Quest m3 roaster

[mwcalder05]

Hmm...maybe the roaster needs to invest in something a little more than paper, pen and a thermocouple. I'm sure it'll come in time then

[seamad]

I'd agree with the last 2 posts. I use mine with roast logger, temp probes for ET and BT which charts onto my laptop. I can pretty well follow any previous saved roast profile so I think it's pretty repeatable.

[Beanz.]

Hi all,

So I found out that repeatability on this machine is terrible. To get two roasts exactly the same is a great achievement but somehow I got all of the samples within an acceptable range (albeit with a couple of aborted roasts).
........
But the Quest is a fine domestic roaster but if you want to roast with a purpose, maybe look elsewhere..

Michael

I also disagree, I can repeat a roast profile time and time again for the same weight of beans.
I can use a previous roast profile saved in CS Roast Monitor, load it as a Template and then run another roast and plot exactly the same profile over the top with my Quest M3.
I note any changes in fan speed settings or changes in current settings in the comment section in RM so that they can be repeated at the same point in the roast I am trying to replicate.
The other thing I have done is instal a fine probe between the drum and the outer covering, this reacts quickly to changes in fan or temp settings and allows you to see the impact of your adjustments immediately
Stick with it the Quest does produce some outstanding roasts

[Steve82]

Hi all,

I recently decided to take my life into my own hands and roast on the Quest at work. We had quite a number of samples shipped to us so it was a full day of sample roasting! I didn't know what I was roasting so that made it extra interesting.

Now I have used the roaster before just stuffing around for home use but never roasting with an actual purpose in mind. So I found out that repeatability on this machine is terrible. To get two roasts exactly the same is a great achievement but somehow I got all of the samples within an acceptable range (albeit with a couple of aborted roasts).

When cupped, there were two stand outs and they were both Ethiopians. As soon as we poured the water and smelt the aroma, we knew we were onto a winner.

But the Quest is a fine domestic roaster but if you want to roast with a purpose, maybe look elsewhere..

Michael

I have to disagree.

I can repeat the same profile on a given bean, once I know how it behaves as many times as want. Make little tweaks where I want, with fine adjustments of the air flow and amps. Many users elsewhere can do the same.

You roasted a few samples in a day and think that's enough time and beans to master a small manual electric roaster? or any roaster for that matter?

For me its been about 6 months and 150+ roasts under my belt which has let me really get to know the roaster and how many different beans from different regions tend to behave.

you need to know what's going to happen before it happens, especially as its a small electric roaster with not much thermal latency.

Oh and every roast i do, I roast with a purpose / plan.

[mwcalder05]

Hi all,

I recently decided to take my life into my own hands and roast on the Quest at work. We had quite a number of samples shipped to us so it was a full day of sample roasting! I didn't know what I was roasting so that made it extra interesting.

Now I have used the roaster before just stuffing around for home use but never roasting with an actual purpose in mind. So I found out that repeatability on this machine is terrible. To get two roasts exactly the same is a great achievement but somehow I got all of the samples within an acceptable range (albeit with a couple of aborted roasts).

When cupped, there were two stand outs and they were both Ethiopians. As soon as we poured the water and smelt the aroma, we knew we were onto a winner.

But the Quest is a fine domestic roaster but if you want to roast with a purpose, maybe look elsewhere..

Michael

[Dragunov21]

Honestly as long as it is earthed correctly and the supplying circuit is RCD protected, I could care less if there's exposed wiring near the case

Of course, I recently purchased a power supply from HobbyKing (Chargery Power brand) with the earthing strap bolted to a painted aluminium part. Paint aint so great a conductor, so the moment you plug it in the case livens up at 240VAC. Bonus points for the fact that the DC outputs are at 14VDC with respect to each other, but they are also floating at 240VAC with respect to ground, so it can liven up anything you connect it to.

Realistically with the Quest, I'd be opening it up and making sure the earth connections were solid, then testing for continuity between the earth pin and each exposed metal part.

[Corduroy]

Hi guys,
I've been using the quest for two years now. Bought it originally to learn the basics of coffee roasting so I could translate that one day on a larger scale. I have been able to produce consistently good single origin coffee, with most of my roasts being 250g and hitting first crack around 8min.
I did have some concerns initially with the questions about the wiring, so I got an electrician to check it out. He couldn't find an issue, yes the wiring is little old school, but I have not had an issue with it so far. And I can't find any evidence online of others who have have had any incidents with the quest.
Coduroy

[Magyar0300]

It's not about site sponsors saying anything they don't sell is crap. There is a reason it is not available in Australia and you have to import it yourself! For commercial importers machines must meet strict Australian compliance regulations regarding their construction, purpose and safety being the big one.

Having seen the inside of a Quest by a friend who has imported one, I can hazard a guess that they would not pass Australian compliance testing and would be too expensive for a commercial entity to import and change the internal components/wiring to pass.

