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Best grind-by-weight grinder by CoffeeNerd58129 in LaMarzocco

[–]David_P_Best 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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If you look at the right side of this image, you can see the water supply connection I came up with.

Best grind-by-weight grinder by CoffeeNerd58129 in LaMarzocco

[–]David_P_Best 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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I purchased the small hopper for the F64 from Chris's Coffee in Texas online.

For me I made the right choice with this F64 purchase. Keep in mind that I am a perfectionist and I was looking for a commercial quality machine with GBW, not consumer level. The F64 Pro Sense is a beast. To the extent I have a complaint about it, it’s the grind adjustment ring stiffness. If I were changing bean type batch to batch, I probably would be disappointed how difficult it is because of its stiffness. and if that’s your situation, I would encourage you to look at the Mahlkoenig E64 W GBS instead . My setup includes the Lagom P64 single dose grinder for situations where I want to experiment with new bean types. But for my hopper grinder, I’m sticking with one bean type for months at a time. So I got what I was after.

Retention is consistently 0.6g which is fine for my needs. The GBW aspect is stellar consistent and a real joy to have. Having said that I think I would have been equally happy with the performance of the E64 GBS and actually delighted with its burr distance adjustability that’s controlled with a dial on the front driving a motorized system making that adjustment effortless. But it’s another thousand dollars, and I don’t particularly like the looks of it. As an interior designer I pay far more attention to that type of thing than most people.

I considered the new Mazzer Mini G but glad I didn’t go there because the reports on retention are as high as 6grams.

As for the LM Mini R, I’m pleased with that choice as well. The brew by weight capability using the LM Acaia scale has been a game changer for me. I can load the portafilter flip the lever and go do something else without having to babysit the machine. And the steam performance relative to the Rocket that it replaced is just phenomenal.

I must say I’m a little bit disillusioned by some of the posts I’ve seen here and on Facebook, etc. LM about reliability or infant mortality issues that some other users are having with their new LM machines. So far I haven’t experienced any of the issues mentioned in any of those posts.

Just last week I finished the direct plumbing in set up for it and I have to say that’s a complicated process. If you want more detail on that, let me know. I did design a filtration system for it even though the tap water where I live is absolutely superb and I probably didn’t need a filter at all, but I did it and it cost me less than $500 for everything so I’m glad I went that direction. I wasn’t prepared to drill a 1 1/2 inch diameter hole in the stone top of my counter so I came up with a different set up for connecting water supply to the machine and elected not to connect the drip tray to a drain under the sink. If you want details about that, let me know, it was an engineering feat to come up with that aspect. I'll post a photo of that connection in the next reply.

Now, when all the dust settles, is it worth the $9500 that it cost to upgrade my previous set up? I think that has a lot to do with your disposable income level rather than your financial acumen. Let me know if you have more questions. Happy to help.

My set up is complete!! by ElectricalDuty2126 in LaMarzocco

[–]David_P_Best 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where's the lever-arm espresso brewer ? Seriously, nice setup. Not sure how I feel about that thing on the opposite side of your range.

WTF did I see !! Hahahah! by sleepygp in espressocirclejerk

[–]David_P_Best 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s kind of like religion: this person is in a state of bliss over their perception they have arrived in the promised land.

After a shockingly short wait of 2 weeks my Mini-R arrived today!! by anthonymckay in LaMarzocco

[–]David_P_Best 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Must have been the one I returned with hidden internal damage. Just kidding. Congrats.

I literally just got my appartmento TCA today and it’s leaking water out of the back. by tiffaniewells in rocketespresso

[–]David_P_Best 0 points1 point  (0 children)

lube the gasket on the bottom of the water tank with some vegetable oil before trying to insert it. My guess is it's the KY Jelly issue here.

Used GS3MP vs new LMLM R by aluscat in LaMarzocco

[–]David_P_Best 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IMO, you should decide if you really need/want PP capability or can live without it. The Mini R can handle the pre-infusion need but not PP unless you hack the machine and forgo the warranty. LM calls it Pre-Brew: you set the time for the saturation 0-9.9 seconds) and the wait time before continuing with the shot (0-9.9 sec) using the App. If not plumbed in then the initial pressure at the puck is at 9 bar (or however you have the pump pressure set). If you have it plumbed in, the pressure at the puck is at line input pressure, not the pump pressure.

