Re: Feima Grinder
Taiwan is world renoun for quality (without any comparison to China). Most of the worlds technology and industry is made in Taiwan. Google to find out more.
Enough of the generalisation, now specifics. Feima is recognised in Taiwan as exceptional. Most boutique coffee house in Taiwan proudly use Feima Roasters and grinders (please visit Bella Taiwan website for examples). Those coffee houses listed are mostly exceptional and can quite comfortably rival many in Melbourne. Taiwan is (also surprising to me) a massive coffee drinking nation. You wont find a street that doesnt have a cafe.
I have been living in Taiwan for some time and can speak from experience. Furthermore i speak from experience of owning Feima Grinder and coffee roaster and can attest to their incredible quality.
(edit by Andy)
I just removed the last 3 paragraphs of this post and the replies to date. Also removed old "fighting" posts above to try and clean the thread-up to a point where it provides information about the grinders without the crud.
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Re: Feima Grinder
Im not so sure the Feima/Yang-Chia grinders are "rip-offs". The company has been around for decades, and the cosmetic and design similarities between these units and (say) the Mazzers are, to my eye, no greater than the similarities between Mazzers and some other well-known Western brands.
I live in Shanghai and have just purchased a Yang-Chia 500N grinder. Yang-Chia is the name of the company, and they seem to have dropped "Feima" from their marketing - perhaps because of sensitivity to (arguably unfair) accusations of plagiarism?
I will report back on the performance of my 500N (a smaller version of the doserless 900 series, with flat burrs, I think they are smaller, around 50mm) in due course. Initial impressions - a bit slow, but good quality grind with moderate clumping, no static issues. Im using it with a Rancilio Silvia - a genuine one
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Re: Feima Grinder
Chris, in the USA they were branded as a Laranzato & Venezia & were priced reasonably high. They were sold by a number of vendors, amongst them 1st-Line, which are considered a respected vendor of coffee equipment in the US. The one Im looking to buy (Feima) was often referred to as the newer version of the HC-600 (red grinder, 2nd post) although theyre made by different companies. They were often sold as a package deal with a higher end Italian espresso machine &, just as the one you sold as a Foirenzato hasnt come back, I couldnt find any negative reviews. So maybe, just maybe they arent that bad.
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Re: Feima Grinder
No issue with your personal choice Sam and I hope it goes well for you. When ECA had them, we sold one thinking it was a Fiorenzato- and subsequently gave the buyer the option to cancel but he chose to proceed. We havent heard anything back- so I guess it still works but nevertheless, I am glad ECA dumped them. In hindsight, we should have cancelled the order- but whats done is done.
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Re: Feima Grinder
Chris, I hear what you say...no offence, but Id say the same thing if I was a vendor of coffee equipment. Im not prepared to speculate & say its rubbish because ECA dumped the entire brand - their reason for dumping the brand may be completely inrelated to the quality. But if you know for a fact that they dumped it for that reason then Id love to hear about it.
Im willing to take a punt for my own personal & domestic use. Caveat Emptor - I agree - & Ill take full responsibility for buying the damn thing if it turns out to be rubbish. And yes, Id love to buy a SJ. But Im just not in a position to go out & buy everything I want, especially when it comes to high end products.
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Re: Feima Grinder
These have come to Australia before...
ECA imported a batch of them and subsequently dumped the entire brand..
For me, that says enough about their suitability in commercial environments. Theyd possibly be ok for home, but I reckon the cost of ownership would be relatively high as resale would be very low. On the other hand, Mazzers retain their value very well.
My opinion is that if you want a SJ, buy one. If these grinders were brilliant, every CS sponsor would have a truck load of them for sale.
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Re: Feima Grinder
Theres also a doserless version of the Feima. I also looked at the HC-600 which is another Chinese Mazzer clone with the same specs - 64mm blade, 350w motor etc.... This model sells in the US & by a Sydney mob for AUD600 + GST! This model is also available with a timer. Heres how they all stack up side by side -
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Feima Grinder
Im in the process of sourcing a new grinder from Taiwan! I can only guess what most people are thinking but Im a curious type & the specs suggest it should be good. Im doing some manufacturing in China at the moment & have sourced various wares from there over the past couple of years so Im not afraid to buy from there or deal with the Chinese. Although it is unbranded, the brand is officially Feima. But is is sold by various other Chinese companies under their own banner (yet still unbranded). And although the name Feima sounds like a ploy to confuse unsuspecting consumers, the company started back in 1969 & is called Flying Horse (a common Chinese name for industry) which literally translates to Fei Ma. So any similarity with the name Faema appears to be purely coincidental.
Its a rip-off of a Mazzer Super Jolly & has been sold in the US for some time under various Italian names for around the USD700 mark. It even sweeps the grinds to the left & the remedy for this is the same as the Mazzers.
One US coffee site tested one & couldnt find anything to be alarmed about & in fact commented on the quality. The burrs are replaceable with the Mazzers & the specs are line ball - 1,400 rpm, 64mm blades, stepless grind adjustment, 350w motor, 1.2kg hopper & 15kg weight. The cost is USD240 (about AUD270), but its the freight costs that kill. All up AUD446 will see it landed which is one third of a Mazzer. Given that its sold as a commercial grinder Im hoping itll be more than adequate for domestic use.

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