Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
The Gaggia MDF is quieter and less messy than the Sunbeam.
Trouble is Im told they arent available atm.
I missed winning one on that site just the other day.
I got a bit too cautious hunting for a bargain.
Dont often see them there either.
Depends on your budget too.
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Sunbeam 6910 advice please
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Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
im getting a bit over the inconsistensy of mine... also the mess... and the noise..... great for plunger though! i think illl get a doser model...
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Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
I see on Sunbeams website that the 0480 is advertised with a 5-year warranty now:
http://www.toasters.com.au/products/product_details.cfm?rec_id=587&sec_id=33&home_id=2
Perhaps thats why they will repair it?
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Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
runfast,
Im pretty sure I could hold the bag with one hand and activate the push switch with the other.
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JavaB,
Im looking at my 0450 booklet right now and it has a 12 month replacement guarantee (3 months commercial use).
The 0480 booklet (online) says "Backed by Sunbeam’s 12 Month Repair Guarantee".
So theyll replace the 0450 but repair the 0480.
Curious!
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Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
The on/off switch is well worth paying extra for - especially when i am grinding into a ziplock bag for various reasons! :
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Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
Originally posted by russellb link=1196407894/30#31 date=1198654297Thanks JavaB
I guess the Sunbeam EM0450/0480 are likely candidates. Apart from the collector/dispenser (and the price) is there any real difference between the two models?
The 0450 has more plastic and no on/off switch (grinds when the PF is held in place).
There are also only 25 steps on both machines which some have found to be insufficient as there is too much variation in size between steps when trying to get the grind "just right"....
They both use the same burr set.
Warranty appears to be longer on the 480 - which could be important given the problems with reliability...... and the 480 is supposed to be the match to the 6900/6910.
They are the lowest level (price wise) grinders which are "capable" of espresso grinding..... however if you can stretch your budget - an Iberital or a MDF will give you a lot more control over your grind and greater reliability (but at a price).
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Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
Thanks JavaB
I guess the Sunbeam EM0450/0480 are likely candidates. Apart from the collector/dispenser (and the price) is there any real difference between the two models?
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Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
The KG100 will significantly affect your ability to get good espresso from any but the most basic machines (using pressurised baskets) for two reasons (and that is why I stopped using a "tweaked" one over two years ago)...
The first is the flimsy construction, where the burr set is not held firmly in place and wobbles.... this becomes more of a problem after tweaking - and why Solis (who actually made the KG100) only intended it to be used for relatively coarse grinding.
The more important issue is that the burr set is very cheap and only has two grinding zones - a bean breaking area and a fine grinding area.
Any decent burrs designed to grind beans for espresso have three zones... the bean breaking, a medium grinding and then a fine grinding zone (even the Sunbeam EM0450 has these)... all the way up to the multi thousand dollar conical commercials.
The idea is the beans need to be reduced first to "chunks" then to small fragments and then to the final product. For best results these zones should also be as large as possible and the beans slowly migrate from one to the next - that way you produce less heat and a more even grain size at the end....
But with the Solis 166 AKA Delonghi KG100, the burrs have to go from beans to large chunks which they then have to try to grind into small particles of even size..... and it just doesnt work - producing lots of "fines" - like coffee dust.
The result of grinds with a lot of this dust is it is hard to get the correct pour.... going from a gusher to just correct in a very small area..... and then to a choked PF.....
The espresso is also more bitter as the small particles rapidly become over extracted - adding bitter elements to the espresso.....
Basically the mod isnt worth doing.... but getting a better grinder is!!! Keep the KG100 for plunger coffee... which it does excellently.... but get a real espresso capable grinder (with the correct burr set) - otherwise you wont get anywhere near the best your machine is capable of - and a lot of frustration along the way!!!
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Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
Hi Padrebear
I tweaked the KG100 according to http://www.kwilson.fsnet.co.uk/grinder_tweaks.htm
Took a few tries before I could get it fine enough to "choke" the portafilter, but seems to be fairly consistent now, having backed off somewhat. One point is to note that the setting you achieve with turning the setting to "coarser" will not be the same as turning to "finer" - in other words there is slack in the adjustment and you need to be going the same direction to get more-or-less consistent results.
Im (IIRC) running at +4 deg on brew temperature, steam at +5 and wetness -0.2.
Seems it is a very individual setting for your machine/coffee/taste, but thats what I have at present. I suspect it will change with time.
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Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
Russell just curious.. what settings do u use on the machine.. because i find the same with my k1000, but am still not able to find the perfect coffee.
I havent done anything to the machine except the factory settings
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Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
Well, we had 17 adults here yesterday, and while not all are coffee drinkers, it all went swimmingly, until one of the family members, who has experience as a barista, and uses a 6910 and KG100 at home, decided to make coffee while I was out. He "knew" that the KG100 couldnt grind fine enough, so changed my setting, not realising that I had tweaked mine. Needless to say he had a couple of "choked" shots before he was able to produce something worth drinking. Now I am having to get back to an optimal grind, but I guess that also adds to my experience.
Certainly the steaming for a crowd went well, and everyone seemed to like the coffee.
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Re: Sunbeam 6910 advice please
Im with you there Russell " The real test will be over Xmas when we will have an invasion, and I am hoping to be able to get my production rate up"
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I have noticed a big speed up in steaming since doing the temp (+10) and recovery (-0.2)mod to 6910 - i think this will aid @ Xmas time!
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