• Grinders

  • The Unknown Hand/Electric grinder

Teaboy Yes, sorry apart from the known issue with the slight play in the shaft I was happily using it but had to stop as the lugs are now disintegrating where the motor joins.

was there anything odd about the way the motor was locking in, was it locked in correctly or twisting as it started. I ask because I can’t understand how it can happen? I ground lots of coffee on the prototype…I will actually inspect and photo the lugs now.

This is what mine look like and the grinder has probably had more than 2 kg through it, plus some espresso, so around 165+ grind sessions, equating to perhaps approx 3 months of usage based on your work pattern? The only sign of any usage marks are those created by locking and unlocking the motor.

Below is the motor unit lugs and the moulding marks exist on a never used motor unit as well

I did let the manufacturer know directly what happened with your unit…the immediate reaction was shock and they have no idea how this could have happened? Please let BB know as the revised and improved production grinder samples are due in and I think they would want to send you one.

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      Teaboy not seen an RRP for it yet but the C60 is likely to be very expensive, probably comparable to the Mazzer Omega if not even more and there’s just so many good grinders out there for a lot cheaper.

      Your optimal choice depends on what features are most important to you (eg grind speed and ease, ability to do both espresso and filter or one method better than the other, quality of build, portability, value for money). No grinder will tick all boxes even if you’re paying a premium!

          DavecUK hi Dave, I explained everything to BB and they said they order them from China and that there was not another iteration due and what was I to expect from ‘hammering’ a £99 Chinese grinder. BB suggested it would probably fare better with light use. They were very understanding though, great customer service, I can’t fault that, what a polite firm too.

          The motor used to lock in without issue, it is a shame.

            Cuprajake would knock grinders suit my requirements please or are they more leaning toward espresso and not mid rounded more suited to other methods?

            • MWJB replied to this.

                Sorry couldn’t say, I’ve never used one

                Perhaps @MWJB has?

                Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

                  Cuprajake thank you that’s okay, I have looked at 1zedspresso too but they don’t take card’s so they’re a non starter unfortunately.

                      Teaboy would knock grinders suit my requirements please or are they more leaning toward espresso and not mid rounded more suited to other methods?

                      Feldgrind & Aergrind will do filter & espresso, my Feldgrind is the hand grinder I use most.

                        Teaboy will not be using it for espresso more like aeropress and mostly due to speed cafetière

                        Well worth considering a cheaper filter-only grinder like the Timemore C3 for around £50 or Kingrinder k2 for £65 (on Amazon and other UK retailers) then.

                        If you do think you may dabble with espresso in the future I’d pay more for an all-rounder but if not you can make a lot of savings by going filter-only.

                          For owners, this is a warning although I doubt many will make the same mistake I have! When screwing the top onto the bottom (the motor unit onto the main body), take a careful look at the direction ‘padlocks’. They are opposite to what was my natural urge and the result was that when I pressed the power button, the motor unit then moved and locked itself. Now that I lock it properly, there is no movement. This might not be too much of an issue when grinding at 15gms but if you were to pack the beans in it might cause problems!

                          https://www.suddencardiacarrestuk.org/2024/02/thank-goodness-for-madeira-cake/

                          The way the unit locks definitely seems the wrong way around to myself too.

                            dutchy101 The way the unit locks definitely seems the wrong way around to myself too.

                            I need to do a video…I have the revised production unit now!

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                                DavecUK I would definitely be interested to see if it de lugs like the old one I had.

                                    Teaboy I would definitely be interested to see if it de lugs like the old one I had.

                                    The lugs are the same and I ground more than 2 kilos in one and no lug wear whatsoever. Tolerances are really tight now, they have absolutely no lateral movement, so very nice indeed, the improvements made a big difference.

                                    If your worried about the lug wear photos….I can only thing either:

                                    • The unit was defective in some way I cannot explain
                                    • the motor unit was turned the wrong way to lock sometimes

                                    For the second point, with with a grinder reasonably full of coffee (even not so full I guess), the motor unit will move ¼ of an inch or so anticlockwise in the locking direction (motor torque when grinding). The lugs partially engage and as the motor continues applying torque the whole motor unit pulls downward on the lugs with great force, nibbling them away starting at the front leading edge and gradually working clockwise.

                                    The first time the damage happens, it makes it increasingly more likely each time the motor is locked in the wrong way.

                                    The above are the ONLY 2 things that can cause it. My bet would be with the 2nd being inadvertently done so the user is completely unaware they have done it. I have caught myself on many occasions locking itself in the wrong way as I always do a brief gentle upward pull of the motor unit (if it pops out, it was in the wrong way).

                                    You might say that’s impossible, I would know, but with beans in it and the motor/burr breaker resistance, turning it the wrong way can feel as if you’re locking it in.

                                    I know this post might upset the person posting the photos, but it is what it is….I can only apply science to the problem and give the only 2 possible explanations. If you look carefully at the photos of lug damage, it’s not from lateral torque, but downward force. This downward force cannot happen with the motor unit locked in properly, because it is flush/touching with the main body and nothing can move down to wear the top of the lugs.

                                    I’m currently testing the grinder just for espresso, it can do filter really well, no question about that….it’s whether it has the adjustability and grind quality to deliver on espresso as well. I will know this in a few days. It is important to note, espresso will be a 3m grind time, filter about 1m 15s…but you press a button and let it do it’s thing and it stops automatically.

                                    I thought long and hard before making this post…but it’s a very good grinder and great value. I don’t get anything for saying this and it would be a shame to overlook it. I actually took the prototype to @MWJB as I didn’t have the revised production one at that time. Mark has a lot of hand grinders…so he can make his own comments.

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                                      The grinder performed just fine, it seems like a great option for those who want something easily stowable (many people who like coffee don’t like leaving paraphernalia out in view all the time), better than a typical whirly blade grinder/Hario/Porlex & possibly in place of bulkier grinders like Baratza Encore, Wilfa etc. (as long as making smaller brews).

                                      I wasn’t bowled over by the ergonomics of grinding by hand with it (short body & squared off crank arm), it’s doable in a ‘get you home’ when out of charge, kind of way.

                                      The anti-clockwise motor locking bayonet lugs are just a function of the burr rotation direction, it doesn’t seem practical to try and ‘fix’/change this.

                                      OK, been testing the revised production one with espresso…will it do it…yes. Is it really an espresso grinder NO, my reasons are as follows. I took a bean roasted back in June or July, it needed a really find grind, the grind time was 7.5 minutes, to give a decent espresso pour which it did and I’m drinking it now. I would imagine there might be some very light roast beans that could possibly take over 7 minutes, which makes the time too long. As the burrs are closed up for espresso the bean feed is insufficient to really drive the beans in.

                                      Could you grind for espresso in an emergency, sure, regularly NO, you really wouldn’t want to. So far on a fully charged motor I have had 5 or 6 (16g) espresso grinds out of it and could possibly get the same again? Is it good for filter…YES, that’s what it should be for.

                                      Fit finish and tolerances are now superb and up there with the best.

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