I see why it's so popular and why so many people devote their time to make it even better.
Positive Product Points
Easy to set up and use, this grinder preforms as expected. Switching from say a setting of 10 to 11, or 10 to 9 , yields a predictable result. Coffee grounds are uniform and even. Unit is heavy, it doesn't move around when in use. Grinder doesn't make any noise empty and not much more when grinding beans. It will fit under 90% of your kitchen cabinets. Looks good in the kitchen.
Negative Product Points
Grounds can sometimes get stuck in the shute before they fall into the doser. Doser fins do not sweep clean, the fins don't come close to touching the outside cylinder wall. The zero point of the burrs is not zero on the sticker. Quality control, more on that in a second.
Detailed Commentary
The grinder is everything, if your thinking about spending hundreds or even thousands on a espresso setup for home, then take half of what you've got or more and buy a grinder. Then go shopping for a espresso machine. The performance of the Rancilio Rocky is awsome, It was this or a Mazzer Mini. I chose the Rocky because of price, simple. It does have it's flaws, namely the doser sweeper fins. They are too short horizontally and vertically, a lot of ground coffee is left behind. Now I can see why so many have tried to modify them to improve performance. The doser fork is a little to small for my portafilter (a Gaggia Coffee 58mm) and has to be rotated at a certain angle left or right to go all the way in. Quality control, my Rocky is the stainless steel version, their are slots in both sides like vent holes. Four on each side to be exact, the right side had one slot still covered, so I had to get a small pick , pry the piece loose and remove it. The plastik doser housing has tool marks on the inside, at least two deep scratches are noticable. Also the black plastik cover directly below the sticker for your grind setting is not smooth, looks like the piece was carved with a pocket knife not a machine. But, most of these things are cosmetic, except for the doser fins. The end result is better than I ever hoped. A quality grinder is an absolute must to have and the Rocky is that before anything else. If Rancilio would step up their fit and finish then the product would be even better.
Buying Experience
I purchased the grinder from Aabree Coffee Company, the box I recieved was double boxed with a lot of padding and was delivered on time. What else can you say.