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Another Baratza sette270 worn gearbox thread

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  • Another Baratza sette270 worn gearbox thread

    Hi all,

    Long story short, while on the search for a new grinder, my brother lent me his little used Baratza sette 270 to use as a trial, as it was one of the grinders I was contemplating buying. As it turns out, it was on its last legs, even though it was only 3 years old and used on average only once a day. I got to sample it for less than a week before it stopped. Pulling it apart revealed the reason to be a very worn gearbox, which I've since discovered is pretty common.

    A couple of pics to show the damage
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    Once you pull it apart you discover a lot of plastic used which is a bit of a worry. Obviously some plastics are designed to be able to cope in lots of different applications, but in this case it appears not up to the task. This is also the cause of the micro (and sometimes macro) adjuster drifting during grinding, as the vibrations increase as the gears wear. So if you are experiencing the collars moving, there is a good chance your gearbox is starting to wear out also.

    I've contacted Baratza in the US who told be to contact 5 senses in Perth for help. I've read on these forums, and others, that owners of these grinders have had the gearbox replaced for free at no charge. I've put my case to 5 senses (friday 12th Nov) but yet to hear a response.

    Baratza also informed me that the gearbox has been updated as recently as 2020. I'd be keen to hear from anyone who has an updated gearbox, or Sette bought since this date with the updated parts, and how they have performed.

    So just be wary if you are looking to purchase one of these grinders. They are quite noisy also, however when working, they are super fast and the grind is clump free and consistent.

  • #2
    I had gearbox replaced for free out of warranty. The gearbox part is quite cheap ($50 or so from memory?) so won’t be too bad if they don’t come to the party. There is also a felt washer you can fit which firms up the adjustment After fix its heaps quieter and smoother. Cheers

    Comment


    • #3
      Thanks for the feedback. I'd only seen prices for the motor and gearbox for $220 so if the gearbox is available by itself for $50ish then its probably worth fixing at my cost if Baratza don't come to the party. Good to hear its a lot quieter after the fix too.

      I already replaced the felt strip too.

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      • #4
        This worn gearbox situation was news to me ( non sette owner). Thinking a bit off track, would turning the grinder on and then single dosing help preserve a plastic gear.... No idea really? Just change workflow a tad

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by FNQ View Post
          This worn gearbox situation was news to me ( non sette owner). Thinking a bit off track, would turning the grinder on and then single dosing help preserve a plastic gear.... No idea really? Just change workflow a tad
          I don't think so. It wouldn't make any difference to the load on the gear. This particular grinder rarely had a hopper full of beans anyway. From what I've read online, these gearbox's are wearing out regardless of usage. Baratza have updated the gearbox so I guess they recognized there was a problem. The question is, have they improved the longevity with the update. Bit early to tell at the moment, being only updated in 2020.

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          • #6
            Nothing like making your customers the long term beta testers

            Comment


            • Lyrebird
              Lyrebird commented
              Editing a comment
              Customers are always long term beta (or gamma, delta, epsilon.....) testers as unanticipated failure modes are part of life unless you are omniscient.

              What really matters is the way it is backed up. IMO that is where Baratza need to lift their game.

          • #7
            Ah that's a bugger. I've had my 270Wi since the start of 2019 and still going strong. With the 270Wi model apparently the gearbox is better, in response to an email I sent them asking about durability etc: "The improvements we have made to the Sette 270Wi vastly increase longevity and performance. Not only is the software completely re-done, but the gearbox went through some major design changes. Several other components have been upgraded/improved to improve longevity and overall performance as well."

            Comment


            • #8
              They need to use genuine plastic gears...

              Comment


              • Lyrebird
                Lyrebird commented
                Editing a comment
                FWIW the gears on a Buhler malt mill* are also plastic because they used the best material for that job. It's all about implementation.

                Metal gears meshing with metal gears is a recipe for failure if they do not receive lubrication. Lubricating anything in a domestic coffee grinder can be problematic.

                Well designed plastic gears can run for a very long time without needing lubrication.


                * the world standard for malt mills, gobsmackingly expensive and worth every cent.

            • #9
              The newer ones run slower and are quieter but obviously not as fast. I have seen three of different vintages and the grind speed and noise decreased incrementally. Mine is an early one so still a bit noisy compared to the new ones but bloody fast. Cheers

              Comment


              • #10
                Just to update this thread in case others come across the same problem...

