Professional grinder features; 50 mm burrs of hardened steel (not buns of steel:), infinitely adjustable grind, powerful 150w motor with gear reduction.

Not much really, as long as you get one that is in good working order (more about this later). There are two annoying things, the doser handle and the little thingy that you slide in to keep beans from falling out when you want to remove the hopper.

As the previous reviewer noted, I am surprised that there are not more reviews of the NS MCF. The grinder does a really good job with what is most important - grind quality and consistency.

I am relatively new to espresso production, and did not heed the advice to buy a good grinder before you get a good machine. I was using my Capresso to grind for my Wega Mininova, but not for long. Even on the Capresso's finest grind setting I couldn't get doubles to take more than 13 seconds and they looked awfully watery to me. The last straw was my wife complaining that the Capresso was LOUD.

I decided on the MCF because it is semi-pro and small enough to fit under a kitchen cabinet, yet was better/more professional looking than the Rocky. I had also heard that the Innova Grinders are loud, thus ruling out them.

MY EXPERIENCE

The first MCF I got had something wrong with the doser. The lever was very hard to pull and the doser mechanism made a horrible squeaking noise. Also, the little metal thingy that you slide in to keep beans from falling out when you want to remove the hopper was bent and the chrome plating was flaking off. I called Chris at Chris Coffee Service and he gave me some suggestions about how to fix the doser, but they did not work. He said he would have NS send me a new one (he did not have one in stock). Later, NS called. They obviously did not want to send a new one and wanted me to OIL the under parts of the doser. I was not very happy about this since the ground coffee falls through this area and who wants non-coffee oil in their coffee?!?! Also, they said they could send a new metal hopper thingy, but the NS technician said they are bent on purpose and the chrome plating almost always flakes off. I was about resigned to these solutions when Chris called to see how NS had treated the problem. He thought the doser solution was ridiculous and also noted that it wouldn't cost NS much more to make the hopper thingy out of stainless steel and thus avoid the problem of flaking and subsequent possible rusting. He said he would call NS again and have them ship a new one. The NS technician called back and was no longer hesitant about shipping a new one. NOW THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE-CHRIS (THE OWNER) CALLED ME TO FOLLOW UP.  

Anyway, the new grinder arrived, the doser worked well and the NS people had at least scraped off the flaking chrome plating before sending it. But wait, I got another surprise. I had been using the first grinder and was somewhat disappointed because I had zeroed it in, backed it off a quarter turn and had found that the grind looked finer and more even than my old grinder, but the shots I was able to pull (even when almost at the zero position) where only slightly better and still in the 13 second range for a double. I zeroed in the replacement and backed off about a quarter turn. The grind looked much finer than anything I had seen before and sure enough, it choked my Mininova. It now seems to me that there was something seriously wrong with the first grinder. I am now able to pull great double shots in the 23-28 second range consistently.    

THE GRINDER

The MCF is quiet and easy to use. The grind is very adjustable and goes from coarse to very, very fine and once set if does not slip. The doser works well and does not leave many grounds behind. The chute between the doser and the burrs is very short and horizontal, making it easy to clear out grinds with a spoon handle before dosing. The ability to remove the hopper to change types of beans is very helpful (think decaf). The housing is enameled steel and the grinder is heavy (doesn't move about much). Overall it is attractive in an unobtrusive way.

The only things I would suggest as improvements are: 1) Make the dang hopper thingy out of stainless steel and 2) Please make the doser handle black instead of white plastic. I don't know what idiot designer made the doser handle white, I am sure black would have been no more expensive. It is the only thing that mars an otherwise good looking grinder.

Chris at Chris Coffee Service is great. I have been noticing that he has been getting a lot of positive comments in reviews. He  deserves them all.