The concept of the Quest is fantastic but the price point is a little ridiculous, if they were in the vicinity of $500-$600 I would definitely purchase one and re-wire it to make it safer. The internal components look quite ok it is more the layout of the wiring and covers over exposed terminals, safety protection etc which is the issue.

Those of you out there who are using them please go an buy a 4 way RCBO protected power box (orange box with 4 power points and a 10A RCBO safety switch on the side) available from bunnings or any sparky wholesaler, if you are unsure whether you have safety switches installed in your home. Small price to pay for added protection.

It it would be interesting to see a comparison of the Quest and Hottop in operation.

[Beanz.]

Is it hard to setup with a thermocouple+ artisan roast software?

There are details posted on various forums with respect of temperature measurement / thermocouple placement for MET/BT/ET, custom thermocouple probes and adaptors. There are also some Arduino controller projects documented.

Once you are set up with probes it is a case of using the software of your choice whether that be Artisan, Roast Monitor etc

Is there an easy way I can get around the 240v problem perhaps a suggesting a change to the manufacturer since they are hand made?

Contact the US distributor to get feedback from them, establish what testing they have done, see if they are aware of any perceived or documented problems, they sell a 110V and 220V version.

There are posts from the UK, USA and Europe on coffee forums where people seem very satisfied with the performance. There are also reviews and posts from many other locations so the Quest has penetrated plenty of regions.

[azeworai]

I just had a look at the Baby Roaster FZ-RR-700.

I like it that it can be used on a home gas stove but the loading and dumping of beans seems like it'll be a game of hot potato.

[azeworai]

My goals are
1) good temperature control(gas ideally so I can turn the flame to pilot and have a responsive reaction when I want it to)

2) Drum roaster

3) needs to be easily hooked up to artisan/cropster so I can practice consistency and monitor roast profiles.

I know if it's gas, there'll be a lot of premise restrictions to a point where I may need to rent a shed/warehouse somewhere. This is because I'm still renting at an apartment at the moment. The additional warehouse overhead is not what I want for now.

I originally wanted to get a probat 1kg but the gas/premise restriction is stopping me.

I know the probat is about 20k to setup but I think it probably has a good resale value. I also trained on the machine so I'm quite happy/attached to owning one.

The main reason I'm leaning towards the quest m3 is because of the people who used both has said the quality it can produce is almost the same as the probat 1kg. I see that comment on a forum and the master roaster I trained with (who sells probat) said it can also be a good sample roaster comparable to the probat's.

If it's not a probat, I've set the budget around 2k for setting up a machine similar quality of the questm3 including the nick nacks of thermocouples USB digital thermometer.

[Bosco_Lever]

What is your budget, and what are your goals?

I agree with seamad that there is a tendency on this forum by some to make extremely disparaging remarks about non sponsor products.

In regards to the Quest, I understand that improvements have been made, but I have not seen a recent production model in the flesh. There are a number of these units being used by home roasters in Australia with a great deal of success.
My warning was in relation to a unit I had seen. It did not meet my standards and given my vocation I made the comment about the wiring. The unit is not certified for distribution into Australia. As I said before, you can get a service tech (experienced and certified) to improve it, make it safer, whatever...

My issue with the unit is that for over $1k, I want a roaster that can handle larger amounts. It is a pity that a 500-600g version has not been made.

Once you get into the $2k+ range there are some great units available, it all depends on your budget and your intentions.

Best of luck with your choice.

[azeworai]

Is there an easy way I can get around the 240v problem perhaps a suggesting a change to the manufacturer since they are hand made?

I think I have to stick with an electric setup and looking at the list, huky500 is the next closest thing. For now, I don't like the way the huky handles the cooling but the possibility of using a small portable gas stove with it is quite interesting.

[coffeechris]

To my knowledge I've never heard of anyone being harmed in any way by one, and if there has been an incident I'm all ears. In my limited time on this forum it seems to me that any non distributed (particularly by a site sponsor) item is by default dangerous and / or crap.
cheers

I personally would rather be all ears and listen to what people on here including site sponsors have to say rather than give yourself a 240v zap. Which from all accounts wouldn't be nice. Having a forum like this is handy for everyone looking for knowledge. Some may feel its there duty of care to inform others on what machines in this case roasters can be harmful and why. Instead of seeing people who have bought one and found out that its a dud to only them come on to a forum like this and complain. When maybe some simple research on there desired product in the first place would have help. The OP of this thread is doing the right thing by asking questions before buying.

Kind regards,

Chris

[TC]

....and if there has been an incident I'm all ears. In my limited time on this forum it seems to me that any non distributed (particularly by a site sponsor) item is by default dangerous and / or crap.
cheers

Live 240V within mm of a metal cover is plain dangerous- regardless of who distributes it or uses it. Plain and simple.