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Zerno Z1 grinder

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  • Zerno Z1 grinder

    How about this one! This is an end game grinder for me. Pre-sale coming in May, unfortunately outside my budget. Anyone else interested?

    https://zerno.co/

    Great review from Lance.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlN_nlxUD34&t=1132s

    Click image for larger version

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  • #2
    i like the look and design of this one, apart from 2 things

    1: the switch, i think thse sort of switches just make things look cheap
    2: no portafilter holder, so an extra step in the workflow when been used for espresso, but am sure it would be easy enough to come up with a little portafilter stand to sit under it

    Comment


    • #3
      I like:
      - the dial being in microns
      - full vertical burrs
      - the magnetic hopper and chute
      - blind burr option
      - static reduction
      - the willingness to accept feedback and change

      I dislike:
      - no variable speed (and they emphasise they’ve chosen fixed speed because it allows them to deliver reliable performance at a cheaper price; grinder still has an overall premium price point though)
      - step less adjustment listed as coming soon
      - overall retention seems high
      - no direct to portafilter grinding
      - super limited production

      the jury is out:
      - resetting zero point to maintain micron dial accuracy with different burrs
      - pre-breaker, and it’s overall effect on the grinder


      Do I wish I had saved some money by getting a zerno rather than a P64? No, but maybe that will change over time if the zerno continues to improve.

      Comment


      • TailorCoffee
        TailorCoffee commented
        Editing a comment
        Ive experimented with feed rate into my hand grinder and it made a huge difference to how the shot pulled. I think theres an arguement that feed rate has a really big influence on particle distribution. And, Lance Hedrick has mentioned many times that variable speed is really not that important or effective.

        I understand why you would think it should be on an expensive grinder since that seems to be the main differentiating factor on "high-end" grinders. But, i kinda love that Zerno didnt do it, since im sure they thought about it and whether there were benefits, in their opinion.

        Either way, im looking forward to tompoland s review.

      • Fohral
        Fohral commented
        Editing a comment
        TailorCoffee fair points. I do think you’re right, that variable speed may or may not be a useful feature. I think that’s something for people to consider when making a grinder selection. And to your point, it’s all about the overall final performance in any case, and we’ll see that proved over time with user experience.

        My main gripe with the lack of a variable speed is less so the loss of that functionality. It’s more about the specific design choice in picking a brushed motor.

        Essentially they’ve stated that they considered variable speed (and therefore brushless motor), found it didn’t do much, and used the opportunity to select a cheaper motor and for that cheaper motor to function well, they fix its speed. No big deal, many grinders are like this… but it is a cost optimisation and a quality trade off. A brushed motor has one more part to wear out.

        To then emphasise in advertising that they have the ability to vary the bean feed rate, which is a technicality at best, is sneaky. They’re trying to sell people on that feature and place less emphasise in variable speed (and their cheaper motor selection). I say it’s a technicality because there’s no switch or button to control it. You literally have to pull apart your grinder and replace a part. So if you find different feed rates are useful for different methods of brewing, you’ll need to buy another burr carrier with integrated bean feed auger, and strip down and replace it every time. As the feed rate to the vertical burrs is entirely controlled by the auger, it’s actually worse for the end user - you can’t easily trickle the beans in or hold the grinder on a different angle to vary the need feed rate. It’s fixed.

        To me, that’s not a feature. It’s marketing to shift people’s attention away from the places they’ve chosen to optimise cost. I appreciate the fact that they’ve optimised cost, and therefore are offering the grinder at a lower price point than say a P64… but it’s literally a case of “you get what you pay for” and the Zerno has no option for a brushless DC variable speed grinder.

      • TailorCoffee
        TailorCoffee commented
        Editing a comment
        Yeh, i mean everything youre saying is on point. Not sure why they went with a brushed motor? does seem odd for such a "premium" product. And youre right about the marketing of the feed rate. And, likely is too much of a pain to change and play around with in reality. Luckily for me its way out of my price range and ill have to be content with the sculptor 64s i have on order!

    • #4
      Certainly killer looks. Nice range of burrs too.

      The Moca SD is still my "if I had to choose only one end game grinder". Hard to go past the Ditting burrs. If only they would fit into the Zerno! Trouble is the Ditting/Mocha spin left when pretty much everything else spins right.

      Currently trying to push the Mocha off its perch with a less expensive option being a DF64 ($600) with Gorilla Gear burrs ($289 landed). No reason for doing this other than curiosity 🙃.
      Pouring some pretty awesome espresso but still need to run a blind comparison.

      Comment


      • #5
        The stand just reminds me of a monitor stand or one of those metal mobile phone holder stands you can get on Aliexpress. Yeah the switch is well, yeah.. cheap! So the dosing cup isn't magnetic??

        Comment


        • #6
          The early access presale opened to email subscribers last night but I didn't place an order. I quickly realised once you add options for different wood trim (olive and walnut costs extra $25), SSP burr (+$100), matching dosing funnel cap (+29) and the cost of shipping( $190), the prices quickly adds up to USD$1543 ~AUD$2280.. and that's not adding any import GST/fees,, which is potentially another $250~$300 on top. This price puts it in the same ball park as a Lagom P64, which has been around a lot longer and has great customer service.

          That being said, as of this morning all 3rd round allocations of 250 grinders were sold out and they are cancelling the actual public presale scheduled for today.

          Comment


          • tompoland
            tompoland commented
            Editing a comment
            interesting post thanks. amazing how the upsells add up. It looks like a seriously well thought out grinder.

        • #7
          Interview with one of the founders, with a breakdown of how they went about design and construction. Quite interesting.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzcrFpD26A4

          I think the issue with ordering this grinder will be after sales support, or lack of.

          Comment


          • #8
            Val is quite active on EAF Discord, seems extremely receptive to discussing new ideas etc

            Comment


            • #9
              That is definitely sweet looking.

              Comment


              • #10
                ordered mine, cancelled the 078s. very expensive for aussie due to tax and shipping, but definitely an even cleaner setup and workthrough

                Comment


                • #11
                  Originally posted by KingTing22 View Post
                  ordered mine, cancelled the 078s. very expensive for aussie due to tax and shipping, but definitely an even cleaner setup and workthrough
                  didn't they end up covering both?

                  Comment


                  • level3ninja
                    level3ninja commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I believe those comments were referring to the Zerno
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