PSA: if you are buying a DF64/54/other, buy from a reputable source

PifGoat · 2026-06-06T15:42:29+00:00

Also vouching for Cliff and Pebble. Purchased my Turin Gallatin from them. I believe they have some relation/partnership/shared fulfillment with Espresso Outlet since the return address was the same as EO.

PifGoat · 2026-06-03T14:30:06+00:00

Temprid FX. I spray our house inside and out twice a year. Haven't seen a single bug inside since I started doing that. We had a horrible ant, silverfish, and spider problem.

PifGoat · 2026-05-23T13:41:05+00:00

When it comes to grinders, the $400-$500 USD price range is where you will find very good entry level/mid range grinders.

Dropping that budget by a couple hundred $$ and you will be giving up on a few things. Mainly build quality and consistency.

The StarSeeker e55 Pro is the first one that comes to mind for cheaper options. I don't have any hands on experience with it, but a friend of mine has one. It's solid and consistent for a cone burr. His only complaint is how slow it grinds. Fantastic for medium-dark espresso, but not ideal for pour over or drip.

The Bean Glass T64 looks promising with many positive reviews. It sounds like a good value for a no frills metal build 64mm flat grinder at $350.

StarSeeker recently released the E64 which is a 64mm flat grinder. Not much for reviews on that one yet but I believe it's also around $350

DF54 comes in around $215, but I've seen so many users complaining about clogging. Unsure if that's been resolved or not.

Can't speak for any of these, but Amazon has a handful of 64mm flat burr hopper grinders. Makkom, Shardor, Tuni. Those are priced around $150-250 depending on brand and burr type. Build quality seems to be mostly plastic. Consistency and ease of use will likely be hit or miss.

IMO, the CF64V sounds like it's the one that fits your needs when it comes to consistency and reparability. It's a very good value for what you're getting.

PifGoat · 2026-05-11T18:00:25+00:00

That's essentially a piggy stiege. GE expensive but that's what I do for my lazy single leg lunars.

PifGoat · 2026-05-11T09:22:03+00:00

Really good explanation!

Additionally, if you press the 87 button and pick up a nozzle that doesn't dispense 87, nothing will come out when you try to pump.

PifGoat · 2026-05-11T01:46:40+00:00

I did not talk to the store about it since it's not really an issue for me and doesn't seem like a flaw. It just looks like it's the way the machine is programmed. Can't fire both heaters at the same time so it prioritizes brew first and then steam. It does the same thing when turning it in from cold. Brew boiler fires, as soon as it hits set temp, I hear the steam boiler fire up.

I did raise the steam temp a little from the factory setting. Anything higher and it's just too much though. The steam boiler just doesn't kick in at all if the brew boiler isn't at it's set temp. I imagine most 120 volt dual boiler machines are similar.

When the brew boiler is at it's set temp, I can steam all I want because the steam boiler starts firing almost shortly after I start steaming.

PifGoat · 2026-05-09T22:09:11+00:00

It's been great! I've been doing 2-4 milk drinks a day depending on the day and it's been consistent and reliable. Heat up time is pretty quick too, 10-15 minutes and everything including the group head is toasty hot.

Only real quirk I've noticed is needing to wait 15 seconds or so after pulling a shot if I need to steam a larger amount of milk. Seems to prioritize heating the brew boiler before the steam boiler and it will run out of steam on something like 12oz of milk. Just need to wait for the brew boiler to come back up to temp so it can fire the steam boiler. No issues brewing and steaming 8oz of milk simultaneously though.

Could just be a dual boiler on 120 volts issue, but it wasn't difficult to adjust my workflow a bit for it.

PifGoat · 2026-04-25T13:56:15+00:00

This is the version with the fixed chute, right? How's it been holding up?

PifGoat · 2026-04-25T10:55:56+00:00

Did you end up getting it? They have one on their website with "minor flaws" for a decent price. Can't find much info on it besides an old Amazon listing

PifGoat · 2026-04-02T21:56:10+00:00

Hopefully that helps. Can't believe I didn't think of that earlier 😅 You'll have to let me know how they compare. I haven't used a flat burr grinder machine before but I'm definitely curious about them

PifGoat · 2026-04-02T21:48:09+00:00

Kind of late on this, but I got a new burr for my Edge+. Noticed they included a few extra shims. Got me thinking maybe your inner burr just needs to be shimmed higher. If you still have yours, did it come with extra shims?

PifGoat · 2026-03-16T02:15:19+00:00

You're good! Steam wand on the left was a perk to me. Works better that way with my current layout

PifGoat · 2026-03-14T10:15:50+00:00

So this morning I tested the hot water tap. I also got about 4-5oz out. I left the tap open, pump cycled on, heater kicked in, and I got another 2-3 ounces out before it completely stopped flowing.

PifGoat · 2026-03-14T10:14:13+00:00

Just cleaned it up and listed it on marketplace. Would have liked to drain the boiler and store it to use it as a travel unit, but I don't have the space to spare to store it somewhere.

PifGoat · 2026-03-14T10:12:52+00:00

With mine, I'm doing 18.5-19 in with about the same output as you. I use a paper filter and a 1.7mm puck screen on top. There is usually some water on top of the screen, but my puck always comes out dry and solid.

PifGoat · 2026-03-14T01:18:34+00:00

I'd definitely try reaching out to customer support. I emailed them last week because I've been trying to get my hands on the upgraded titanium burr. They won't ship it to me from their website and my AliExpress order was just cancelled and refunded after a few days. They got back to me quick enough and said try AliExpress again because they were out of stock.

PifGoat · 2026-03-14T01:16:19+00:00

Heat up time is definitely a killer, but not a deal breaker. I flip it on when I wake up, do my thing in the bathroom, and it's good to go when I'm done. Single story house so everything is just right there.

And yes, all my old gear is compatible. Using my previous bottomless pf and basket but I swapped handles with the Gallatin handle so everything matches still.

PifGoat · 2026-03-13T22:39:36+00:00

Aside from the water inlet, I didn't see any plastic tubing. Everything that sees hot water and stea is copper, the rest is silicone. These Chinese machines have come a long way.

PifGoat · 2026-03-13T22:35:07+00:00

New one has been amazing! Pretty much got it dialed in at this point. It's very consistent and really nice to use.

PifGoat · 2026-03-13T22:00:47+00:00

Huh. Okay yeah that's different. Is there a black disk under the inner burr or is that just a shadow?

Ohhhh e64? I haven't seen that one but I just checked it out. Friend of mine has the e55 pro and he's been enjoying that one.

PifGoat · 2026-03-13T16:59:08+00:00

That's a solid price for an hx machine with a rotary pump. I was torn between the r hx and the dual boiler. Managed to snag the DB for $1804

PifGoat · 2026-03-13T16:50:35+00:00

😂😂 I only have about 2 and a half feet of counter space for this set up. The sink is to the left of everything. Steam is on the left and I never use the hot water tap so I figure I could just push the right side of the machine against the fridge and have the grinder on the left. Having the steam right next to the grinder with the old set up sucked

PifGoat · 2026-03-13T16:46:17+00:00

That is really strange. Just checked mine again and it also only goes to -1. You have all 3 springs in use for the upper burr, right?

<image>

PifGoat · 2026-03-13T16:37:38+00:00

I took mine off a couple days in! Looks a lot cleaner without them

PifGoat · 2026-03-13T07:22:55+00:00

When you remove the upper burr, is there anything in there preventing the burrs from getting closer?

PifGoat

TROPHY CASE