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: 1. It's big. 2. 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!

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.

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!)

@"CoyoteOldMan"#p14749 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.

I'm assuming the OP isn't in the UK

There a used one for 500 on here June del on niche new, but some have had them earlier than the date stated.

@"CoyoteOldMan"#p14749 this is just my personal opini I don't believe people should ever pay more than retail for a Niche, it just supports scalping.

@"Cuprajake"#p14757 I think the used one in classifieds here has been sold as of a couple of days ago. @"DavecUK"#p14758 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).

@"CoyoteOldMan"#p14761 There is a 83mm flat burr Ceado E37S for sale on here. Might be worth considering?

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,

Used Mazzer Kony?

Newdent

Cuprajake yeh true, I’d be cautious about buying something I couldn’t collect and inspect first. There are some massive bargains on there too.

Cuprajake

Yeah there was a niche on fb, turned out to be a scam, very convincing. Like wise a kony again. Scammer.

Ive never heard of them, could be a box mover that you’ll never see again

Do bella barista not have something like that or even PayPal now do those deals sometimes.

Newdent

CoyoteOldMan Firstly and most importantly, conicals truly are great for medium plus roasts. If you want chocolate, nuts and the like, you’ll get loads of that with conicals.

I wouldn’t be put off by the mini for the reasons you’ve read though. I’ve had the mini, SJ and major and the mini was my favourite. Whilst they’re different size burrs, the geometries are just scaled up. Yes, the major grinds significantly faster than the other two but I found no noticeable differences in the cup. The mini is still a fairly large grinder with the hopper on, the major with a hopper on is massive.

If you plan to dose from a hopper then that does make the niche less suitable but I think most on here would recommend weighing doses, etc. I’ll edit this if you’ve already said but what’s your experience with espresso, do you already have equipment and experience?

CoyoteOldMan

Newdent No equipment to speak of, yet… and even less experience of making espresso on proper machines (I can use a Bialetti moka pretty well, though). Growing up in Italy probably helps in terms of having an understanding of what a ‘good espresso’ is - though it may also be limiting, in as much as the definition of what is ‘good’ has changed and broadened (for the better, I may add) as espresso as a technique has become more widespread.

One of the issues with the weighing of doses is that I may be quite willing to do it. Wife and children… probably less so. A click on a button for a grind directly into a basket is probably still acceptable. Getting scales out, measuring 18.5 (or however many) grams, pouring into a funnel and then into a cup which goes in a portafilter - I’m not sure.

hornbyben

CoyoteOldMan I may be quite willing to do it. Wife and children… probably less so.

I wouldn’t let this influence your decision making. Making espresso is an exacting (and frustrating) art. I think it’s worth it, but if they can’t be bothered to weigh out some coffee they probably should stick to a more forgiving brew method, such as french press. Alternatively, if you’re feeling generous you could pre weigh into vials for them.

Newdent

CoyoteOldMan hmmm, a dilemma indeed. My approach with my girlfriend has been to become ‘coffee man’ which has allowed me the freedom to buy whatever kit I want so long as I provide coffee in the morning.

The trick is to get them hooked on fantastic coffee (which requires weighing of doses, paying attention to the shot, knowing what’s going on, when to stop, tweak grind settings, etc, etc) then when you’re not around and they try and make their own they either learn to appreciate the importance of being precise, or realise they don’t really care, which is a win/win really.

It would be interesting to hear other people’s experiences but from what I’ve heard, many start off thinking that their partners, kids etc are going to get involved but they usually don’t so just please yourself really! 😅

Cuprajake

This is where bean cellars come in

Pre weigh, in there own pots.

Then they can direct dose, tbh I used to leave the grinder set for the Mrs then she would use the timer on the Bianca,

She’s not used the leva yet…..and said she preferred the coffee from the Bianca 😬 think that’s because the leva is an extraction monster.

CoyoteOldMan

Cuprajake Well, we are going direct to the Leva in a handcart; no choice. 😈

Or she can keep using the DeLonghi Dedica (in a prettier Smeg shell)… if I don’t scrap it first - “oh, it has developed a fault; what a shame!”

I like the little vials; apart from ‘family pacification’, they may have their uses for when one has guests.

Cuprajake

CoyoteOldMan

Newdent 😁

I ’m under relatively little delusion that they will want to get involved - with the possible exception of my son, who hasn’t yet decided if he wants to be a barrister or a barista.

Newdent

In case someone sees this thread and thinks of getting in touch regarding my niche, it sold for asking price.

Hope the OP finds something. I still think a niche is the way forward over the kony (maybe more believable that I’m not biased now!). Cheers

CoyoteOldMan

Newdent Congratulations on the sale!

The Kony is still there; I got some bad vibes from the seller… maybe wrongly. I think I have just closed on a Ceado E37S (I’ll be sure only once the grinder turns up!), but a Niche is in future plans, because I still have a conical burrs itch!

Thanks to all that have helped, and Happy Easter/Passover/whatever else

Newdent

CoyoteOldMan

Nice, will be interested to hear how you get on. I think they are on par with a Mazzer Major in a more domestic friendly package

JahLaza

CoyoteOldMan how you getting on with the ceado?

CoyoteOldMan

JahLaza Pretty well, I’d say. It manages really good dose consistency whether single-dosing or timed, and I’m not switching beans all that often; when we do (2 times so far), the character of the ‘new’ coffee comes across very well, though none of us is exactly a gourmet. There is unexpected joy (and chocolate) in a cup of relatively fresh Saka Top Selection; the local shop has an “espresso mix” that is cheap and cheerful, but not as nice. Everything is so much sweeter than the pre-ground we were using until 2 months ago, even stuff from the supermarket (Illy).

I’ve “modded” it by eliminating the huge hopper and putting a piece of stainless pipe with a cheap tamper (and extra weight) as a substitute; it works pretty well as bellows too! My forecast that the family would not want to single dose turned out to be wrong; we have 3 enthusiastic bean-weighters. I may chop the steel pipe even shorter - at the moment it holds about 120 grams (1.5-2 days of typical consumption), but it’s nearly always empty.

The real test is going to be when the Leva arrives (next week, I’ve been told) - at the moment the most sophisticated coffee we make is Turkish…

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