Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Helor 106 (first impressions July 2022)

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • TailorCoffee
    replied
    Incase anyone here has been waiting for these to come back in stock, there are 3 available on the helor website at the time of writing this. I have never seen them in stock, so jump in quick if youre keen!

    Leave a comment:


  • MW11
    commented on 's reply
    I sent him the model suggested by Helor on their site, so it was the right one. The inner rotating burr was off center. Like it was hammered to one side. It’s a brilliant design and built like a tank! I’m keeping it for travel.

    MC4 is my go to grinder for espressos with darker roasts and cortados but I really like it for hot/iced americanos (with dark roasts too). Never tried it with medium roasts tho, for that I have a MAX SLM which shines at 1:1 even with lighter roasts.

  • tompoland
    commented on 's reply
    Interesting thanks. What was the sign of misalignment? And is your brother quite sure he didn't make my rookie mistake and use an impact driver? (Fortunately level3ninja spotted it before I ran any beans through it.)

    Also, would love to hear your exec summary of where you think the MC4 shines best.

  • MW11
    replied
    Great review Tom. I use my helor 106 for dark roasts only or decafs. More crema and body than MC4. I use it rarely but I like the end result a lot. I gave it to my brother and he used it with a screwdriver then he decided to get a niche and returned it back to me only to find out that it was misaligned badly ?. I aligned it to the best I could and now it’s back in duty ?

    Leave a comment:


  • shadow745
    replied
    Yep for quite some time about 1.5 yrs ago I searched for a 106/Flux and could find NOTHING new or used. Contacted the guy that makes them and it was finally available, so I snagged one right away. I'm a fan of hand grinding over any electric as I like everything manual has to offer. Yes it's a bit of work, but I'm not a push button nerd afraid to give 1,000% effort. Actually use my 106 95% of the time and average 6-7 19 gram doubles each morning with it, so averaging around 100 lbs yearly. I strip it down every 5-6 months for a deep cleaning (not much there anyway) and I clean and oil the ceramic bearings. Of course you will read that ceramic are self-lubricating, but makes no difference when a bit of coffee dust inevitably makes it down into that area and causes a bit of friction. I soak them in 91% alcohol, then dry and add a few drops of very low viscosity synthetic bearing oil. Then pay close attention to the bearing preload when assembling and it spins incredibly smooth. I did recently buy a few parts for possible long term future replacement, but honestly can't see this thing truly wearing out in my lifetime. The machined fit/finish, parts quality used, etc. just put it in a league of it's own.

    I do agree that lesser hand grinders will be fine for most as I've had several, but wanted the 106 to be the do all/end all manual grinder and it doesn't disappoint. Those huge burrs definitely have more a usable sweet spot than smaller conicals I've used and I can easily dial any coffee in quite quickly. Regarding the planetary gear system/handle not being magnetized I simply hold that in place anytime I invert the grinder, which is only to make a grind change. Yes it's easy to just hold the burr and slightly move the adjustment knob, but I find it a bit more precise to lock the shaft in place by having the gear mechanism in place and adjust accordingly.

    Will also add that mine was quite well aligned from the factory even though I did it myself not long ago during a teardown. Main focus was getting all 3 screws tightened precisely with a quality torque bit driver. Not necessarily a specific torque number to be in 'factory spec', but was careful to apply the same amount of torque to all 3 screws in sequence with what felt snug to my hand.

    Regarding lower RPM, I've done lots of experimentation with counting/timing and find that a lower RPM range gives me more fines as in a slower extraction all variables being as equal as possible. Have also noticed that with the 106 the angle at which it's held during grinding affects the feed rate and fineness as well. Best overall for my use is holding it around a 45 degree angle and cranking at 2 revolutions per second. Having tried all sorts of variations that just works well as far as feeling naturally cranking away.

    Leave a comment:


  • tompoland
    replied
    This comment from you level3ninja on the Decent thread may explain why the 71mm Mazzer burrs on the Helor exhibit the "nutty" origin flavor I referenced in the review:

    "Burr geometry has 10x the impact that size does. The 83mm Robur Mazzer burrs are known to be higher clarity than the 63mm Kony burrs (which is why Tim Wendelboe used them in his cafe until recently)."

