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  • Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

    Were seriously considering the new Breville 900, as it offers features which are likely to get us making coffee at home again. Bought a great little Gaggia Carezza many years ago, but its had very little use due to the difficulties of making more than 2 coffees quickly enough and consistently etc.

    BTW its been quite educational reading the many posts here on the new 900.  Personally weve had excellent service from all our Breville appliances, and wouldnt hesitate to spend those $s on this unit, even if unproven.   

    Any way, we do have a reasonable grinder that meanwhile has also been sitting around doing very little, which we picked up here a few years ago. Its a tweaked Rancilio Rocky DL (with the burr carrier stabilisation with teflon and a stepless mod) in excellent condition.

    Would I be correct is assuming the Rocky would be a suitable quality grinder to match the 900?  How would it compare to the Breville Smart grinder?  Also what grind setting would be recommended, if anyone has used one with a 900?  Thanks all.

    Ronny

  • #2
    Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

    Hi Ronny

    I have a Rocky, but stock, not with the mods you have described & it works well with the 900. I have it set ~8 to get the right grind size, but this will vary greatly depending on your bean selection.

    The big difference between the Rocky & the Smart Grinder is the Smart Grinder has dose control. Dose is the single most difficult variable to control in espresso preparation as +/-0.5g can make a large difference in cup quality. The Smart Grinder holds dose pretty consistently from shot to shot so you get consistency in the cup.

    Cheers, Phil

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

      I have used the rocky and I own the smart grinder.

      The rocky has a superior grind quality, but has no dosing etc
      The smart grinder has exceptional ease of use and a reasonable grind, but the tolerances arent as good as the rocky IMO

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

        Agreed,

        No reason not to use the Rocky with the Breville DB.

        For new buyers, Id be suggesting the Compak K3T, but the Rocky will be fine!

        Chris

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

          Thanks everyone for the feedback. Will be looking forward to getting the Breville now and honing my dosing skills!

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

            Originally posted by 49584B4B544F48485F5E6D454259404C44412D0 link=1313856553/2#2 date=1313874287
            The rocky has a superior grind quality
            Bazzer, Im curious how you determined this?

            Cheers, Phil

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

              The single biggest issue that I have with the smart grinder is that there is a plastic holder for the top burr that pushes into place and has a significant amount of play in it.

              This translates to a slight touching of the burrs on the finer settings that can bee seen as a scouring on the upper burr.

              This can only mean (IMO) there will be a less consistent grind when compared to the behemoth of steel that is the rocky, and that the burrs will wear out quicker on the breville.

              TBH if I had realised this before I bought my smart grinder, then I wouldve saved more and got the rocky

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

                Yes, the rocky will do a fine job. it is a solid sturdy machine that will last and last. Mine is 5 years old and solid as a rock.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

                  Originally posted by 0A3F3235011D3138383B3B5E0 link=1313856553/3#3 date=1313877683
                  Agreed
                  What were you agreeing about? Was it that...
                  Originally posted by 3A2B3838273C3B3B2C2D1E36312A333F37325E0 link=1313856553/2#2 date=1313874287
                  The rocky has a superior grind quality
                  ?

                  I have been watching the threads about the Smart Grinder cause Im looking for an upgrade for my EM0450, and in here... http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1288871951/0#0 ... you said that you reckon its better than the Rocky?

                  BTW - hope thats not a hijack, seems like its on the topic of Rocky v. Smart Grinder!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

                    Originally posted by 58535F574142505753415E574B320 link=1313856553/8#8 date=1314139226
                    What were you agreeing about? Was it that...
                    I agreed to everything but the grind quality. The Breville is fine. Dennis test results provided real, rather than subjective data. Im sure hed be happy to run a shootout on distribution of particle sizes.

                    I have a BES900 and Smart grinder with me as a "traveller" for the gig tonight. Shots are terrific and the tribe is happy happy...

                    Chris

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

                      Having now put about 10kg of decaf through the Smart Grinder, the burrs havent worn out, I can still choke the Linea, and the coffee still tastes good.

                      I still think that sub $500, this is the best value, best performance, and best features grinder on the market.

                      Bazza, there is plenty of evidence, including the initial post in this thread, where the Rocky benefits with some intervention with the use of teflon to stabilise the burr carrier, so I find it difficult to agree with your argument.

                      Ozron, as you already have a tweaked Rocky in hand, Im sure it will be fine. Grinder setting tend to be arbitrary - for example, a number 5 on your grinder is likely to produce a different outcome to the same setting on another Rocky.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

                        I have owned both. Give me the Smart Grinder anyday. Whether or not it will out last the Rocky is debateable but in the meantime it is much better to use.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?


                          I have been watching the threads about the Smart Grinder cause Im looking for an upgrade for my EM0450, and in here... http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1288871951/0#0 ... you said that you reckon its better than the Rocky?

                          Yes, that was before I bought the smart grinder and was based off of other review that I had read.
                          Originally posted by 62575A5D69755950505353360 link=1313856553/9#9 date=1314141057
                          Originally posted by 58535F574142505753415E574B320 link=1313856553/8#8 date=1314139226
                          What were you agreeing about? Was it that...
                          I agreed to everything but the grind quality. The Breville is fine. Dennis test results provided real, rather than subjective data. Im sure hed be happy to run a shootout on distribution of particle sizes.

                          I have a BES900 and Smart grinder with me as a "traveller" for the gig tonight. Shots are terrific and the tribe is happy happy...

                          Chris
                          Cool. Can you give me a link to those tests. I might have just gotten a bad grinder from an otherwise good product line. The scouring on the upper burr has really put me off aye.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

                            It wasnt a test between the Rocky and the Smart Grinder, but rather between the BNZ and the Smart Grinder.
                            Youll find the test here - http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1288871951/50#80

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Rocky grinder suitable for Breville 900?

                              Originally posted by 303E3633343A35292D5D0 link=1313856553/1#1 date=1313873697
                              Hi Ronny

                              I have a Rocky, but stock, not with the mods you have described & it works well with the 900. I have it set ~8 to get the right grind size, but this will vary greatly depending on your bean selection.



                              Cheers, Phil
                              Hi Phil

                              Have you found that you have very limited range with the Rocky on the BDB?  Ive had the BDB for a week now, and noticed I go from choking the machine to 20 second shots (7 sec preinfusion and 13 sec brew) in just one "click" on the Rocky.  This is found on super fresh and stale beans, and carefully measured to 18 grams on a digital scale.

                              Thanks for any insight.

                              Comment

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