                I contacted Baratza who agreed that it was a problem they are aware of and are replacing the gearbox free of charge even out of warranty (this may be on a case by case basis). They put me in touch with 5senses in Perth, who are the australian distributor. Initially they wanted me to send the grinder to one of their approved workshops either in perth or melbourne. Living in Adelaide, this didn't really suit so I asked if they were prepared to send me the parts so I could fit them myself. Being a warranty repair I said I understood if they were reluctant to do this but considering I'd already had the machine apart I knew it was something easy to do. They agreed.

                Long story short the grinder is now fixed and working well again. I can't say if its substantially quieter as its still pretty noisy. The new gearbox did also fix the 'drift' of the micro adjuster during grinding also, so if your grinder is suffering from this 'drift' problem (sometimes on the macro as well) and a new felt strip doesn't fix it, it could be a sign that your gearbox is wearing out, causing increased vibrations.

                I ended up giving it back to my brother due to buying a Eureka mignon specialita, so it should last him many years as it will be a spare. Alls well that ends well and although the build quality is a bit suspect, a big thumbs up to Baratza for standing by their product.

                Comment


                • #11
                  Great it’s fixed.

                  Pulling it apart during a warranty period though usually will void the warranty.

                  Comment


                  • prydey
                    prydey commented
                    Editing a comment
                    It was well out of warranty.

                • #12
                  Hey guys

                  I had the exact same scenario as described above. 3 years old, Sette 270Wi gearbox shat itself. I wish I found this thread straight away, but found it in the end, and it saved me. Documenting this here in the hope of helping others. My experience was:
                  • Send video to Baratza Support (US)
                  • Very friendly and responsive, immediately diagnosed gearbox issue.
                  • Were not forthcoming about this being a known issue and something that would be taken care of outside warranty - I had to do my own research to discover this.
                  • When they found out I was in Australia, said they couldn't ship internationally (why not, btw?) and that I would need to contact Five Senses.
                  • I contact Five Senses, they provide pricing for the parts (no acknowledgement of known issue or offer to supply the part at no cost).
                  • I do more research and it is clear in tons of reddit threads and elsewhere that this issue is being resolved by Baratza outside warranty for customers worldwide, and subsequently discover this thread (Oz - yay!), specifically post from prydey above which is exactly what I needed.
                  • I respectfully get back to Five Senses informing them of the scenario as I understand it, the fact that Baratza are resolving this issue at no cost for customers (linking to this thread), and provide my shipping address.
                  • Five Senses agree to ship a replacement part at no cost.
                  So in the end while I think both parties could have been more immediately forthcoming about the known gearbox issue and the accepted resolution, we got there in the end. Admittedly this is quite a good result for an item that is outside warranty.

                  Comment


                  • prydey
                    prydey commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Alls well that ends well I guess. Shame they didn't acknowledge it from the get go.

                • #13
                  manacubus i might have the same issue. When I press play it sounds like the motor spins, but no grinding occurs. This sounds like a gearbox issue?

                  Comment


                  • #14
                    Originally posted by prydey View Post
                    Baratza also informed me that the gearbox has been updated as recently as 2020. I'd be keen to hear from anyone who has an updated gearbox, or Sette bought since this date with the updated parts, and how they have performed.
                    I bought my 270Wi 3 years ago and it's still going strong, although is probably noisier than it was initially. I wouldn't be surprised if the gearbox fails this year. I wonder if the new one (the ~2020 design) will last longer or be less noisy?

                    Comment


                    • prydey
                      prydey commented
                      Editing a comment
                      The grinder did seem slightly quieter once I fitted the new gearbox however it was still pretty noisy. I've since given it back to my brother so it should last many years as its just a back up grinder.

                  • #15
                    Just finished replacing gearbox on my second hand Sette 270Wi (purchased through here)
                    Many thanks to manacubus for the detailed info. Contacted Five Senses Coffee directly by email with photo of serial number on the bottom of machine, outlined the issue and they sent the part straight out.
                    I had to email twice (once to info@ then parts@) because they have an overactive spam filter. Apart from that, couldn’t ask for a better response from them.

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