Used Mazzer Kony?

CoyoteOldMan

I’ve been offered a 2 year-old Mazzer Kony Electronic in excellent conditions at a very good price (£450). This would be the only grinder in the house for a while, and I’m very unlikely to go experimenting with different coffees for a while… (as and when I do, I’ll probably get a hand grinder like a Comandante).

As far as I can tell from reading around, the issues with the Kony are:

It’s big.
Retention.

Neither is a show-stopper for me, but am I missing something? Should I press the ‘buy’ button?

I’ve looked around for Niche Zeros, but the cheapest I can find at this point are around £700 new…

The rest of the equipment is kind-of-irrelevant, as I’m just starting out, but the ‘end-game’ is an ACS Leva.

Thanks for any advice!

Cuprajake

Buy a niche for the extra £50.

The mazzer will need modding for retention, so thats the difference in price.

I was looking for one for ages, ive seen this on ebay, but ive just upgraded to a leva, so done spending now.

CoyoteOldMan

Thanks, but the cheapest Niche I can find is £700, not £500… or 2-3 months wait.

(You’ve kind of pipped me with Adam’s used Leva; that will teach me not to dither so much next time - congratulations!)

LMSC

CoyoteOldMan

Why pay £700 when we can buy new for £500? Can you not wait for 2-3 months? They have been sending out very quickly, unless it has changed in recent weeks.

Dusk

I’m assuming the OP isn’t in the UK

LMSC

Dusk Oxfordshire!

Cuprajake

There a used one for 500 on here

June del on niche new, but some have had them earlier than the date stated.

Patrick

CoyoteOldMan this is just my personal opini I don’t believe people should ever pay more than retail for a Niche, it just supports scalping.

CoyoteOldMan

Cuprajake I think the used one in classifieds here has been sold as of a couple of days ago.

Patrick Totally agree re: scalping - though to be honest paying new retail price for a used piece of equipment is not exactly fair either…

If I’m reading the forum right, no-one is in favour of buying the Kony… I can wait for a Niche, but the Kony seemed a good deal (and I like the idea of modding, to be honest).

Patrick

CoyoteOldMan There is a 83mm flat burr Ceado E37S for sale on here. Might be worth considering?

Cuprajake

Yeah i wanted a kony for ages to try against my flat.

It can be made single dosing, if you have the space go for it there cracking grinders,

CoyoteOldMan

Patrick Thank you! It definitely is - though the Ceado seems to be getting very mixed reviews running from “a nightmare” to “fantastic”, and I have zero reference beyond the reviews!

CoyoteOldMan

Cuprajake Space is fortunately not an issue. If I go for the Kony, you are welcome to borrow it!

Cuprajake

Fwiw that seller just buys and sells grinders. I was going to get a robur off him.

While it shouldn’t be a problem i would price up new burrs. Just in case. It shouldn’t need them, but you never know

Thanks for the offer 😁

Newdent

I’m selling my 9 month old white niche. Asking for £500 at the moment. Appreciate that’s what they are new but it’s in immaculate condition and the burrs nicely seasoned (10kg). Let me know if you’re interested.

dfk41

As someone who has had many grinders over the years, I always used to kid myself that retention did not matter. I had a Compak K10 Fresh which still produced the nicest shots I ever made, but there was something like 20 to 25 gms retained. That meant if you made an adjustment, it was not until the second shot that you pulled that you saw the result! Eventually I said enough is enough. I can handle 5 gms but nothing more. The Niche and the Kony use the same burr set. If you so not buy the Niche, you will regret it. If you buy the Niche and decide to move it on, then you will lose very little. I would make @Newdent an offer. Since the waiting time for them has now come right down, try him. It might just be the answer you are seeking. He does say I am asking £500 AT THE MOMENT!

Newdent

Just to clarify, I’m not accepting offers at the moment as I’m in no hurry to sell and there are plenty of people willing to pay for the convenience of not having to wait (or season the burrs). As far as I can see, niche are currently offering a June delivery for UK stock. If it’s not sold in a few months then I will re-assess the price. I’m willing to include insured delivery in the price (I have the original box) but I’d prefer collection from the Bristol area. Thanks

To add to the thread and this is completely unbiased, you should go with whichever grinder you like, I’d go for a niche. I’ve owned a Mazzer Major, SJ and mini. They are great industrial grinders for a cafe setting but they are not ideal for home use. They are messy and fiddly to adjust, especially if you’re switching out beans regularly.

If you intend to fill the hopper and leave it (though blasphemy in my opinion) then they are perfect for that. If you had £100 to spend then I would say keep an eye out for a cheap SJ/Mini and that would be a great first grinder on a budget but if you’re spending £500, frankly that’s a lot to pay for a Mazzer. I think it would be tricky to move on, it was hard enough to sell my Major. The SJ and Mini I sold very quickly as they are cheap and saught after.

CoyoteOldMan

Newdent Thanks, appreciate the thoughts. At the moment not planning to change coffee or grind frequently, though who knows once I really get started… which is why I keep dithering. 😉

Prices on eBay seem to start somewhere around £200 for mid-size doser grinders (SJ, Major); anything with electronic timer (not that I need it; just using it as a proxy for “more recent” production) is at least £400. I really don’t like the Mini.

Patrick

CoyoteOldMan Space is fortunately not an issue. If I go for the Kony, you are welcome to borrow it!

Sometimes if you have an itch, it’s best just to scratch it……you can always sell the Kony to the right person and get a lot of your money back. If it’s the listing I think it is £495 or near offer. I would suggest offering a price a lot lower in case you want to sell it on.

I would also wonder what “Swedish Hardened burrs are”. The Kony Burrs are already hard and the Genuine Mazzer ones work hugely better than knock offs.

You can read all the reviews you want and there will be some for it and some against it….if the retention doesn’t matter, or you can definitely mod it out…no problem. If you want to run with a hopper and purge 10-15g each time, again, no problem. I’d say, give it a go and see how you get on.

dfk41

CoyoteOldMan If you compare the retention of the Kony, at say 20 gms. It may well be more of course to a Niche, at let us say zero. Now, the 20 gms means that once the gaps are filled with compacted coffee, it does not exchange into the shot. The 20 gms means that older coffee is mixing with newer coffee on a continual basis. Someone else will come up with the calculation but just think over a year how much coffee you are wasting with a Kony, compared to the efficiency of a Niche. If you grind 17 gms you are going to get more or less the same out so it will soon pay for itself