Baratza Sette vs Rocket Fausto

[pgseye]

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping to upgrade to a new machine (thinking the Rocket Appartamento) and grinder next month. I've put a pre-order in for a Baratza Sette with CoffeeParts, but looking at the Baratza website and blog it seems there have been delays and international shipments may not happen until November (not sure how aware CoffeeParts are as they still say September delivery on their website).

I'm starting to think should I cancel the order and look at something else - for the delay and other reasons. The Sette looks like a great grinder, but of course it's untested on scale. There also seems to be a lot of discussion around that suggests Baratza use a lot of plastic in their machines and maybe they're not built to last. The two big plusses for me with the Sette are the small footprint (we have limited bench space) and the price.

On the other other hand I'm also quite drawn to the Fausto (would be great to pair it with the Appartamento). It seems to be built like a tank. Of course it's a bit bigger and almost twice the price. The specs state that it's a fast grinder, but on comparison the Sette grinds even faster. However, I would feel comfortable knowing this machine should last the long haul.

For those who have previous iterations of Baratza grinder - have you been happy with them? Do they break down much?

Are the Fausto owners happy with their kit?

Thanks guys,

Paul

P.S. I know there are many other options - e.g. Macap M4D - priced in between.

[TC]

My intention is to do my utmost to try and break a Sette before I'm prepared to sell one.

We'll be torturing one for a couple of weeks before it get a thumbs up.

Fausto- yes excellent and it has many usability plusses over the Macap M4D- which continues to receive my bang for buck vote in this class.

The Fausto is excellent but carries a price premium. The right choice is the one that suits you after weighing up pros and cons. It's not the one some bloke pushes nor the one on my bench for that matter- as they're all terrific in this class.

[ScottyF]

Hi Everyone,

Are the Fausto owners happy with their kit?

Paul, I'm a recent Fausto owner (paired with a Profitec Pro 700), having previously had a Mini Mazzer manual. The Mazzer had given me great service, but the stiff collar adjustment and the fact that it threw coffee off centre into the PF had finally got to me. I just got sick of coffee everywhere.

The Fausto is very nice to use. The infinite grind adjustment via the dial is a snap to use after the Mazzer. It delivers a grind that you'd expect for a machine at this price point. Adjusting the grind time for either a single or double is very easy via simple up and down buttons on the display panel. I like that you can pause mid-grind to do an inspection of give the PF a shake.

To dose manually you have to hold down both the single and double buttons - a bit fiddly, but not a deal-breaker. The addition of a separate manual grind button would be the only thing I'd have liked. The Fausto is really good at delivering the coffee into the centre of the PF.

I went with the black option.

Quick summary: I love the Fausto. I do think it's worth keeping in mind as you pursue your options.

Good luck with the decision-making process.

Cheers

Scott

[artman]

Great idea re torture test of the sette Chris, I look forward to the results. It's on my radar, hope the durability lives up.

Cheers

[pgseye]

Thanks guys - appreciate your opinions.

[Logga]

Great idea re torture test of the sette Chris, I look forward to the results. It's on my radar, hope the durability lives up.

Cheers

Im interested in this grinder as well. Looking forward to the torture test.

[deegee]

For those who have previous iterations of Baratza grinder - have you been happy with them? Do they break down much? Thanks guys, Paul.

I had a Baratza Preciso for a couple of years. It was good for about a year except that the plastic burr holder broke and it had to be re-calibrated to grind fine enough for espresso. In the second year the burr holder broke again, and it had to be re-calibrated again. It also started to retain more grinds in the chamber and the chute unless it was stripped and cleaned every two or three weeks.

I gave up on it after less than two years of fairly light use, when I noticed the burr holder was cracked AGAIN and because it was much more trouble than it was worth to keep it going.

It had way too much plastic and not enough metal where it mattered, and there was too much slop and flex in the adjusting mechanism, too much wear and too may breakages.

Unless the Sette is made of much sterner stuff, the only way I would have one would be if I was given it for free.

[pgseye]

Thanks for that deegee - giving me some pause for thought.

[deegee]

To be fair, it is possible that Baratza have improved the build quality in the Sette. It seems from reports here that they did this with the Vario, and probably with the Forte too. However these are more expensive grinders than the Sette and much more so than the Preciso.

I don't want to condem the Sette before I have even seen one. While I would not buy another Baratza product myself, I would not advise others to simply reject them, but to have a long hard look at them before buying. Or better still, wait until they have been put to the test and proved to be worth the asking price.