morgan_greywolf Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2009 Posts: 155 Location: Hudson, FL Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: PID'd Hamilton-Beach Grinder: Infinity, Zassenhaus Vac Pot: I was told they suck. :-) Drip: AeroPress Roaster: Cattle Dog Roasters
Posted Thu May 7, 2009, 5:29am Subject: Re: Just got myself a Mazzer Mestre!
FWIU, Mazzer only uses AC motors, no DC motors^. Many, many AC motors are designed to work on either 110V or 220V, and probably just as many will work with a wide range of voltages. This is very common. It will simply spin a bit faster on a 110V than 220V.
^In general, AC motors deliver more torque than DC motors, but have a longer "windup" time unless you do what coffee grinder manufacturers (and others) do and use a start capacitor.
Posted Thu May 7, 2009, 9:27am Subject: Re: Just got myself a Mazzer Mestre!
tasseloff Said:
I am surprised though if someone asked about that detail, usually questions like these are posted on the page for everyone to see? Or am I mistaken? I haven't bought that often on ebay but usually as soon as I sent a question to the seller it would appear on the page.
When a seller receives a question on an item via ebay's messaging system and replies they are given the option to have the answer appended to the listing or not. It does not happen automatically. I get plenty of questions on my ebay listings that either aren't about that specific item or are such obscure questions that it does to make sense to clutter the listing with the information. If it's crucial information then my tendency is to revise the text of the listing itself but that's strictly personal choice.
tasseloff Senior Member Joined: 18 Jan 2009 Posts: 229 Location: Sherbrooke, Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Thu May 7, 2009, 10:00am Subject: Re: Just got myself a Mazzer Mestre!
morgan_greywolf Said:
FWIU, Mazzer only uses AC motors, no DC motors^. Many, many AC motors are designed to work on either 110V or 220V, and probably just as many will work with a wide range of voltages. This is very common. It will simply spin a bit faster on a 110V than 220V.
^In general, AC motors deliver more torque than DC motors, but have a longer "windup" time unless you do what coffee grinder manufacturers (and others) do and use a start capacitor.
I see! So this brings up some clarification. I guess it explains then why even though its 220v it runs on 110v! Or so I'm told, it hasn't arrived yet, probably by the end of next week. Thanks for the info :)
tasseloff Senior Member Joined: 18 Jan 2009 Posts: 229 Location: Sherbrooke, Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Thu May 7, 2009, 10:02am Subject: Re: Just got myself a Mazzer Mestre!
phaelon56 Said:
When a seller receives a question on an item via ebay's messaging system and replies they are given the option to have the answer appended to the listing or not. It does not happen automatically. I get plenty of questions on my ebay listings that either aren't about that specific item or are such obscure questions that it does to make sense to clutter the listing with the information. If it's crucial information then my tendency is to revise the text of the listing itself but that's strictly personal choice.
Ok, I didn't know that, never actually sold anything on ebay! But I had noticed that every time I asked a question to a seller, it was posted. I guess my questions were just always very good! ;-)
Laral Senior Member Joined: 7 May 2009 Posts: 22 Expertise: Just starting
Posted Thu May 7, 2009, 11:21pm Subject: Re: Just got myself a Mazzer Mestre!
I was semi interested in this too so I messaged the seller 3 days before auction end. It took me 3 tries before he answered. His response to my third message was that he didn't receive my first two messages, the ones I sent him by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link. O-o-o-K. He told me the hopper was the only thing missing, he tried it and it worked, he was selling it on consignment and wasn't the owner, he couldn't provide any photos of the label because he couldn't get to the machine before auction end the next day, and "the watts" were not "marked". He didn't answer my questions as to whether the original hopper was barrel shaped or conical, how old the machine was, was it heavily used in a commercial setting, had he recently ground any coffee in it, how worn the burrs were, what power rating was on the label -- questions that any interested buyer SHOULD ask and information that any reputable seller would probably include in the listing in the first place. I had told him in my second message (that he didn't get), that there was no such model as a Mestre, that Mestre was the location of the manufacturer's headquarters at one time (it is now in Venice). He never updated his listing to reflect this. All this from a seller that has almost 4,000 feedback entries and a 100% positive feedback score for the last 12 months. BTW he did have some negatives and neutrals in the past including one that said he refused to leave positive feedback unless the buyer did and one that he had failed to disclose obvious breakage and would not accept a return on the item in question. He also responded to one negative by calling the buyer a "LIAR!!" and saying that another dissatisfied buyer needed to see an optometrist. So I thought, hmmmm, this could be anything from a Mini to a Major or even a Robur, is an obsolete model (compare photos to ones of current machines), needs a $50+ hopper, almost certainly needs a new $50+ set of burrs, and who knows what else, is of unknown provenance and unknown usage history, the seller seems rather evasive with his answers and insults buyers who give him negative feedback. No, I think I'll pass. I had been looking for a used grinder on craigslist and eBay for the last 2-3 weeks and consistently saw lesser machines than Mazzers with cracks in the hopper, missing parts, obviously worn burrs, dirty, chipped paint, etc. go for $300+ including shipping. And that's not to mention the bidding frenzy. A new Mazzer Mini goes for $559+ online so I wouldn't pay more than $300 total for a used machine in excellent condition with very little use. I finally bit the bullet and got a new-in-factory-sealed-box Mazzer Major Auto 110v 60Hz for $500 on craigslist. Please use this as a reference point when considering future purchases. The seller had bought a palette of them at auction and they went fast. I got the second last one and he sold the last one for $400 (darn!). I tested it and it works perfectly. I hate to burst anyone's bubble or to sound arrogant or snobbish and I am not trying to gloat but I think people should know -- bidding up the price of questionable-at-best equipment doesn't benefit anyone but the seller. Buyer beware and be smart. The final price you pay depends on what you and others are willing to pay. Don't be willing to pay a premium price for a poor-to-mediocre offering. And don't allow any emotion to govern your bidding. Decide the maximum you are willing to pay including shipping and don't be influenced at all by the bidding frenzy. Just enter your maximum as a proxy bid and forget it. Either you win or you don't win. You never lose. I hope it all turns out well for the winner in this case. I don't mean to be discouraging but I think all should learn from this.
