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Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

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  • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

    Couldnt handle the wait for my new grinder (k3t) as the guys are on holidays till next week so was interested to see if it was a grinder problem, so I popped into a local coffee roaster (amore coffee in moonee ponds) and got them to pre grind 250g of their royal espresso, for my machine the Oscar whilst i await its delivery.

    Anyway just ran a few shots, first pull, under extracted, but i didnt fully load the basket up, next loaded it up and levelled off, tamp, pulled the shot, perfect, and the same again.

    Next decided to do a hard tamp, ... choked the machine and super heated the water therefore i can conclude it was the smart grinder not grinding fine enough as i tried the last setting and it would easily under extract the coffee. At the moment the pre grind may be even a tad too fine as it takes a light tamp, but you would expect that buying pre grind for the first time (not going to be a future issue once i get the grinder again)

    Its a shame as i really liked the look and the features and also the cleanliness of the smart grinder, if only it would grind fine consistently it would be a winner for me. Yes i know there is a shim kit, but what happens when the shims wear? it would be good if there was a more concrete solution than shims, ie. use the shims as a last resort after years of use to get that little bit extra out of the conical burrs, shim, use it more then replace the burrs without the shims.

    Auto dosing was ok, although it did overfill so i had to dial back 1 or 2 stops from centre of the strength scale, probably further evidence that it wasnt grinding fine enough.

    If Breville could address this issue in their production process, maybe change some qc testing, or improve burr clearance/tolerances, this grinder would be absolutely fantastic. If this was to be addressed, i would not hesitate to recommend this grinder, yes it hasnt worked out for me, but i wouldnt mind trying one again if the need came about after a little more development and actual real world use.

    Sounds like i just got one of those strays released in the wild, i hope Breville can avoid this stigma associated with may of the appliance brands.

    If this issue can be properly addressed without the use of shims, Breville will have a very very big market share for the home user and even light cafe use.

    Please dont take this post as a Breville bashing post, it was only a reflection of my experience given my amateur status of coffee making! Hopefully it was constructive and taken on board.

    Comment


    • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

      Just so theres no confusion, shims do not wear out. All they do is adjust the clearance between the top fixed burr & the rotating conical burr. Shims are used in many engineering processes to adjust tolerances/clearances and its a more than acceptable practise. Every Porsche or Ferrari gearbox has shims used somewhere to adjust end float of gears and shafts to fall within the engineered specs.

      Cheers, Phil

      Comment


      • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

        Looks like you got the odd grinder out CaffeineJunkie.

        As the Smart Grinder I bought has been great. It consistently grinds fine enough for espresso. I changed the setting to use it with my plunger before, as I noticed you said that your machine didnt vary in grind size on this setting, and the grind was sized perfectly.

        Hopefully your K3T is not an odd grinder out, or you might end up with a Mazzar!

        Comment


        • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

          Originally posted by 0C020A0F0806091511610 link=1288871951/151#151 date=1293594284
          Just so theres no confusion, shims do not wear out. All they do is adjust the clearance between the top fixed burr & the rotating conical burr. Shims are used in many engineering processes to adjust tolerances/clearances and its a more than acceptable practise. Every Porsche or Ferrari gearbox has shims used somewhere to adjust end float of gears and shafts to fall within the engineered specs.

          Cheers, Phil
          Just to add my support for what Phil has written - Nothing wrong with the use of shims as a means of adjustment to achieve fine tolerances. My background is in engineering and Ive done this all my life from fractional horsepower machinery to that which uses or generates many thousands of Kilowatts/Megawatts.....

          Mal.

          Comment


          • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

            Originally posted by 424C44414648475B5F2F0 link=1288871951/151#151 date=1293594284
            Every Porsche or Ferrari gearbox has shims used somewhere to adjust end float of gears and shafts to fall within the engineered specs.
            Nice to know the shims I put in my Escorts rack and pinion were in good company.

            Comment


            • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

              I at least hope it was an RS2000.........

