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Originally posted by 083E353431150C5B0 link=1279503825/3#3 date=1279545354
are you grinding straight into the PF? If you are how does it go in terms of loading up evenly and landing it in the PF rather than all over the bench?
Yes I grind straight in to the pf. It does a pretty good job at staying inside the pf basket as it has a chute/tube cone to keep it in the right direction - however if you press the button in using the PF then it grinds in to a pile just forward off centre, I tend to push the button in with my thumb at move the PF back so it lands centred. This technique is what the guys and girls at Jetblack used when they demod it for me.
Thanks all - think Im tending towards keeping grinder and machine separate...
Lukewarm - with the Combi are you grinding straight into the PF? If you are how does it go in terms of loading up evenly and landing it in the PF rather than all over the bench?
The Sunbeam grinder is notorious for producing super static charged ground coffee which ends up everywhere...
If you have a dedicated coffee corner of your kitchen bench then you could save a significant amount of money by getting just the PL041 and using your sunbeam which Im sure will do a fine job. Also in the future when you upgrade again its more likely your choices will be limited to stand alone machines such as the VBMs and Giotto etc. so you will then only have to upgrade the machine and continue on with your sunbeam as long as it can handle the job .
On the other hand if your going to have to get the grinder in and out of the cupboard each time you want to use it then I would suggest a built in (like I chose to get). Saves bench space too and often the grinder is a perfect match for the espresso machine
I am not familiar enough with the grinders to be sure, but expect they will be very similar, and from my reading, very capable.
Advantages of the combi uint are smaller footprint, only one power connection required, cheaper overall than separate units. And you can use just the grinder or just the brewing functions if required.
Disadvantages are that if one half requires service/repairs, then you dont have use of the other half while it is away, (but this should be a rare occurrence), however compared to a separate grinder, the beans can get heated while in the grinder due to relative proximity to the boiler, which you can minimise by only adding beans as you require.
With a separate grinder you can add more beans than you require, to encourage better grind consistency, (may be more of an issue with flat burr grinders than this particular unit)and after grinding, tip out leftovers so they can be stored more appropriately.
Of course I am now questioning whether I need to upgrade my grinder too? Damned CS forum!!! Im using a Sunbeam EM0480 conical burr grinder at the moment.
Ive decided on a Lelit machine but am now tossing up between the Combi (so I get a new grinder) and the standalone PL041.
Is the Combi grinder a better unit?
The idea of a single footprint on the bench is nice...
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