The Kony burrs were specifically chosen to consume the right amount of power and not cause problems. Anything else may not give optimum performance, as the characteristics of the burr could be unsuitable..
Gorilla Gear burrs in a Niche Zero
MWJB I have no idea how much the Ditting or the Vario burrs weigh. What I do know is that the current conversation started from a question on the weight of the Gorilla Gear burrs for the Niche, which are (supposedly) “nanodiamond” coated steel. The standard Mazzer burrs are made of steel, not ceramic. Based on this, I doubt that they are very different in weight.
I also didn’t say that they produce grinds of the same size or distribution. What I did say is that the amount of metal removed from the blank won’t be that different, as they need to grab the same coffee beans and produce ground particles of roughly the same size, i.e. within a fairly narrow set of dimensions when compared with the macroscopic size of the burrs (40/63 mm vs. ~0.05 to 1 mm). The adjustability of the grinder does not change the weight of the burrs, and obtaining a different distribution of particle size doesn’t necessarily change it either, while the quality or repeatability of the resulting coffee are neither here nor there.
The adjustability of the grinder does not change the weight of the burrs but it does allow burrs of similar size/weight/volume (or dissimilar) to produce useable/comparable grinds. The repeatability of the grind is inbuilt to the burrs & grinder design. If it was not repeatable for that grinder, you wouldn’t be able to dial in any grinder,
I’ve decided to stick with the GG burrs in the Niche so I’ll let you all know if there’s any issues.
But given that the motor’s noise level and the grind time are indistinguishable between the two sets of burrs, I suspect that the grinder will cope well enough. Time, as always, will tell.
Happy to be the guinea pig.
- Edited
DavecUK The Kony burrs were specifically chosen to consume the right amount of power and not cause problems
As modest as ever.
From memory, the Kony’s were also chosen because you recommended that Niche replace the original Italmill burrs that were in the prototype with the Kony’s. And thousands of Niche owners owe you a debt of gratitude for that.
If Italmill burrs were going to be in the grinder originally and then Kony burrs, it may not be too much of a leap to suspect that GG burrs will be fine too.
My guess is that the main determining factor is whether the motor and planetary gearbox have enough power and torque in any particular grinder to push aftermarket burrs around. Seems they were not in the Ode but may be fine in the DF83.
Given that the Kony’s in a Niche cope easily with the lightest and hardest of beans, I suspect that it will be fine with the GG burrs and my light to medium beans. We shall see.
Being able to fit aftermarket burrs certainly appears to be becoming a popular option as more grinders are made to accommodate this feature.
Interesting discussion!
MWJB Which is not the question.
I’ve had the chance to play with the replacement GG burrs in my Niche it’s well out of warranty. Early days but so far I’m impressed with the GG burrs
What do they do to impress?
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
Cuprajake Less bitterness. Smoother taste. Less tendency to stall. I could be imagining all this but it seems to address the complaints people make about the NICHE as a pour over. Not tried Espresso yet. Once the burrs are broken in it would be good to meet up with someone who has a standard NICHE and compare shots side by side
Grahamsphillips Smoother taste. Less tendency to stall.
The grinder, or the brews?
If brews, I’ve never had a pour over stall with the Niche, what sort of grind setting range were you in with the old burrs?
Grahamsphillips - Grahamsphillips - where are you located?
MWJB With the GG burrs I’m between 40 and 50. With the KONY it was kind of off the dial maybe a full turn or more. I always struggled to dial in for pour overs but it was great for espresso
I live on Welwyn Village North Herts but I’m often in and around North and North west London
Grahamsphillips. I live near Newbury, west berks, so not that close. Never mind. 👍
Grahamsphillips With the KONY it was kind of off the dial maybe a full turn or more. I always struggled to dial in for pour overs
This sounds like a typical range to me,
From memory I thought that Niche intended to use the stainless burrs that fit a kony. I thought your choice to use mazzer originals was a mix of manufacture quality and taste etc.
;) So????
Actually you mentioned to me that I could fit these stainless if I wanted. :) Don’t fancy running another set in though and is the cut of these burrs any different?
The weight of the burr wont make much difference to the load on the motor, Niche’s would probably spin up Robur burrs without any problems. It’s just an inertial load until the motor reaches it’s designed speed.;) Not that I would try it.
The grinding rate is set by the burr design for some rotational speed. Faster it turns the higher the grinding rate. These are generic Kony burrs, probably the stainless ones.
Not sure if the image upload has worked.
The inner has a sloped cut. That is working against a straight edge initially and then a sloped cut in the opposite direction. This forces broken beans down through the burrs due to burr rotation. It’s similar to a screw. The slopes in the teeth mostly set the rate. Unlike flat they tend to self feed. Centrifugal force breaks the beans up on flats and forces them into grinding areas.
ajohn From memory I thought that Niche intended to use the stainless burrs that fit a kony. I thought your choice to use mazzer originals was a mix of manufacture quality and taste etc.
This is correct, I tried both Italmill burrs and Mazzer. The Mazzer burrs were superior in every respect, taste, energy consumption and quality. Overall performance was enhanced.
Hi @tompoland any further reflection on the GG burrs? Mine are grinding nicely for pour over. Will try for espresso over the weekend