              Cheers, Phil

              Comment


              • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

                Originally posted by 7E70787D7A747B6763130 link=1288871951/151#151 date=1293594284
                Just so theres no confusion, shims do not wear out. All they do is adjust the clearance between the top fixed burr & the rotating conical burr. Shims are used in many engineering processes to adjust tolerances/clearances and its a more than acceptable practise. Every Porsche or Ferrari gearbox has shims used somewhere to adjust end float of gears and shafts to fall within the engineered specs.

                Cheers, Phil
                With the random use of shims being required on a mass produced product, does this not indicate that there is either a manufacturing/QC or design problem involved? Either there is an inadequate manufacturing/QC process being used or the design is difficult to mass manufacture reliably.

                I dont disagree that the use of shims is a solution to a problem, I just disagree that there isnt a problem. Its obviously cheaper and easier for a shim to be designed and used on a few individual items than change the current set-up. Thats the designer/manufacturers call but it is still a problem.

                Maybe I am expecting to much but in a mass produced, standalone item where there are no other external interfaces involved, this random nature to the fitting of shims post-purchase is not what I am looking for. Im an engineer, no coffee expert. I was considering this product but it seems too much of a hit and miss on meeting my expectations.

                Comment


                • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

                  Originally posted by 7C5059595A5A607D5A5E513F0 link=1288871951/156#156 date=1293921924
                  I was considering this product but it seems too much of a hit and miss on meeting my expectations.
                  Best bet is to double your budget then CB- as this grinder is the category killer and for mine is as good as a Mahlkonig Vario ($680).

                  Start your shopping at Compak K3T level or above.

                  Comment


                  • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

                    Use of shims is ok, but should be installed during production or warranty claim if needed, should not be a user installed part, if they think it is a issue they should include shim kit with purchase or fix design for better tolerance or better quality control.

                    I think breville have made a great grinder and would be happy to own one. hopefully they iron out there production and quality control, we know they read these forums. good to see a manufactuter doind a design with more than just a motor and a switch.

                    Comment


                    • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

                      Guys,

                      The same thing with shims happened and probably still happens with the Sunbeam.

                      Many users needed a kit, got one and were happy. Many, including us, were lucky and didnt.

                      However, those who did, were smiling afterward, and the issue was very quickly forgotten.

                      As Talk Coffee said, "this grinder is the category killer and for mine is as good as a Mahlkonig Vario ($680)".

                      A little fiddling is a small price to end up with the grinder that fulfills that statement, and if anyone in here knows, he does.

                      Comment


                      • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

                        Seems to me that some people are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.... :

                        If a purchaser subsequently discovers that their new grinder doesnt grind as expected, surely the addition (or removal) of simple shims is no biggie, given the performance the grinder is capable of. Also coming from an engineering background, I dont think its an issue thats even worth a discussion.... :-?

                        Mal.

                        Comment


                        • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

                          And as an aside, its a bummer that the sponsors are being forced out of this market by the retail giants.

                          Comment


                          • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

                            Originally posted by 5F72767A771B0 link=1288871951/160#160 date=1293966100
                            Seems to me that some people are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill....:  
                            Well thatd be a first :

                            Originally posted by 5D554D475A3E0 link=1288871951/161#161 date=1294007599
                            And as an aside, its a bummer that the sponsors are being forced out of this market by the retail giants.
                            Stay tuned cksyd. We are negotiating a special sponsor spec. unit which will have some very useful goodies in it which would normally come at some fair cost. This spec. wont be available to the majors  :-X

                            Comment


                            • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

                              Nice work!! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

                              Good luck to you

                              Comment


                              • Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

                                Guys, just to be clear, Breville is not expecting consumers to install the shims themselves. It can be done by one of our authorised service agents free of charge. We are just offering to send the kits to consumers who wish to install it themselves & cut down on a trip to a service centre & potentially time without a grinder.

                                Cheers, Phil

                                Comment

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