Wug2 83a grinder, am I the only one that can't see the point

Adrianmsmith

Being bored nursing my broken leg, I today finished watching YouTube 🤫, not quite all of it, I left out a section on opera.

But I stumbled across a video by he who shall remain nameless preaching how superb it is.

So this was a guy pushing this as an end game grinder I believe.

Maybe I watched it in the wrong aspect ratio or language or I’ve had too many pain killers or something.

But everything he said good about it was, well, really bad.

My main issue being it’s rather ridiculous design in regards to height aspect ratios.

The exit and bottom burr carrier is 3 inch too low.

The top burr or loading area is 3 inch too close to the main motor housing so you can’t even get beans in to it.

Every adjustment is at best frustratingly fiddly

And it’s an end game grinder? Shouldn’t that say end of long list grinder.

Other than the said video I’ve done zero research on this to see if I’m missing some important points. I know what I think at the moment.

Maybe someone has a different viewpoint and can enlighten what I’m missing.

So sorry if anyone actually purchased one but I’m sure you will delight in shooting me down in flames telling me why I’ve missed the point 😎🤫

Platypus

The button you have to either press in or not for grind rotation when changing burrs seems like an accident waiting to happen . Lance says if you forget to do this you can cause damage , I’m surprised there isn’t a more secure solution than relying on memory.
It does seem a good grinder for testing multiple burrs but I wonder how soon the novelty would wear off. In comparison, changing the burrs on the Duo looks like a walk in the park.

Raja123

Platypus There’s certainly room for improvement in the design.

There’s a discord channel for this grinder. No reported cases of people doing that…yet. It’s only needed for flipping between flats and conicals, afaik, so probably why it’s not tripping people up. I might snag one - torn between this, the EG-1, and the FM grinder. All have their pros and cons.

Adrianmsmith

My main issue is someone seems to have opened the cad folder named v1 (that the apprentice did on gis first day) not v123 and actually put it in production . 😀

Now, i have a weber key and a craig lyn hg-1 prime.

Both of these have a relatively small space to feed beans in but in comparison this one seems hideous.

Why would you shape the body like that and make the operation you are going to do every time you use it so difficult.

Apparently they are trying to design an add on funnel to aid bean feeding. Id just redesign the whole body.

Raja123

The feed funnel has been available for some time now. Users of the wug really love it - some have come from 98mm platforms. I guess some of us don’t mind the aesthetic being what it is if the grind and options are okay.

Adrianmsmith

Raja123

I guess it may not be as bad in real life as it looks on a youtube video then .

It just seemed to me the amount if things he brought up as problems and brushed off was rather unreal.

Im sure if the same grinder had been sent from a chinese startup with a suggested 999 price it would have been slated .

Raja123

Adrianmsmith Perhaps those things bother some people more than they do Lance. The owners of the grinder are quite positive overall and don’t seem to be hung up on those things at all. The main reason most of them are using it is because of the support it offers for the 80mm platform and the original burrs they want to use (Weber ULF & original Ditting rather than later copies etc.). With the bean feeder, the workflow is supposed to be quite good overall.

DavecUK

Raja123 Usually when owners drop a lot of money on a grinder…they support it wholeheartedly. It’s an interesting grinder, but I wouldn’t want one.

Raja123

DavecUK yes, I see that affect on just about everything people own. But, in this case, I respect the opinion of people that own it (they have considerable experience). Just goes to show that the world is made up of diverse opionins, which is fine. It’s an interesting grinder, and I may get one, heh.

Adrianmsmith

Raja123

Different things appeal to different people

I like trying lots of ideas . This really isn’t one of them in its current guise at least.

Philos on order and 2 to sell!!

Im going to have to refrain from watching certain YouTube channels im afraid. Its too frustrating at times (and ive not started the opera section yet!) I wonder how many of those dripper machines have neen sold with the swirly water squirter thingy due to it’s “inventor”. It does seem to be a good price for what you get though 🫣

Dave needs to start making longer videos, ive watched all of them now several times. 🥰

Raja123

I’ve got an Hg-1 Prime, Bentwood V63, and DF64 with SSP MP burrs. Having experienced the 80mm burr sets, I’m looking to move onto a platform that supports them. The pickings are slim for single-dose-friendly offerings on that particular family. The WUG happens to be more affordable than the EG-1 (which has its own laundry list of compromises). It’s on my rather short list…

Cuprajake

Oh is this another lance thing?

Just take it as entertainment,

Personally take everything he says with a massive pinch of salt, …

BrendaninBrooklyn

The grinder has been positively endorsed by enough folks with experience to know. However, who should own one is a very good question. Coffee labs and coffee roasters are likely to benefit by having one platform with many interchangeable burrs. It removes on large variable. If I was a commercial roaster I’d certainly purchase this. For home use though, not a chance. Between both Niche grinders, and 64mm from Mazzer, Olympia, Option O, Zerno –six outstanding options available for much less and with a smaller footprint. I just cannot imagine any reason for me to buy a WUG2 if my interest is in making coffee at home as opposed to playing with coffee at home.

Raja123

BrendaninBrooklyn The current user base for the Wug is mostly comprised of people that like the 80mm burrsets and dont necessarily want to own an EG-1 or Ditting 804/807 to enjoy them. They are very much into making coffee - using the ULF burrs for filter and turbo shots and giving time to the Ditting burrs for a different take on flavor. There are even cases where a Zerno was owned at the same time and eventually sold to make way for a second Wug. Many have come from the grinders in your list or the larger platforms. Point is, the audience isn’t necessarily comprised of people that merely play with coffee. Their journeys led them to wanting the 80mnm burr sets they previously had the opportunity of trying.

If there were more options at 80mm, I’m sure people wouldn’t opt for the Wug as much as they do now. But, until something comes along that ticks the right boxes, it’s enjoying some interest.

BrendaninBrooklyn

Raja123

Thanks for that. I never look at prices for 80mm, 98mm, etc and did not realize there is a very good use case for 80mm aficionados. Good for the WUG team; hope they prosper. Thanks again.