Expensive . . . but you'll never wonder if you could have done better!
Positive Product Points
The grinder is solidly built and appealing to the eye. Operation is quiet, even with beans. No static on the grinds (big problem with my previous grinder, a Capresso burr).
Negative Product Points
This needs to be nit-picky since the grinder is so well designed. But the portafilter guide sits too low from the doser. I'm guessing the grinds drop almost 1.5-2" from the doser before it hits the filter basket. Since my portafilter is smaller than most (Gaggia Factory), more grinds miss the filter basket than I would like. Slow pulls of the doser help to allieve this problem though.
Detailed Commentary
The Mazzer looks great on my countertop. Big and solid enough to mean business, but elegantly designed enough to be appealing in a home environment. Great match to my espresso machines next to it, though it makes my little Capresso burr grinder look like a little toy!
The quality of construction is second to none. As many people have experienced, the sticker pointed at 6 o'clock was very close to what I needed to grind for my espressos. Operation of the unit is quiet. This is my first grinder in this class, so I'm not sure where the grinding "rate" stands versus other grinders, but it seems to take a while to grind compared to my old Capresso grinder (which also made a ton of noise and created enough static to run the Mazzer!). Not a big deal since it takes more than 20 seconds for my espresso machines to warm up anyhow.
As states above, I wish the portafilter guide was a little closer to the doser to reduce the amount of spillage. This really is a minor complaint though. With little static to worry about, the spilled grinds don't get all over the place, so a quick wipe is all that's needed.
Buying Experience
WLL is a pleasure to do business with. Would happily purchase from them again.
Three Month Followup
Loving the grinder. I'm averaging about 18-20 shots from my manual Gaggia to give you an idea of the volume of beans I'm going through (i.e., very little considering the size of the Mazzer). I do have an issue trying to get all the grinds out of the doser, which seems to work much better if I grind enough beans for a few days, rather than enough for just one double shot. Still tinkering with the doser adjustment as well. But all in all, very much in love with this machine!
