It is a good grinder that will do fine until something better comes along. For the money, I am quite happy.
Positive Product Points
Solid, well made commercial grinder.
Negative Product Points
Large bean hopper Heavy Big Adjustments are stepped
Detailed Commentary
I'm sure my girlfriend would have her own comments about the look and the size of this grinder, but she doesn't complain about her cappuccino's. I bought this grinder from someone advertising it on Craig's List. Now, I believe I paid too much for it, but at the time I was willing to pay it. It is the bottom end of Compak's line of commercial grinders and is now retired. The K5 has been replaced by the K6. The grind adjustment was jammed with coffee oils, and the spring was broken on the coffee dispenser lever. It didn't take me long to fix the spring, but the grind adjustment was another story. Finally, I put the grinder upside down into my bench vise with the brass adjuster in the vise. I slowly turned the body of the grinder, and it moved. I was able to clean everything except for being able to remove the bottom burr. I stopped, because I was afraid I would break something.
I've read that it can be a pain to get all the coffee out of the dispenser, but I am able to get almost all of it out when I use it. If it bothered me, I would do one of the Mods that have been posted here and on the web. This grinder will be fine for me until I either find a great deal on something with infinite grind adjustments, or I find something that is more aesthetically pleasing. In the mean time, I have only had better drinks at the Synesso Bridgeheads, or at Manic coffee in Toronto.
Compak isn't well known here in North America, but from what I've read, they've been popular down under for quite a while. I think they deserve some notice, providing the price doesn't go too high. They make a decent low to mid range commercial grinder.