    The light bulb just went off! Up until two minutes ago I was surprised at the flavor that the Helor produced.

    (So much to learn down this rabbit hole)

    Leave a comment:


  • tompoland
    commented on 's reply
    Got it, a BIG difference between a cordless screwdriver and an impact drill/thingy. That makes sense. I appreciate you clearing up my misinformation. Could have been damaging (literally) misinformation.

  • roosterben
    commented on 's reply
    I reckon that would work well Tompoland, what didn't work for me with a 1ZPresso JX Pro was a BOSCH 3.6V ¼” SCREWDRIVER this is a small lithium powered screwdriver but with only 5nm of torque it just can't turn the JX Pro with filter/espresso beans. 

    BTW great review and what a beast of a grinder, 71mm conical burrs. Also at 1.8kg that is only really portable if you are travelling in a vehicle or camping from a vehicle.

  • 338
    replied
    Tom, the Bosch you mentioned is a cordless driver, ie a direct replacement for a screwdriver. It provides low torque in one plane, just like a hand turning a screwdriver. (torque is turning force)

    An impact driver uses a percussive element when it hits a hard section, like you using a spanner on a stuck bolt, so then hitting the end with a hammer, repeatedly.

    The suggested driver offers 14 and 30nm, it is not uncommon to see an impact driver at 200nm. It is the percussive element which is so damaging, they often damage bolts and screws while removing. To quote google how an impact driver works:

    "How does an impact driver mechanism work?
    An impact driver senses when you need additional torque and creates rotational impact force with a spring, hammer, and anvil. As the motor turns the shaft, the spring compresses and then releases forcefully, driving the hammer rotationally against the anvil. This action happens rapidly."


    Leave a comment:


  • tompoland
    replied
    This is the drill recommend by Helor: BOSCH GSR120-LI

    Do you think that would that be suitable level3ninja and if so, what is it about its specifications which would make it ok? Thanks.

    Not that I intend to use the Helor with a drill, but others may like to know.

    Leave a comment:


  • tompoland
    commented on 's reply
    Ah yes CF, you can finally confirm that the rumours of me looking so much like Hugh Jackman are true.

  • tompoland
    commented on 's reply
    Good to know L3N. I have zero understanding of these things and more than happy to defer to the advice of those more learned. I intend to use it sans drill because it's a travel grinder and if I were to add the weight of a cordless drill to the case I may as just throw a Niche in instead.

    Also, at that price point, if someone wanted to use an external driver for grinding, they would be better off buying a Niche or similar.

  • CleanFinish
    replied
    Nice to see you on TV Tom!

    Leave a comment:


  • 338
    commented on 's reply
    Well picked up Ninja! I watched the video and didn't realise it is an impact driver

  • level3ninja
    replied
    Originally posted by tompoland View Post
    4. The grinder is manufactured to such a quality that it can be used with a cordless drill without risk of damage to the bearings or shaft or whatever else is inside it (I have no idea). The manufacturer's website specifies a low torque Bosch cordless drill as having the right balance of toque and power. I take it by that, that one could use a cordless drill that is too powerful but I guess that maintaining a modest 200RPM or so, should be safe. I had a friend who took a cordless drill to his hand grinder (can't recall the brand) and destroyed it and that should not happen with the Helor.
    Tom your video with the cordless "drill" scares me, especially when combined with this statement. Yes technically it is a drill, like a pair of scissors is technically pliers. But an impact driver is only bested by a hammer drill for killing hand grinders. The problem is not only speed but torque (and with impact drivers the application thereof). A normal cordless drill with have an adjustable clutch that can limit the torque to below gear munching amounts. 200rpm is good unless a bean gets stuck and your impact decides to give it the old one-two to get things moving again. It's such a beautiful piece of engineering I'd hate to see it put out of action.

    Leave a comment:

Working...
X