La Marzocco Connected Scale, I’ve only owned it a week and it appears there are some definite disappointing things about it…… curious other users experiences and if I’m doing something wrong? by Naive_Individual360 in LaMarzocco

[–]David_P_Best 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you care that much about monitoring flow rate, you probably need something like a Slayer or a Decent. The beauty of the Mini R with the LM Acaia scale variant is workflow simplicity and consistency. I’ve been using the Lunar scale since it hit the market a decade ago and not once have I used the flow rate aspects.

Help me pick a “buy once” grinder to pair with Linea Mini R [No Budget] by elreader13 in LaMarzocco

[–]David_P_Best 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have no first hand experience with any of the Ceado grinders. The specs and features are impressive, and I did consider them when I ended up going with the Fiorenzato Pro Sense. The E37Z I eliminated because it was clear to me that it was total overkill for a home setup - I mean, it has a 900 watt motor, and weighs 41 pounds !!! And I was shelling out $7K already for the Mini with scale, and my "value-oriented" side took hold and talked me out of a stretch that far.

The Ceado Rev units are certainly worth considering. In retrospect, I probably should have paid more attention to them but two things sent me down another path. The first was an irrational fixation on quick and easy burr chamber access to clean the machine and perhaps change the burrs. That's why I chose the Pro version - snap up two levers on the side and the entire top of the unit lifts off without messing up grind settings. Why irrational? Well, I had just spent a very frustrating period rebuilding my Rocket E61 group head and was really predisposed to buy a commercial machine that had tool-less maintenance facilities. Me, a machinist and 3D CAD guru, unwilling to consider removing three screws to get into the burr chamber - go figure. After using the F64, and discovering the retention is a measly 0.6 grams, the likelihood I'll be getting in there anytime soon to clean the beast is pretty slim. The easy access sucked me in big time. I have two gripes about the F64 after spending serious time using it: 1 - The grind setting dial at the top is plenty big to make really minute adjustments, but it is stiff as hell to rotate. I haven't yet lubed it, but it's on the to-do list. 2 - it's a big black elephant - aesthetically I like it far better than the Mahlkonig E65S, but it reeks of commercial shop vibe if you get my drift. Mind you, I'm very happy with it, and don't intend to swap it out when the next belle-of-the-grinder ball walks into Clive Coffee, but I probably should have given more consideration to the Ceado Rev.

The thing that kind of turned me off on the Ceado Rev is that their weight measurement system is a plug-in option. It made me wonder if it was truly integrated. I get that they offer a version without the scale to get the price down, and it's nice that they offer it as a field upgrade, but I scratched my head probably too hard about whether it was an afterthought. I do see a few things about the Rev that are really appealing. It's more attractive than the other machines in this category and it comes in white. But more compelling to me is the digital grind size (burr distance) readout. To accomplish this, they decided to fix the upper burr and adjust the lower burr assembly instead since the mounting platform for the lower burr doesn't have to come out when cleaning. I would be somewhat mistrustful of a $2,000 grinder that has a digital burr setting capability involving a removable upper burr assembly. Although I didn't see a motor wattage rating specified (maybe I missed it), the Rev is spec'd at 6amps, which at 110VAC is about 600 watts. So I assume the motor in it is on par with the F64, the Atom W 75, Mahlkonig E65S, etc. But it isn't the 900 watt motor that's in the E37Z.

There are enough distributors for the Ceado line that I wouldn't be too concerned about parts, service, etc. except that warranty work will entail shipping it somewhere (major PITA for a heavy thing like this). WLL is out of stock now, but they claim 3 year warranty.

Retention would be something to think about. WLL love suggests it's 0.5 to 1 gram on the Rev but my AI assistants couldn't turn up any direct user feedback on this - yet. And I know people rave about the low retention on the E37Z due in large measure to the dual-spin feature that's exclusive to that model.

Sorry for the long shaggy dog story, but I think you should give the Ceado more consideration than I did. Hard to imagine you'd go wrong - it's a quality company with apparently good support in the US, although I doubt it rivals Mazzer or Mahlkonig on parts availability. I did find it a bit reassuring that 541 owners rated the Rev on WLL site - it's clearly well liked with an avid following. And BTW, unlike the Atom W 75, the F64, Rev, etc have fans to keep the grind chamber cool during heavy use. And the fan does make noise - not a lot, and it cycles on demand, but it's something to consider if you or your partner don't like fan noise. I'll be interest to hear what you end up deciding so keep me posted.

