The design is simple and stylish. All is metal except the hopper, buttons and the grind ajustment. It grinds directly into a portafilter or french press. Its small and easily moved. The grind settings vary from 11 to 0. I use setting 3 for espresso in my gaggia and 6 for french press. I dont know who would use 11. The hopper size is definetly large enough for my needs.
Negative Product Points
When you grind into the portafilter the coffee tend to stack up in the dispenser so you end up wiggling the filter and banging the machine to fill it upp completely. If you want to make sure there is no leftover grounds in the dispenser you have to shake the grinder or turn it upside down to get it out. The metal shelf you rest the portafilter on when you grind is not really needed. It´s only in the way when you want to grind into anything other than the portafilter. The plastic lock button for the grindadjust feels as if it could break if you are not carefull. The plastic hopper was very loose on my machine but some scotch tape took care of that.
Detailed Commentary
Here in Sweden this grinder go by the name Alma Maccinacaffe There is I think 3 different models of which this is the smallest When I set out to get my first burrgrinder I wanted one that didnt have a doser. I did have a look at the Gaggia ´MM but was told it didnt grind fine enough. The other choice i had was the Solis 166 but it was allmost the same price so the Isomac seemed like a better product. If you have problem getting fine enough grinds I think this one may do the trick in its price range. The inside reveal that repairs schould be very easy. the buttons and microswitches looks standard so they are propably easy to replace. The only parts that may be tricky to fix is the adjustment lock and the plastic beanhopper. The only grinders Ive used before were either manual or blade grinders, so I cant say how it compares to other brands. I dont miss the handcranking though. Despite its quirks I definately choose the Isomac before any plastic counterpart out there. Plastic always break and is almost always hard to replace. Although Isomac has some plastic details I think the coffeegrinder problem is solved for years to come.
Buying Experience
The people At Real Espresso was very helpfull and gave me advice on how to improve my cup. Although I had to wait several weeks to get it I got a great price.
