Hi all,
First up, let me say thanks for all the various advice on all topics here, it is an awesome resourse and helped in my selection!
Its my first post so be gentle!!
I needed a espresso machine and grinder combo for work. Only four of us and only really gets used 7-10 days a month so not much of a budget.
Obvious choice after reading here was the Breville Ikon and a breville BCG450 grinder.
Ikon $129 and Grinder $59 at the Breville outlet in Ultimo with 12 month warranty. Cool.......
.....until I got them home!
i couldnt wait to test the Ikon so I ground up some beans in my Imat/lelit/whatever its called this week Combi and stuck them in the Ikon. Hmmm, horrible, bitter and burnt.
Yes, need that non-pressurised basket! Still, not a bad machine once the new basket is in Im thinking.
Next the grinder, in went the beans ( nice and fresh from Alan at coffeeco) and out came a nice assortment of different size grounds...none of them particularly fine....and that was on Turkish.....ie, as fine as it gets. Aw crap !
Bit of a search on google and I find a blog with a mod for the BCG450 ( Ive attached a PDF of it). Seems theres a small plastic stop which is like a premature stop for the burr clearance. just past it is the real stop. Heaven know why breville put it there but once it is cut off you can turn the hopper a good inch and a half past Turkish. Not that you need to, two more clicks past the "Old" stop and it produces the nicest, most even and fine grind Ive seen from any grinder!
So, for $59 Ive now got an awesome little grinder producing a grind as good as my combi or the sunbeam!
One tip though, to remove the stop just cut carefully with a junior hacksaw or similar and dont remove the ring as the article suggests is an option....mine looked decidedly un-removeable!

First up, let me say thanks for all the various advice on all topics here, it is an awesome resourse and helped in my selection!
Its my first post so be gentle!!
I needed a espresso machine and grinder combo for work. Only four of us and only really gets used 7-10 days a month so not much of a budget.
Obvious choice after reading here was the Breville Ikon and a breville BCG450 grinder.
Ikon $129 and Grinder $59 at the Breville outlet in Ultimo with 12 month warranty. Cool.......
.....until I got them home!
i couldnt wait to test the Ikon so I ground up some beans in my Imat/lelit/whatever its called this week Combi and stuck them in the Ikon. Hmmm, horrible, bitter and burnt.
Yes, need that non-pressurised basket! Still, not a bad machine once the new basket is in Im thinking.
Next the grinder, in went the beans ( nice and fresh from Alan at coffeeco) and out came a nice assortment of different size grounds...none of them particularly fine....and that was on Turkish.....ie, as fine as it gets. Aw crap !
Bit of a search on google and I find a blog with a mod for the BCG450 ( Ive attached a PDF of it). Seems theres a small plastic stop which is like a premature stop for the burr clearance. just past it is the real stop. Heaven know why breville put it there but once it is cut off you can turn the hopper a good inch and a half past Turkish. Not that you need to, two more clicks past the "Old" stop and it produces the nicest, most even and fine grind Ive seen from any grinder!
So, for $59 Ive now got an awesome little grinder producing a grind as good as my combi or the sunbeam!
One tip though, to remove the stop just cut carefully with a junior hacksaw or similar and dont remove the ring as the article suggests is an option....mine looked decidedly un-removeable!













Comment