New Breville BCG820 "Smart Grinder Pro"

[fourstar]

Apologies if ive skimmed over it, but what amount of 'deadspace' are most experiencing with this grinder?

I've recently upgraded my setup and adopted a bcg820. I've found from my grind:dose output on my old Lelit (at most i would lose <1g on my old grinder) the smart grinder pro is holding anywhere between 3-4g of coffee.

Is this normal? Im not thrilled at the idea of dumping so much stale coffee on every daily grind. I was quite shocked when first throwing 22g into the hopper and left with 18g of coffee in the portafilter. thats close to 20% retention!

[theonetruepath]

Most grinders have around that "dead space" yes. Usually called grind retention.

That's why I bought the Niche Zero - On your very first grind you get 18g out after putting 18.5g in. Most of that 0.5g ends up sitting semi-permanently inside, so subsequently if you put in 18.5g you get out 18.5g and only 0.1g or less is from previous grinds. In other words it's more suited to the average home use scenario, where after making from one to four coffees you let the machine sit long enough for any retained grinds to become stale. Commercial machines they don't care because the next cup is always coming through much sooner. And if you flush through an extra 5g or 10g of beans in the morning it's only a tiny fraction of your daily throughput. Some people doing that at home would just about double their coffee usage.

Also apparently the Baratza Sette is pretty good for low retention.

[fourstar]

Thanks theonetruepath, nice to know!

My Lelit Combi was probably holding around 3g~ in the machine however, I would push them out with a pump of the grinder lid on the hopper. This effectively blows the remaining grounds out of the grinder and I got next to no loss.

[BobSac]

Is this grinder a good upgrade from EM0480? I am thinking about getting HX E61 espresso machine soon to upgrade from an old Cafe Crema. Do I really need to spend 1k on a grinder like the Eureka Atom or T64 Pro or can I get by with one of these (or even my existing grinder, but would like something less messy).

I have a Silvia as a spare machine that was paired with the EM0480 and replaced that with the Breville SGP.

The Breville doesn't make a better tasting coffee, however, it is easier to use, the group handle (portafilter) is held in place and the dose is timed.

That means I'm consistently getting better coffee from the Silvia, but the best coffee from the SGP + Silvia isn't better than the best coffee from the Sunbeam + Silvia.

Hope that makes sense, sorry it took so many words to explain!

[BobSac]

I was a happy owner of an 820 for almost 2 years until mine started making the clicking noise that apparently the 800s and 820s all do eventually. It was replaced under warranty, but the new one made a high-pitched whine/whistle when on standby. I took it back again, and the next one did the same. So did the third. I wonder if this is just how they are now. None of mine buzzed though...did all of yours squeal?

I now have my $200 back and I am looking for an alternative. I'd be pleased to hear that I was just unlucky with the 3 that I tried, as there's not much else even close to $200.

Mine makes a very high pitched squeal that is super annoying, however, I switch it on and off when not in use, so not really annoying at all.

[Dalby]

This was mentioned a couple of years ago in this thread and is probably worth mentioning again for newbies to the 820 like me.

I was having a terrible time trying to get the upper burr to lock until I came across a video by Seattle Coffee Gear on YouTube: turn the grind dial the coarsest setting and the burr will lock in very easily.

[Dalby]

Total newbie here watching too many videos and getting totally confused (but I WILL get there!).

Today's question: I just watched a video which recommended always having the motor running while turning the grind size dial. This is the first time in the dozens of videos I've watched that this has been mentioned. Necessary or not, folks?

[Javaphile]

If making the grind coarser no, if making it finer yes.


Java "Doesn't hurt to always do it" phile

[Dalby]

If making the grind coarser no, if making it finer yes.


Java "Doesn't hurt to always do it" phile

Thank you.

Would you believe I'm reading the manual for the 4th or 5th time and it's the first occasion I've read, on page 15, the answer to my question above.

[Director]

My SGP (BCG820) is about 4 years old and I've noticed lately how the motor is making a whirring noise, like it's struggling hard to grind. I clean the machine regularly and remove and clean the burrs in the process. I wondering if anyone else had noticed this noise or if I should start looking for a new unit?

Cheers

[level3ninja]

My SGP (BCG820) is about 4 years old and I've noticed lately how the motor is making a whirring noise, like it's struggling hard to grind. I clean the machine regularly and remove and clean the burrs in the process. I wondering if anyone else had noticed this noise or if I should start looking for a new unit?

Cheers

If you run it empty does it sound pretty much normal but as soon as you put in any beans it struggles straight away? If so it's likely the start/run capacitor getting old and lower in capacitance. Only way forward is to replace it [the capacitor] with a new one.

[Director]

If you run it empty does it sound pretty much normal but as soon as you put in any beans it struggles straight away? If so it's likely the start/run capacitor getting old and lower in capacitance. Only way forward is to replace it with a new one.

Thanks for the reply.

Do you mean replace the cap or the whole unit?

[level3ninja]

Sorry I can see the ambiguity in my post now that I reread it. Replace the capacitor.

[Director]

Thanks. I'll check it out tomorrow.

[nigeldr]

I picked up one of these on the weekend while on special ($190 at Bing Lee), huge improvement over the old Sunbeam EM0450. However, the high-pitched whine is bothering me. Has anyone got to the bottom of what's going on here ?