Ernie1 Isn’t that where the Niche is made?

  • There are factories and there are factories
  • there are workers and there are trained and skilled workers
  • There are parts and there are parts
  • There is manufacturing equipment and manufacturing equipment
  • There is quality control and there is quality control

In reality there are chinesium products and proper products e.g. Iphone, Niche, etc..

    tompoland To clarify: My experience of the niche as well as the Weber EG-1 was that the retention was pretty darned good at around 0.3 g but every now then they would simply drop a significant sized clump of coffee out and the Moca SD does not do that.

    That’s not my experience with Niche. Like most I found first dose needed a couple of extra beans and then forget it. @DavecUK looked at carry over from that. As using the can I check weighed for yonks. I do get build up at the top of the chute but the rate per shot doesn’t show up on 1/10g scales. It doesn’t fall out. It may build up very quickly. Next time I clean it I will have a closer look at this and weigh it when I get it out. I’d like to find complete info on totally dismantling it as well.

    There are 2 aspects on retention. What goes in comes out and what is left behind that may cause carry over problems etc. That can only be looked at from dead clean. Then comes the run the burrs in problem. ;) Even an SGP needs that and needs shots run to settle from clean. It can weigh in well but broken beans collect on top of the burrs. It settles to a point where one or two chips may or may not fall into the burrs. I’ve run a mazzer mini with what goes in comes out. I mentioned this to my son, One time he used it 1/10g short so I told him what to do to get the other ⅒ out.

    dfk41 Now, I share an open plan kitchen so in my humble opinion, looks wise (not that I could give a monkeys!) the Niche fits far better into this arrangement.

    Hence me mentioning the difference with this designer.

    Talk about grinds and burrs. What chance does Niche have of producing the same grind as a Kony with it’s hopper on. I’d say zero. Probably more so than the difference on flat as more grinds need to forced out - the reason people were reluctant to use them - a lot more trapped grinds when the hopper is used,

    Ernie1 I just meant I’m not sure if she’d be over the moon if I bought a second espresso machine.

    Yeh I got that, I was just replying tongue in cheek

    DavecUK In reality there are chinesium products and proper products e.g. Iphone, Niche, etc..

    A lot of Chinese products are C-E marked. As industry has found out to its cost the C-E stands for China Export. At the end of the day, as you say, Good design and adherence to high quality standards results in good manufacturing, wherever the product is built.

      I hadn’t looked for this info for some time

      Another - indicates what DaveC was saying about good Chinese manufacture

      Well and it’s not even like British manufacturing is an automatic mark of quality assurance. My other half just had two separate pairs of boots from an English maker break in different places within 10 wears.

      Also, one of my Triumph motorbikes is made in the far east and I’d go as far as saying the fit and finish is actually better than the British made one.

      Just to throw my two pence in !
      I originally bought df64 and niche. It was a no brained to me and df64 went.

      18 months later and still happy with niche but upgraditus kept kicking in and I really fancied flat burrs. Tried Major and loved it but way to large for my space.

      Tried df83 and I’m delighted with it. Niche is gone now (saying that I would not hesitate for a second to buy another one as loved every minute of owning it).
      With the df83 I changed the burrs to mazzer (can’t comment on originals as not used them at all), removed one of the declumpers and polished the chute with beeswax (thanks @tompoland).
      Really pleased with it although it’s not really same price bracket as df64/Niche.

        Nightrider_1uk A lot of Chinese products are C-E marked. As industry has found out to its cost the C-E stands for China Export

        All CE means is that a manufacture has checked that a product meets EU standards where the apply. They should then have a declaration of conformity. Any manufacturer anywhere can do that if they want. It’s mostly self certification.

        Odd thing is that countries may have different markings but all of the major countries accept each others so CE for instance can be found all over the world. There is zero difference really in what is needed.

        prezes Really pleased with it although it’s not really same price bracket as df64/Niche.

        I have a Solo which seems to be mentioned in the same breath as a DF64. I don’t like it. Wont sell it as I would have to say a user may have problems with some beans. Removing one of the rubber flaps on the grinds output helps but best replaced with spacing washers. ;) I think I was the first to notice it wont take Mazzer burrs.

        Also tried HU burrs in it and found the same aspects about using them as a few others have mentioned.

        Buy a pure Chinese produced and made grinder again. ;) Afraid not. Maybe when they have more experience.

          ajohn think I was the first to notice it wont take Mazzer burrs.

          There’s a thread where a few successful users are running the grinder with Mazzer super jolly burrs.

          Not a perfect fit as some say, but nothing that can’t be remedied.

            MediumRoastSteam There’s a thread where a few successful users are running the grinder with Mazzer super jolly burrs.

            I don’t think that would make any difference to my beefs with it. In fact a spacer under the bottom burr would probably make them worse - assuming they have used the correct depth of the sweepers. I could take the carrier out and remachine it accurately and make a ring to allow the original to be fitted again as well but in my view it has other problems.

              I’m using Mazzers in mine and they are working very well for me. Strange that they still do not seem to have used a suitable clump crusher - the one I sourced from Etsy and replaced in my unit is excellent. Coming up to 2 years of ownership of the grinder and have absolutely no plans to change it. Thought it seems quite widely regarded as a well-built grinder. I was convinced to buy it when I read @DavecUK’s review.