Grinder Reviews

Chonski

1] Make , Model & Year Macap M4D - bought Sept 2011 2] First impressions Shiny, compact and fast 3] Pros & Cons of your grinder Pros - Fast - 8-8.5 secs for a double. I didn't think speed would bother me in a home setting but it's quite a handy feature - Compact enough to fit under my kitchen cabinets - Seems to be a very consistent grind - Micrometric adjustment is great and accurate - Timer seems pretty accurate when weighing doses, although changing grind setting does have an effect on this - Not overly loud and the fact that it does the job faster also helps it be quieter 🙂 - Although I'm not an expert taster, even I could taste the difference in the step up from a rocky Cons - Would be annoying to change settings often to grind for anything other than espresso - Does clump a bit although they do seem to disappear pretty easily when you settle. Part of the reason I wanted to upgrade was to avoid WDT and simplify wherever possible - I haven't measured it but there is some grind retention there - Being micrometric it can take a few shots to dial in again once you pull it apart to clean 4] Your journey from the beginning to the present Started with a Silvia and an EM0480. Still have the Silvia but with a PID Have gone from EM0480 -> Rocky (thanks Kevin Rudd / stimulus payment!) -> M4D (thanks stress for making me buy a new toy as stress relief!) 5] Recommend or Not Definitely, if you don't mind a bit of wastage and you are mainly interested in a single grind setting For me it was either the M4D or the Mazzer Mini E. I went with the M4D mainly because of the size, looks, reputation and speed (not necessarily in that order) 6] Mods to date (if any) 7] Closing notes 8] Anything else that's interesting

Brett_H

Saeco Ulisse 1] Make , Model & Year Saeco Ulisse or rebadged Fiorenzato F5 any other names??? Purchased:2010 Manual Dimensions w x h x d (mm) 230 x 615 x 270 Weight 14 kg Framework aluminium Single-phase power supply 230V/50Hz - 220V/60Hz Motor 350W / 1350 rpm Coffee bean hopper capacity 1.5 kg Hardened steel 64 mm flat grinders Aluminium dosing unit Possibility to adjust the quantity of ground coffee from 5.5 to 9 gr 2] First impressions As the huge box came up the path with the delivery man my wife said

JamesM

1] Make , Model & Year Baratza Preciso 2012 $330 (web price from retailer) 2] First impressions Looks plasticy, fairly simple 3] Pros & Cons of your grinder Pros: VERY little grind retention (almost none) Grinds container or interchangeable portafilter holder Timer (on the side) or front push-button 440+ stepped adjustments (macro and micro) USA designed, European-made Conical 40mm burr VERY fast Quiet Accurate (excellent grind consistency) Ease of switching grind settings for different brew methods (EG from espresso to filter) Very easy to re-calibrate (if needed) Incredible customer support (email, and social media (FB and Twitter) Cons: Looks less attractive than other grinders Portafilter holder whilst a good idea is a little messy (but does catch excess or fallen grinds for easy tipping in to the PF after dosing) 4] Your journey from the beginning to the present Sunbeam EM0480 Mazzer Mini (still own) Gaggia MDF Spong #3 (still own) Baratza Preciso (obviously still own) 5] Recommend or Not Highly recommended for someone that wants to be able to easily grind for multiple brew methods, quickly, quietly, with little mess. Especially if switching brew methods regularly throughout the day. This grinder is VERY easy to adjust back and forward from espresso to filter thanks to being stepped. Although not your traditional inaccurate stepped grinder thanks to micro adjustments. It's very fast (11 sec for a double spro), quiet (when grinding, but a little loud when the hopper is empty), holds back almost no grinds (excellent). (older burr shown in photo) The consistency of the grinds from this unit across all coarseness is something to see. It outperforms grinders that cost 4-6x the price of this one in some areas including consistency (lack of fines) and retention. In the cup, for espresso, I noticed no difference in taste compared to my Mazzer Mini. I have not been able to compare filter-brewed coffee's just yet but I expect there to be a difference due to the fines that the Mazzer Mini produces at coarser grind settings. Baratza are a bunch of coffee geeks like us, the support from them is brilliant. These grinders (I think) are distributed in AU by 5Senses, who also have outstanding customer service. The Preciso and Vario have undergone a number of burr re-designs which has improved them every time. Finally we are seeing really serious grind quality from grinders that are designed for use in the home by coffee enthusiasts. This grinder was recommended to me by a world-known Q-grader and origin traveller who personally uses one. Baratza grinders were also recently provided for use on the WBC2012 Marco brew bar. 6] Mods to date (if any) none needed 7] Closing notes This grinder fits somewhere in between sunbeam/breville for aesthetics, cost and build. But don't be fooled, it's far heavier than it appears. As for quality of output I would put it in the $1k-2k grinder range. If you like to brew different methods, or only brew filter coffee, seriously look at this unit. If you only brew espresso coffee, the portafilter holder might annoy you a little 8] Anything else that's interesting Designed in USA, Made in Taiwan, burr's from Europe. Multiple improvements made over time including new (quieter) gearbox and revised burr's

Kelsey

Thanks James, great review! As has been demonstrated in other threads recently, you don't necessarily need to spend big bucks to get a perfectly good grinder. It's great that we've got another choice in the sub-$500 market.

conikal

Is there a reason price ( RRP or Purchaced price) is not reported in the reviews ?

mallacoota

For price see the site where James bought from they are the only importers of this model that I know of correct me if I am wrong by all means.

conikal

Ok, .but I ment generally for all the reviews. Few ( if any ?) of the reviews here seem to mention price, so its not easy to get a sense of value when doing comparisons. It just seems that its "taboo" to mention price ?..when it is a basic factor in any decision for buying a new piece of equipment, and as local "Oz" prices are frequently so different to the rest of the world !.

