Continuing the $365 portafilter theme, I give you ... ta daaaa... the moonraker... https://youtu.be/6Xu3pWOPVdA Let the howls of derision begin!

I may as well get in first: with the cost of a unifilter and a moonraker you could buy a new Breville Dual Boiler. Any yet the Ultra Moonraker sold out in two hours. Not sure how many units that was but I suspect it was a decent number. I guess that there is still plenty of money around when they can sell a moonraker for around $US500 which does the job of a paperclip or Dave's toothpick. Mind you, he must be on at least his third one by now. I know, I know, it's better than a paperclip or a toothpick ... or is it? Not saying I wouldn't buy, just saying it's amazing what's happening at the top end of the market.

But then if it wasn't excruciatingly expensive, it wouldn't be a Weber. I mentioned in another thread that I was fortunate enough to have a chat with Douglas Weber when at MICE last year. I was trying to convince him to develop a hybrid grinder but he wasn't having any of it because he didn't think that it would achieve anything more than a normal pre-breaker on a large conical like an 83mm Mazzer Robur (HG-1 and 2, Key) . There's a slight chance to be knows a lot more about these things than me but nevertheless he was very patient with my persistent pleadings. The upshop of the conversation was that he didn't want to develop any products unless it was going to make a difference. Something new or something better or something different. And you would have to say that he's consistently stuck to that philosophy right from the outset. Color me impressed.

While it’s staggeringly expensive, it is definitely a thing of beauty. I’m going to stick with my piece wood with a few needles I though

This seems to be the way the coffee industry is going……god help us!

Weber at this point are taking the pee with the prices The guy is using his apple knowledge very well Fool and his money comes to mind. But hey if you can afford it then why not Ive only ever had one Weber product the bean cellers and they lasted less than a year. Each to their own but this is a bit ott for me.

As a fan of Swiss mechanical watches, I approve.

Question is… those cogs are needed in a watch or a clock. But why are they needed in a distribution tool? 🤔

@"MediumRoastSteam"#p42569 Because without them the $485 markup on a standard WDT tool would be an even bigger ask, even for Weber!

To be fair I do really like it, fantastic piece of engineering and WDT aside I can see it bringing a little moment of joy every time it’s used. Obviously very expensive taken at face value but I suppose the coffee equivalent of a Leica or Patek.

They are defo going for the James Bond vibe with that music… I notice Moonraker has the TM after it.. wonder if they had to license the name (or they have). Love the look - very mechanical watch… but wow.. I like a gadget but would draw the line there ! @"tompoland"#121 There is a standard version you can still buy - and 150 dollars cheaper 👍

Weber moonraker

tompoland

Yes indeed, ordered the Etsy 58mm version because it was the only one in stock and the same size at the moonraker. And yes, I selected the middle tier shipping option called “international tracked package”. They suggest ETA is 2nd to 26 of May. Quite a spread. My guess is 13th to 20th.

whinmoor85

Worth a watch.

MattH

whinmoor85 I chuckle everytime the price is mentioned - 475 for the ultra brass version… possibly custom needles which may last a week (admittedly in a busy environment).

I love the look and the name - but I know when to call it quits 😂

tompoland

MattH wish I knew when… 😪

whinmoor85

MattH £380 is the UK price 😂
The description on the website states they’re both made of premium materials ‘The ULTRA edition utilizes a solid brass movement (gears), whereas the STANDARD edition is crafted with an anti-static glass fiber reinforced and food-safe polymer.’ Doubt there’s a performance benefit with the more expensive one.

The needles going bent isn’t great.

tompoland

This is interesting. How badly do you want an the extra 0.23% extraction between 0 turns and 5 turns?

And in terms of extraction I would have been more interested in the difference between using a standard pack break or paper clip for that matter and the moonraker.

I guess to be fair if the moon raker makes distribution easier and faster and more enjoyable that’s a big plus as well but not one that most people would pay so many $ for I wouldn’t think.

chlorox

tompoland

Tom, have you managed to fit the handle to the etsy tool and tried its spinning motion? How does the speed and smoothness of the spin compare to that of the moonraker?

The barista hustle auto comb looks even faster in its movement though it Appears to have fixed orbit tracks as opposed to an eccentric random motion as in the etsy tool.and the moonraker. Are u looking to get an auto comb as well? It would be really fascinating to see a video comparison of all three tools …..

