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Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

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  • Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

    So I have had a Sunbeam EM0480 for about three weeks now. Ive been using it in combination with a Ranciio Silvia.

    Straight out of the box I was impressed with its grind.  With settings from 20, being coarse, to 1 being fine I found after fine tuning that a setting of 7 produced a great shot with my tamp pressure. 

    That was three weeks ago.  I have been using it for about 2-3 double shots per day since then.  The thing is every couple of days Ive found ive had to adjust the grind down one click as I was finding it was no longer producing the same grind on the same setting.  Now I am on the finest setting possible and applying much more pressure to my tamp to get a result that is barely passable.

    I guess the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten.

    Rory

  • #2
    Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

    Its rather well known that the EM0480 isnt up to the task of running with a Silvia, which are somewhat notoriously finnicky about what they are matched with, whether it be grinder, tamp, coffee or barista.

    Sorry you had bad luck with your Grinder, Im sure someone out there will be able to give you assistance in finding a solution to the problem

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

      Originally posted by 7E62613D3534390C0 link=1322010372/0#0 date=1322010372
      The thing is every couple of days Ive found ive had to adjust the grind down one click as I was finding it was no longer producing the same grind on the same setting. Now I am on the finest setting possible and applying much more pressure to my tamp to get a result that is barely passable.
      This does not sound right at all. Sounds like the burr grinder blades may be moving? I know my Sunbeam EM0480 is capable of choking even the Giotto at the finer settings. I have heard there are variations in quality with the sunbeam but that to me sounds like something is wrong between your grinder and your sylvia. ive never had to change grind settings once I found the right settings for the specific beans.

      How fresh are your roasted beans?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

        Call up Sunbeam and ask for a "shim kit" or washers. They sent me a pack free of charge a while back and it worked great.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

          Originally posted by 120E0D51595855600 link=1322010372/0#0 date=1322010372
          So I have had a Sunbeam EM0480 for about three weeks now. Ive been using it in combination with a Ranciio Silvia.

          Straight out of the box I was impressed with its grind.  With settings from 20, being coarse, to 1 being fine I found after fine tuning that a setting of 7 produced a great shot with my tamp pressure. 

          That was three weeks ago.  I have been using it for about 2-3 double shots per day since then.  The thing is every couple of days Ive found ive had to adjust the grind down one click as I was finding it was no longer producing the same grind on the same setting.  Now I am on the finest setting possible and applying much more pressure to my tamp to get a result that is barely passable.

          I guess the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten.

          Rory
          Rory

          I posted an almost identical comment yesterday. I have been using my grinder for a year or so, I have found number 5 works fine but now all of a sudden I have to go to 3 or less. I am putting it down to the beans as I have used settings between 3 and 7 in the past. Perhaps you need to vary the grind for each bag of beans.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

            I find taking the top burr off and cleaning all the crap out means a reset of the grind setting. Try it, weekly...

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

              Originally posted by 59727E76605E130 link=1322010372/5#5 date=1322052612
              I find taking the top burr off and cleaning all the crap out means a reset of the grind setting. Try it, weekly...
              Yes I remove the top burr and clean out the grinder after each use - there is about two doses of grinds left in the machine which you dont want left in there going stale.
              Not sure how much use the burrs should have before they need replacing but they still look fine.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

                Bad luck.

                Ive had an EM0480 and Silvia for about three years and I have always hovered around 9, 10 and 11 for espresso. I find I have to adjust as the coffee ages and as I swap between different beans.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

                  Originally posted by 68636F6771646E676F6B6C65020 link=1322010372/7#7 date=1322225684
                  Bad luck.

                  Ive had an EM0480 and Silvia for about three years and I have always hovered around 9, 10 and 11 for espresso. I find I have to adjust as the coffee ages and as I swap between different beans.
                  Thanks for the comment James,
                  I was surprised that a fresh pack of beans would make so much difference but it certainly does seem to. I wonder if that is the case for other grinders?

                  I am also surprised you are using such a coarse setting. I find I need to coffee to come out just fast enough to form an unbroken stream or the crema is not up to scratch. Maybe not so important if you are not doing art.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

                    nutfarmer and rnm1985 my settings are the same as jamesfleming. at 9 depending on the beans I can choke my machine, I usually swap between 10 and 11. I think jaysonlews right regarding the shim kit. Does your em0480 have the shims on?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

                      Originally posted by 11030D1B07620 link=1322010372/9#9 date=1322368523
                      nutfarmer and rnm1985 my settings are the same as jamesfleming.  at 9 depending on the beans I can choke my machine, I usually swap between 10 and 11.  I think jaysonlews right regarding the shim kit.  Does your em0480 have the shims on?
                      Same here, 9 is always too low for me, but depending on the freshness of the beans it is most likely between 10 and 12 to get a grind that has the consistency of castor sugar. My grinder would be a couple of years old, but I give it a clean every time I run new beans through it.

                      I would look to see if you have the top burr sitting correctly and nothing is caught under it

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

                        Sounds like something is amiss with the burr carrier, a disassemble and realign should do it but if not maybe one of the plastic tabs that engages the threads on the burr carrier has snapped off.

                        OTOH, you really are expecting miracles if you want consistency in a cheap grinder. I have an EM0480 and the grind setting definitely drifts with the density of different roasts etc, but the burr carrying assembly is moulded plastic - theres a reason Mazzers cost what they do.

                        I think its actually a really decent grinder, if you take into account the price (for what is arguably a great quality burr set), and some sink shots / associated mucking around from time to time.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

                          EMO480 is indeed sensitive to bean age, cleanliness and humidity. The notch creep (ie clicking it up and up to a finer setting) Ive also experienced.

                          Deep clean every 2 weeks or so and its fine - the grind resets like someone mentioned above.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.


                            The grind hasnt changed that much since new (a couple of years), I believe this is the factory setting. I havent fitted any shims it is exactly how it came and has been working fairly consistently at #5. Suddenly with a new bag of beans and relocation to the coastI am now down to #1. Change in humidity could be an issue.
                            Hard to imaging the factory settings are so different. In any case, probably worth ordering some shims to bring the numbers up.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Sunbeam EM0480 - Dont waster your time.

                              I have found that the amount of beans in the hopper make a difference.

                              Comment

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