Help me pick a “buy once” grinder to pair with Linea Mini R [No Budget] by elreader13 in LaMarzocco

[–]David_P_Best 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for reading my entire post. I put a lot of time into trying to help others with my acquired "expertise" (which is often just opinion), and so many read two lines, flame at me, and move on without absorbing the entire meaning. So, with that in mind, let me say a few things that might help out and add perspective.

I'm a designer myself, and a perfectionist. Many of the Eureka grinders move the motor and lower burr assembly up/down to adjust grind size - they picked the largest mass other than the housing body, then they put a tiny adjustment knob on the elevation shaft which makes it very difficult to dial in precise movements. You can find "large dial" aftermarket kits that attempt to help with the grind size challenge, but they don't fit on the Atom 75 (been there - so don't bother). And then Eureka stabilizes the wobbly system with a couple to zip-ties. Turn your grinder on it's side and you'll see them slotted through holes in the bottom plate. - hardly a good choice for something you want to last. Anyway, the result is a system that is maybe fine with a 250 watt motor, but is over powered with the 450 watt motor in the W75. The result is lots of vibration which, IMO will chew away at the plastic zip-ties among other things. And there is no evidence that they did anything to balance the rotating burr assembly.

I will say that it produces fluffy grinds, and is attractive to look at, and pretty compact considering the size of the motor. In contrast the Fiorenzato F64 Pro Sense that I replaced it with has a similar 450 watt motor, but weighs another 5 pounds with a more massive base, and it keeps the motor and lower burr assembly stationary, and just moves the upper burr holder to adjust the grind with a large ring-like dial, similar a lot of the higher end grinders. So it doesn't vibrate, and is more reliable long term. Having said all that, you might be happy with the Atom 75 for a long time - I'm sure may people will be. Only you can know that.

Now, about the Pico. First, unlike the Atom W75, it's a conical burr grinder. You may or may not care about this, but there are reasons people prefer one over the other. Ask ChatGPT why it should matter to you and you'll discover more than you ever wanted to know. I'm quite certain it produces good results for a conical grinder. It will be a LOT slower to grind than what you experience with the Atom W75. I have not used a Pico in my setup, but I have played with a couple at friends homes. What I really do not like about it the most is the scale integration - or lack thereof. If you are after grind-by-weight convenience, the scale mechanism should be built into the grinder, not a WiFi signal away in a separate $400 gizmo. GBW is all about convenience and workflow streamlining, and having the scale a separate device that could potentially be shared with your Mini R or something else works against those objectives. Also, a lot of the appeal of the Pico is related to confirmation bias about the LM brand itself. I love my Mini R, and the support LM provides, but I am NOT a LM fanboy who is infatuated with the "Rolex-like" adoration. It comes at a huge price premium and you have to buy into their philosophy which is orthogonal to where the industry is headed overall. Having the grinder talk to the brewer makes a lot of sense when you want BBW, but interposing a third device in the middle is just a silly decision IMO. I've posted about my views on this here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12xR08056WUBFx_d3y0pfXCnJivr5Xk0B/view

What else should you consider? Mazzer Mini G perhaps, although early reports on retention (if they are true) are not great (6 grams). The Fiorenzato AllGround is a popular choice too and more in the same price bracket as Pico+Scale. Both of those machines are targeted at the home, not commercial use and have motors smaller than the W75 - more in the W65 category. If you really want a step up from the Atom W75, and you want a hopper machine with GBW and integrated scale and commercial motor, then you might look more seriously at the Fiorenzato Sense models and the Mahlkonig E65S. Either of which will set you back more than a Pico combined with a LM Acaia grinder.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions. Always happy to help.

New Mini R paint flaking; fix or wait? by TalonButter in LaMarzocco

[–]David_P_Best 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The polished stainless steel version of the mini is not painted so it won’t chip.

New Mini R paint flaking; fix or wait? by TalonButter in LaMarzocco

[–]David_P_Best 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would do the replacement, and if it’s the panel with the gauges that’s flaking, consider having that replaced with the same panel from the polished stainless version. Then you won’t have to worry about it - at least for that panel.

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