DavecUK

tompoland Love the graph scale, makes an imperceptible difference look big 😁

I wonder what the accuracy of his test equipment is?

tompoland

chlorox I fitted the handle and it’s a it’s a tiny bit clunky but smooth enough for practical purposes. The Moonraker (Ultra version) isn’t due to arrive for another 2 months I think. In the meantime someone sent me another another 3-D printed version to test and compare with the Moonraker so I guess I’ll end up putting all 3 side-by-side test once the moon raker arrives. Will post impressions.

Cuprajake

Giphy - Im Out Shark Tank GIF by ABC Network

tompoland

DavecUK good point. One that I invariable overlook.

JHCCoffee

tompoland

I’ll be very curious as to whether this type of device: a) does as good a job as “manual” WDT (say a deep, mid and take WDT with 0.35 needles), and b) significantly speeds up work flow. Are the needles bending together and pushing the grinds around?

As WDT takes up a significant chunk of time, effort and focus in my workflow, using this type of device would be worth it if it made WDT substantially easier and faster, and… worked. But if it causes channelling or uneven distribution, I’ll pass, as I more or less don’t experience these issues anymore.

@tompoland or anyone: might you post any links that you may have to any devices that are similar to the Weber, but more reasonably priced, but not the cheap junk that is sometimes sold on Amazon or AliExpress. Or a 3D print design.

capuchin

What I understand least about this whole shenanigan is why people are comparing it to watches or ‘mechanical art.’

Adding a posh video and marketing doesn’t make it innovative or overengineered. There’s no helium release to standardise pressure under the level or some new alloy that’s thin or something. There’s no precision engineering which makes you think ‘wow’ - It’s just a marketing video of something pretty trash with a few cogs.

tompoland

capuchin

Credit where it’s due: it’s innovative.

I can understand if you’re not won over by a video, few on this forum are.

OTT? Sure.

Ridiculously expensive? Yep.

Unnecessary? Certainly.

But I haven’t seen too much trash coming from Weber.

DavecUK

tompoland But I haven’t seen too much trash coming from Weber.

Trash might be a strong word but I’ve used a couple of Weber products that have annoyed me. One of them only today.

tompoland

DavecUK

90% of the kit I have comes with some annoyances. Or at least something that I’d like to be different about it. The Niche Zero being a notable exception. That sets an extraordinarily high standard.

The wipers on the EG-1 annoyed me. But there was a lot that delighted me. In the end I sold it because the Ditting burrs outshone the EG-1 burrs, for my preferred style.

tompoland

DavecUK if it’s the Key, I wasn’t a big fan of the beans popcorning (fixed later with their bean feeder) or the strange steel collar that was stuck around the shaft. Nice form factor though.

If it is the Key, what do make of the design in respect to the drive shaft? I had concerns that a knock could create an alignment issue.

JonWoo187

DavecUK How about over hyped/rated garbage, bwahaha? IMBHO it makes no difference how innovative/quality built a device/tool is if the manufacturer has less than stellar post sale support, etc.

Cuprajake

if it works it works, theres a price point for everyone, this is coming from some one who rubbished the unifilter, who now owns a wafo basket 😛

i did read there was a 3d print version before the weber,

my only worry is some of their stuff is a bit cheap, my weber bean cellers went south less than 8 months old

chlorox

Cuprajake

What happened to the weber bean cellars?

Cuprajake

Seals went and they wouldn’t stay air tight

PartySausage

There’s a chap on a German forum that has created an updated version of his 3D printed tool that he sells via Etsy.
It seems to be very similar to the Moonraker in operation though admittedly without the bling factor & associated price

https://www.kaffee-netz.de/threads/betatester-fuer-mein-neues-wdt-tool.152091/

He was offering them at a discounted price before listing on Etsy & I’ve got one on the way to me for testing, though it seems to be having trouble escaping the German mail system at the moment. Dodgy papers perhaps 🤔 I’ll report back once it lands

DavecUK

tompoland If it is the Key, what do make of the design in respect to the drive shaft? I had concerns that a knock could create an alignment issue.

It’s a long shaft and I would imagine alignment is an issue for them generally. There’s just lots I didn’t like about it and if I had paid that sort of money, I wouldn’t be too pleased.

Same with the EG1, I also found it unremarkable in terms of espresso, americano quality….the Kafatek Monolith really shows up the EG1 shortcomings by being better in every way possible.

workflow
taste
burrs
design
build

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