I did do a review of the grinder, I used it for about 2 weeks or more and it works very well indeed I haven’t used on very light beans but it seems to have no trouble with medium roasts.
There are other reviews on the web, because it’s also called the spt k38 but I am not sure the reviewers actually had a fully up-to-date model because as I said in my review that was the third one I had before they finally got it right. They also were the “hey guys how’s it going” reviewers
Oh, it takes 34 to 36s to grind 18g, I have no idea where they got 24 from? Perhaps an earlier model before the gearing was changed.
Good review, Dave. It looks like a very capable grinder at a very good price.
I enjoyed using it. The man n thing is a UK retailer, not risking it at a similar price from Alibaba or whatever.
At £250, it’s £150 cheaper than the Solo. For a single dosing grinder that’s a pretty attractive price point and if it was available when I bought my Solo I’d probably have opted for this instead.
I may end up getting one at some point to try it out side by side - it would be good to have a conical option.
dutchy101 I was rather surprised at the grind quality, I had the coated burrs, but I can’t imagine any real difference over uncoated. Well you’ve probably seen the videos of espressos and filter. All purposely done with no edits.
Does it have an automatic shut off timer where it will switch off automatically after a period of time or will it keep going until you turn it off?
dutchy101 Mine just kept going. It has a latching switch, so I suspect no shut off timer.
Over 30 seconds for 18g sounds quite slow, I assume lowering the gearing is an easier way to avoid stalling than upgrading the motor.
Dusk They upgraded the motor and changed the gearing, as well as change the PSU.
I guess people have to decide if it’s too slow for them, I can only state grind times and show that on video.
I’d happily live with 30s grind time on a £250 grinder if it did the job well
Hi, everybody, i have a Thai brand of this grinder, i can suggest to periodically remove the ground chute to perfectly remove any ground deposit, i did it today after almost 2 months of use ( 2-3 espresso/day) and there was quite good amount stuck internally.
If removing the chute could eventually create problem with the warranty, just use a brush to clean the internal of the chute, anyway the chute removing is quite simple, just loose the 2 small screws above the chute, remove first the dial ring aka bean funnel.
dutchy101 Came here to say almost the same thing. May still end up getting this in the future as a contrast to my flat burr. I think it would be between this and the Lagom Mini but this grinder seems to have sorted out the power issues already while I’m not so sure about the Lagom Mini for espresso.
For @DavecUK and @giampiero what’s your take on the flavour profile since you have tried it? Is it closer to the Niche or more clarity biased, since I’ve heard it compared to the Comandante?
hthec I found the flavour profile fine…compares to the JX Pro hand grinder. I really did think it was much better than I expected, and although I have not used the Lagom Mini, I’ve watched all the reviews and it seems better compared to what I have seen in the Lagom reviews.
I think it’s good value at £250, assuming it still is £250?
hthec reading the Dave’s review, I think i’m using a earlier version, so not the same sold there. Anyway, i only drink espresso, and i alternating the “Solo Compact” with a DF64, honestly i’m not able to detect difference in the cup, despite the SOLO does produce much less fines…at least by eyesight. I mostly grinds medium/dark, never tried with medium/ medium light since i don’t like much.
MattH These are now 199 at bella barista now - still a good buy ? I see they say its a occasional grinder - would this mean it can only handle a small amount of coffees in a short time ?
They are really good. Apparently there were some gearbox issues, the manufacturer fixed the issue and gave them a who load of new motors. So they recalled them all and replaced the motors…As for occasional, perhaps they are being cautious. In reality most people don’t drink more than 3 or 4 espressos in a day and it won’t break a sweat doing that.
Mine has the original motor and hasn’t had a problem, but I have a replacement revised motor to fit should the problem arise. Apparently the motor is a bit fiddly to fit and requires some soldering, but I should be able to manage it OK. I also have a motor one where the gearbox failed, so I will be taking it apart to see the failure mode in the gears.
At £200 it’s a pretty good price and doesn’t stall like the Lagom Mini.
Sounds like a steal at that price
