Teaboy - can’t you buy it from a UK retailer?
The Unknown Hand/Electric grinder
MediumRoastSteam I have sent them a message. I have not seen any UK retailers tbf.
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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!
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!
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.
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.
Teaboy Mine did the same yesterday after 15months of use. I reckon it had about 2-3kg of coffee through it before the lugs sheared.
I can still ‘use’ it by holding the 2 parts together and I am astounded at how much torque is experienced - no wonder the lugs failed! Grinding with the handle seems far easier and less jerky presumably because of higher rpm when hand grinding.
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james65477564 I’m surprised the lugs lasted that long, mine disintegrated in no time at all.
So with BB deciding the V2 wasn’t going to happen I set about losing myself in CAD for a couple of days to design and print a more robust grinder insert & motor housing, which I’ve been using for the last 6-months.
I can make the STL files available if you have the means to get them printed & want to give them a whirl
That looks impressive. I assume you had to get them printed remotely in metal?
james65477564 They’re actually printed in PETG plastic so they can be printed on pretty much any FDM printer
PartySausage Superb, I have a 3d printer so would love the files.
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james65477564 Great stuff. Here you go https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-nZwtPILHJsSIgoVVM7Fu9hFgpDKOblJ/view?usp=sharing
You might need to play around with the orientation for printing as I didn’t get the orientation the right way round in the CAD S/W
I used a 0.4mm nozzle, 0.2mm Layer with 50% infill & 4 walls. Supports are needed so the lugs are printed correctly
PartySausage Thanks for this, will take a look when i get home.
The insert printed perfectly and I have only lost 1 lug on the motor housing so it is actually working again.
How did you remove the motor housing?