Breville SG to Compak K3 (or similar) - quick easy question!

[damienh7]

Thanks everyone. Was a tough decision. Was leaning heavily towards buying locally (M2M) even tho their pricing was a touch higher than I could get elsewhere. Went in and had a look and was a little underwhelmed by its finish... perhaps I've gotten too used the the K8 on my bench which is an absolute tank.

Anyway, I stumbled upon an ex demo K3P with warranty on evilbay that I scored for $330 delivered. Figured at that price at the very worst I'm not going to lose much money on it if I ever want to move it on for something else! Also the familiarity with the K8 and the weight of opinion on the K3 were factors (not that I've heard any bad reports on the Macap, but the K3 at a good price seemed a safe bet).

[mmmcoffee]

The Breville might be good a good unit, but Compak make grinders and Breville make appliances. So for me the longevity, quality and resale value the Compak hands down.

[tayal01]

Breville SG to Compak K3 (or similar) - quick easy question!

I've got a K3 push and I love it. I've even taken to leaving the hopper empty now and weighing out my beans for each shot and grinding straight into the basket. That way I can jump between different roasts and decaf.

ps: I got mine for a little over $400.

[blend52]

He's referring to a k3P, not k3T.

And I'm led to believe that the landed price of the M2M is greater than the k3P.

Like i said,.. shop around !
The M2M is generally available for $450
If you are smart and go for the Wega branded K3T ( Wega 5.8 mini Instant) is generally around $100 cheaper than the Compak "branded" version .
I have seen the Wega down below $420.
Its exactly the same machine..but only available in black.

[damienh7]

I did find myself thinking the same as I was half way through writing said "quick easy question"!

Back to my grinder purchase, one plus is that I've managed to dial in my ex café re-branded K8 so the pressure is off a little to rush to a decision... altho the K8 isn't particularly user friendly in a home environment!

[Yelta]

Had a grin at the last part of the title of this thread "quick easy question" is there such a thing on Coffee Snobs? when even the simplest question will run to multiple pages of replies.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

He's referring to a k3P, not k3T.

And I'm led to believe that the landed price of the M2M is greater than the k3P.

[damienh7]

You should not have to pay more for a M2M than a K3T..
It sounds like a classic case of "upselling" / "sales creep" , by the retailer.
Shop around !

Similar pricing to the Touch. Dearer than the Push which I'd been quoted just over $400 for locally, and was the way I was leaning since it was comfortably within my budget of ~$450 (an arbitrary figure, but that's what I sold my Silvia/Smart grinder combo for). Happy enough to stretch that to $500 but weighing up local retailer vs price vs model availability etc.

[blend52]

....., I'd lined up a good price on a K3 at a local retailer

Anyway, the Macap M2M was suggested by this retailer also as an alternative, so I'm back to weighing up paying the extra for the Macap and what I get for the extra. From what I can tell it's mainly paying for the brand? ....
Hmmm, decisions!

You should not have to pay more for a M2M than a K3T..
It sounds like a classic case of "upselling" / "sales creep" , by the retailer.
Shop around !

[damienh7]

Long story short, I'd lined up a good price on a K3 at a local retailer (always good to buy local where possible!), but stock fell through (change in wholesale arrangement I believe).

Anyway, the Macap M2M was suggested by this retailer also as an alternative, so I'm back to weighing up paying the extra for the Macap and what I get for the extra. From what I can tell it's mainly paying for the brand? And in my case will mean I can buy locally still.

Alternatively I look at the K3 still but would have to travel to Melbourne or get it posted. Would rather see it in person first though obviously!

Hmmm, decisions!

[damienh7]

Space isn't a concern in my kitchen, which is quite large (no overhead cupboards either). So sounds like there's no real reason to overlook the K3 in favor of the M2M, based on what I'm reading here.

[Steve82]

It does tend to 'popcorn' a bit more than the k3, so you need to have a few more beans in the hopper.

Ahh yes this is a good point, completely agree. It makes me miss the K3 a bit, always ground very smooth to last few beans.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

I have a K3T and M2M, tend to use the M2M more often. Both are great grinders.....can't consistently pick a favourite in the cup. If space is important to you, I'd have no hesitation in going for the M2M. It does tend to 'popcorn' a bit more than the k3, so you need to have a few more beans in the hopper.

I think I picked upt the M2M for about $465 from Cosmorex.

[blend52]

I do like the hands off grinding of the SG which I would miss going to the K3P

I believe the K3P , in its latest version , will also do "hands off" PF filling.
And its really easy to mod the earlier versions to also work that way !

[Hildy]

I have both on my bench. The SG is relegated to decaf duties. I found that it doesn't suit my espresso making style (can't fit in coffee catcha, steps are bigger than I'd like, never quite got the timed dose to work properly, etc).