A couple of photos showing the mod to change the Helor 106 to 83mm Mazzer burrs. Totally reversible in a couple of minutes. Takes 45 seconds to dial in 21g for a Decent lever profile which needs a fine grind. Similar effort to the 71mm burrs. I think I grind at around 120 rpm which means the burrs are grinding at 30 rpm. Does increase the weight to 6g short of 2 kg but the body is narrower than say a Commandante so is comfortable to hold whilst grinding. Same burr set as the Weber Key, without the coating, I’m a 2.0 on the dial for espresso. My first attempt was at 1.1 - 90 seconds and not even a drip out and took an age to grind, way too fine. Compare to a Pharos it’s a joy to turn.

Looking forward to trying for pourover now as will be interesting to see any flavour difference between my Niche or Compak E10

    CoyoteOldMan

    Don’t forget the Aerspeed. It has more aggressive burrs than the Aergrind so takes less time to grind, you can really feel it chomping through the beans. The trade off is that it has less adjustment for espresso but is still capable. I bought mine as I was fed up with the time taken to grind for the Aeroperess when camping with a Rhinowares, I chose it over the Aergrind and I’m still happy with that choice.

      6 days later

      Enea_… long story short, yes. I’ve owned mine for at least 6 months now (Time passes very quickly, can’t be more precise)

      I use it about 3 times a day, 2 weeks out of 3 working on a remote site with my Flair. It is just so much better for espresso than my Feld2 in precision and general handling. The crank arm makes the 48mm burrs less of a challenge than I’d expected….not saying it’s that easy for lighter roasts but well manageable.

      I haven’t noticed the same issue about adjustment after cleaning, just appreciate the repeatability and build qualify, it’s designed and built by engineers and I feel it shows.

      Feld2 and Aergrind get the brewing gigs these days.

        Quick (non-)update. Got an unexpected small job paying just enough to cover an Omega. So, guess what is awaiting for me with a friend in Italy? (Cheaper and easier to pay for 22% Italian VAT and courier than risking shipping to the UK with random duties applied…)

          DavecUK Will do a mini-review once the grinder is in the UK in early August - we will be using it as a ‘travel grinder’ during our vacation too (but not for espresso - moka and Turkish only; I’m not travelling with the Leva!)

            a month later

            Stevebee How are the 83mm compared to the original 71mm Steve?

            I did my first back to back comparisons last weekend (83mm Mazzer Robur in the Malwani versus 71mm Mazzer Robur in the Helor) and to me they tasted so similar that I’m certain that I would not be able to pick the difference in a blind taste test.

              I never used it much recently with the 71mm burrs as I tend to use the 98 flats in the Ultra for espresso. Used it more recently with the 83mm but not back to back like you so difficult to say. Do prefer it to the Niche as it seems to produce a clearer cup at filter grind. Might be grind speed rather than burr size tbh but haven’t done enough testing

                Good read on all the discussion here. I own a Jx Pro and this is my first espresso related. I am thinking about upgrade. I have zero experience in electric grinder but I love the simplicity of Jx Pro in term of its low retention and low maintenance and ease of cleaning. So my next upgrade may likely be a hand grind. It seems that the Omega will not offer very significant improvement in cup compared to the JX Pro.

                Has any of you looked at the HG-1 Prime? I just heard about this grinder. I was surprised that it costs “only” a portion of the HG-2 with comparable spec. And it seems the HG-1 and HG-2 are in the elite league of hand grinder. Would love to hear your thought on it. Thanks.

                  Stevebee the extra clarity (over the Niche) is more likely due to burr geometry than RPM. Niche has Mazzer Kony and the other burrs are both Mazzer Robur.

                    Knluk I looked at the HG1 and 2 but ended up going with a Malwani Livi fitted with Mazzer Robur (same as Key grinders). I like the Livi’s three gears and the style.

                    Have to say I really like the look of the Prime but it came out after I ordered the Livi. I suspect you will notice a difference if you upgrade. But other than the reduced grind time the difference won’t be huge but IMHO still very worthwhile.

                        tompoland the Liri is new to me but it does look nice. Great choice. I just checked the price and the HG-1 Prime is cheaper than the Liri but I didn’t include shipping and tax.

                        My main objective is the quality in cup as I don’t mind the grinding time and muscle effort with the JX Pro (yet?).

                            I been using the HG-1 Prime for a few months now. Previously owned DF64 w/ MP burrs and a Niche zero. What questions about the prime do you have?

                              Gtbarringer work flow would be interesting and also any difference you notice in the cup compared to whatever grinders you were using preciously. Your impression of quality too, although I imagine it is top notch. Thanks!

                                Knluk if you consider the Livi please bear in mind they come with Italmill burrs and I swapped them out for Mazzer Robur burrs so that could add a few bob more to your purchase. It’s a very easy swap to do at home though.

                                  Background info: I drink 2-4 espressos daily, no milk drinks and its City roast for beans.

                                  HG Prime, as a total package, is my favorite grinder to date. Previously owned Nuova Simonelli grinder, Specialita, Niche, and DF64. Specialita was unimpressive and not super consistent for single dosing. DF64 with SSP MP burrs was fun to play with and produces really tasty brews. However the grinder is not fun to live with; the DF64 is too messy and loud. Niche is a close second because the work flow is beans in and hit a switch. My biggest complaint with the niche was every cup had a lingering astringency I could not get rid of. I experimented with ratios, timings, temps and it was always still there. HG Prime is best of both worlds (DF flavor + Niche workflow). Beans in, crank, and shake is my work flow. Brews are tasty without the lingering astringency. Hand grinding is the trade off for 83mm burrs for under $1K.

                                  Build quality is impressive even more so when considering the grinder is sub $1k USD. The OEM Mazzer burrs are a significant portion of that cost. Fit and finish is top notch. Machining tolerances are tight and the parts fit together nicely. The grinder is assembled with industrial grade fasteners, and The only plastic part is the grounds sweeper. The stepped adjustment spacing is fine enough to dial in accurately. Overall, I am really happy and don’t have any urge to upgrade.

                                    Gtbarringer thanks for the detailed sharing. Great to know your are a happy user. What is your experience on the need to mount it?

                                    Mind sharing the total cost to U.K. including shipping and tax? Anyhow, the HG-1 Prime looks like a very good grinder. Wonder what HG-2 can offer to justify the £400 difference.

                                      tompoland Is that a Honne you have there on your table too? Curious about that one too! :-)

                                          Tjyven well spotted. I agreed to write a review for the Honne and I will post it here next week. In short, it is top notch for my favourite espresso being medium or medium/dark. In the review I also address the ethical dilemma of it being a copy of the Versalab.

                                              tompoland Aha, thought your review would be for the Malwani Livi, but I have also been spotting the Honne so really looking forward to this review!