a high friction collar.
This grinder is still for sale, still $300. I sold the GraLab timer. I got my hands on some Omron timers (same as in my Super Caimano), and am slowly working towards integrating one into the side of this thing. I have no idea when I will be able to complete that project as it comes after adding one of the timers to a Eureka MDM. Until I start taking it apart, it will still be for sale.
I'm glad you sold it, I wound up giving mine away, with new burrs. It went to a new friend and coffee buddy who asked me if I was into coffee while I was wearing the espresso T shirt sold elsewhere on this board, the shirt with all the writing in the shape of an espresso cup and bragging about the best espresso I have ever had.
The guy I gave it to is 23 YO and just starting in the world of espresso so the grinder was a very welcome gift indeed.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
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