Kelsey

Our members sometimes get special deals - I believe Lacehim and his Vario are an example - that the suppliers wouldn't necessarily want widely known. I can't see a reason not to include RRP however, unless there was a mod's decision not to that I'm not aware of.

JamesM

I don't see a problem putting at the least a retail price!?

Brett_H

JamesM wrote:

I don't see a problem putting at the least a retail price!?

Yep! I encourage people to put the rrp or shelf price on a product under review because rightly or wrongly its often the second place people look after the title!

Kelsey

Good to know, thanks Brett!

JamesM

Baratza Preciso is $330 web price from retailer. (sorry, couldn't figure out how to edit my post)

Dry_bean

Chonski wrote:

1] Make , Model & Year Macap M4D - bought Sept 2011 2] First impressions Shiny, compact and fast 3] Pros & Cons of your grinder Pros - Fast - 8-8.5 secs for a double. I didn't think speed would bother me in a home setting but it's quite a handy feature - Compact enough to fit under my kitchen cabinets - Seems to be a very consistent grind - Micrometric adjustment is great and accurate - Timer seems pretty accurate when weighing doses, although changing grind setting does have an effect on this - Not overly loud and the fact that it does the job faster also helps it be quieter 🙂 - Although I'm not an expert taster, even I could taste the difference in the step up from a rocky Cons - Would be annoying to change settings often to grind for anything other than espresso - Does clump a bit although they do seem to disappear pretty easily when you settle. Part of the reason I wanted to upgrade was to avoid WDT and simplify wherever possible - I haven't measured it but there is some grind retention there - Being micrometric it can take a few shots to dial in again once you pull it apart to clean 4] Your journey from the beginning to the present Started with a Silvia and an EM0480. Still have the Silvia but with a PID Have gone from EM0480 -> Rocky (thanks Kevin Rudd / stimulus payment!) -> M4D (thanks stress for making me buy a new toy as stress relief!) 5] Recommend or Not Definitely, if you don't mind a bit of wastage and you are mainly interested in a single grind setting For me it was either the M4D or the Mazzer Mini E. I went with the M4D mainly because of the size, looks, reputation and speed (not necessarily in that order) 6] Mods to date (if any) 7] Closing notes 8] Anything else that's interesting

Morning Chonski, Almost 5 years since your last post! how goes it with the M4D and Silvia, you've certainly had time to come to terms with them. Notice you still lurk! we desperately need more contributors, how about a story of your coffee adventures over the past few years. Would love to hear from you. 🙂

Brett_H

I didn't get one of these M4Ds only because the elecronica models are generally less efficient for home users who single dose/chute sweep for optimum freshness and least retention. This was my experience with other elecronic dosing models I've owned and currently own! Was I wrong??

Dry_bean

Brett H wrote:

I didn't get one of these M4Ds only because the elecronica models are generally less efficient for home users who single dose/chute sweep for optimum freshness and least retention. This was my experience with other elecronic dosing models I've owned and currently own! Was I wrong??

Morning Brett, Being an electronic Luddite I have no idea, I try to avoid electronics wherever possible, the displays and lights look great while they are working, however, like all things electronic they eventually fail. The Mazzer Mini is a simple machine, and that's one of the reasons I like it. 🙂

Brett_H

Same with my K10 DB. A motor and a switch!

GeekKopi

Here is a little on my current grinder 1] Make , Model & Year Macap M2M, Purchased 2015 new: Flat grinding blade diameter: 50mm Coffee beans hopper capacity:250 grams Body Colour - Black or Chrome 2] First impressions Shiny, very compact but looks to be built well. 3] Pros & Cons of your grinder Pros - *great grinder for home use as it is compact and will fit anywhere *sexy looks and will compliment any machine *consistent grind *hardly clumps and if it does they are small and go away by tapping the PF to settle the grinds *steps are small enough (grinder is not stepless) *hardly any waste/mess (nearly zero mess if using a dosing funnel from OE or yoghurt cup) *height adjustable filter holder (I've put it on the lower setting so I can use it with a dosing funnel) Cons *minor grind retention *plastic PF holder/rest *plastic grind tray (would have preferred stainless) *not as fast as 58mm flat burr grinders as this unit uses 50mm burrs. 4] Your journey from the beginning to the present manual grinder --> rancilio rockiy --> mazzer mini manual doser --> macap m2m 5] Recommend or Not Definitely recommend, italian made, quality built, sexy, awesome for espresso or grind for turkish or french press. 6] Mods to date (if any) Single dose hopper (cut a stainless cocktail shaker to size and used the plastic tamper as a weight) 7] Closing notes give it a try in a shop, it won't disappoint, and for the price for me its a winner. It basically a motor and a switch, no electronics that would short circuit and go haywire. 8] Anything else that's interesting the wife approves the looks of it

DoubleRistretto

Boy GK, that's a seriously smart-looking unit - enough to make me think about replacing my ageing Anfim!

GeekKopi

Double Ristretto wrote:

Boy GK, that's a seriously smart-looking unit - enough to make me think about replacing my ageing Anfim!

heres another couple pics from different angles. I've been quite happy with it so far.

Cuir_Beluga

Thanks for that KeekKopi. I am considering a grinder upgrade, not for a while yet though, and that is one of the machines I was looking at.