Help needed deciding on an entry level grinder

[coladuna]

The M4D. The Vario is very loud so would avoid it if you are liable to wake neighbours etc...

Did you have any clumping issues with it? I was doing some research and read about some people having crazy amount of clumping on their M4D.

[wattgn]

Sorry, are you referring to the Vario or M4D?

The M4D. The Vario is very loud so would avoid it if you are liable to wake neighbours etc...

[coladuna]

I would buy one again especially second hand. I had one and it is well engineered and well built. I had no issues with it. it comes down to price as you can get a lot under $1000 in the way of quality grinders both new and second hand.

Sorry, are you referring to the Vario or M4D?

[Caffeinator]

Saw a used Macap M4D listed in the for sale section...

No brainer I say...

[wattgn]

Saw a used Macap M4D listed in the for sale section. Any thoughts guys? It is a bit over my budget though.
It's really hard to decide as there are varying opinions on the web. Vario does seem like a good grinder, but reliability and less than appealing building quality is kind of putting me off TBH.
I haven't written it off my shortlist however.

I would buy one again especially second hand. I had one and it is well engineered and well built. I had no issues with it. it comes down to price as you can get a lot under $1000 in the way of quality grinders both new and second hand.

[coladuna]

Saw a used Macap M4D listed in the for sale section. Any thoughts guys? It is a bit over my budget though.
It's really hard to decide as there are varying opinions on the web. Vario does seem like a good grinder, but reliability and less than appealing building quality is kind of putting me off TBH.
I haven't written it off my shortlist however.

[TampIt]

As a three Vario owner (one with optional steel burrs for the coarser grinds, like my modded "stirrer plunger"), I would add to the davltaypost. In the Turkish to espresso range the Vario will trounce any of the grinders on that initial list (and the "E" or even my old Major for that matter) in terms of extraction and "goodness in the cuppa".

I am a function first guy, so the less faffing around the better. The Vario is a piece of (Ditting) Swiss engineering that "just works". No static, clumping, excess retention, uneven particle spread (my pet peeve), poor dosing (timer is within 0.1g - the limit of my scales) or any of the other "traditional grinder headaches" are included - to the point they are now distant memories. My 2014 Vario is still not showing any sign of wear (even under a microscope) despite grinding over 300Kg of coffee - and that is on the original "long life ceramic" standard burrs.

None of my previous grinders (about 50 of them, some in cafes) come close in terms of lack of fuss / easy to live with domestically - and as a bonus it makes a better tasting coffee with VST baskets.

I really have a sly chuckle when I read about all the arcane dosing (including funnels) & distribution methods (Weiss, Staub etc) which the Vario bypasses as utterly unnecessary. Surely not creating a mess in the first place is a better option?

Anyway, just my two cents.

TampIt

[level3ninja]

You could always message the seller asking about postage. They don't appear to have had much interest (surprisingly), and may be wiling to drop it off at their nearest pack n send or similar. The only way it's been tinkered with is bypassing the hopper switch that doesn't let the motor run if the hopper is not in place. Should be a 2min job to unbypass.

[coladuna]

The first link Ninja posted for the mazzer E is what I would be buying, at $450 and setup for single dosing it’s a dam steal.. Far better than anything on your list. And it’s got new burrs installed.

That's pick up only from NSW anyway though. Well, this grinder I saw on gumtree supposedly only had 5kg of coffee through it so I can't imagine it would be in terrible condition.
Regardless, it's a doser grinder so probably not suitable for my requirements anyway. It's a big grinder too.

[Ardent]

Unfortunately, I'm located in Brisbane and would prefer something that hasn't been tinkered with as a noob.
Budget-wise, I would need to negotiated down the price fair bit anyway.

The first link Ninja posted for the mazzer E is what I would be buying, at $450 and setup for single dosing it’s a dam steal.. Far better than anything on your list. And it’s got new burrs installed.

i would buy used from CS long before I consider buying coffee gear off gumtree etc. the chances are good that anybody on this forum would have taken way better care and maintenance of their equipment.

[coladuna]

Unfortunately, I'm located in Brisbane and would prefer something that hasn't been tinkered with as a noob.
Budget-wise, I would need to negotiated down the price fair bit anyway.

[level3ninja]

Try this for single dosing; cheaper, better, from a fellow CSer so less risky than scumtree:

https://coffeesnobs.com.au/coffee-ha...k-up-only.html

Or one of these:

https://coffeesnobs.com.au/coffee-ha...-modified.html

https://coffeesnobs.com.au/coffee-ha...lectronic.html

[coladuna]

I presume Mazzer Super Jolly Automatic isn't ideal for home use, especially if I'm looking to use it for single dosing?
There is a barely used one on scumtree for sale for $650, which I could probably negotiate down, but regardless of whether it's a good deal or not, I want something that fits my needs.

[davltay]

Yeah retention build quality, ease of use.

[coladuna]

The Vario imo was better than the M4D which is way better than anything on your list.
Theres not much retention with the Vario so good for your single dosing.

I had chute blockages and clumping with the macap. 0 with Vario.

Could you please expand on what you mean by better? In terms of grind retention or in other aspects as well?

I guess even if I want to get the Vario, it would mean having to wait for a good used example to come up for sale as brand new is way over my budget.