tasseloff Senior Member Joined: 18 Jan 2009 Posts: 229 Location: Sherbrooke, Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Fri May 8, 2009, 3:39pm Subject: Re: Just got myself a Mazzer Mestre!
Well, this is all very interesting! I guess this ebay auction drew interest from a lot of people! I have to say I fully agree with most of what you just said. I certainly didn't ask as many questions to the seller as I should have, although I usually do, this time I kinda skipped that part! I think part of that reason is that I really wasn't expecting to win that auction. I first saw it and then quickly searched for what "model" was a Mazzer Mestre! I stumbled upon that HB page which I posted in my first posts, which said clearly that it was a Mazzer Major. I stopped my search there... Based on that fact I figured, a Mazzer Major, that'll go probably for at LEAST 375, even with the hopper missing etc.. But I thought I'd bid on it anyway with my limit at 276, you know, just in case ;) Surprise, I won!!
So yeah then of course I learned about it being in fact a Super Jolly...And THEN, that it was a 220v (even though using a standard 3 prong plug). However after much more careful searching and some helpful posts here I learned that it was probably quite fine on 110v, that which the seller confirmed to me.
He told me in his answer that I could, without a problem, decline the auction that he would refund me the money if I wanted so. I actually choose to go on with it as I figured I had been searching for a LONG time already for a grinder, and even though this was far from a STEAL, it was an alright price (I personally think anyway..). One thing you have to know is that being in Canada, I don't see all that many grinders for sale here, I would say i've been on the lookout since January and haven't seen much really. I've put a bid here and there, seen a grinder or two on kijiji or craigstlist, but rarely anything interesting. So im pretty sure finding a deal, or actually just a decently priced used Mazzer or other known brand grinder might not be possible without a lot of luck.
So in all, I don't think I've been really duped by that sell. As I said, I had an option to opt out of it and still decided to go on with the transaction, but I did make some mistakes initially when assuming the grinder was a Major, and then by not asking enough info to the seller before bidding.
The seller indeed seems sketchy now that you say you contacted him as well. In his answer to my questions about answering someone concerning the 220v question, he said no one asked such a question. It is a bit weird...
Hopefully when it gets here I won't be disappointed, but if it runs fine then I'm a happy man.
Its indeed rare these days to get any crazy deals from Ebay...
philosogeek Senior Member Joined: 21 Sep 2007 Posts: 448 Location: Northborough, MA Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Livia 90 Semi-Auto Grinder: Mazzer SJ, Maestro Vac Pot: Yama 8 and 3 cup Drip: Pour over, Clever coffee... Roaster: Behmor
Posted Fri May 8, 2009, 7:17pm Subject: Re: Just got myself a Mazzer Mestre!
I wouldn't sweat the other auction....but do stop looking at them!!!
haha, really though, ebay is hit or miss and (unfortunately) you've got to wait a bit to see what yours is. I think you'll be happy with your SJ, it's a really fantastic grinder.
Laral Senior Member Joined: 7 May 2009 Posts: 22 Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sat May 9, 2009, 10:01am Subject: Re: Just got myself a Mazzer Mestre!
> that I really wasn't expecting to win that auction. I first saw it and then quickly searched for what "model" was a Mazzer Mestre! I stumbled upon that HB page which > I posted in my first posts, which said clearly that it was a Mazzer Major. I stopped my search there... Based on that fact I figured, a Mazzer Major, that'll go
You should tell the moderator your story and ask to remove that post.
> So yeah then of course I learned about it being in fact a Super Jolly...And THEN, that it was a 220v (even though using a standard 3 prong plug). However after much
How do you know it is a Super Jolly? Did you ask? It seems everyone here is just assuming it is, similar to how that guy assumed the Mestre was a Major. I'd ask if I were you. But he won't know I'm sure. The measurements don't match anything current so it's difficult.
> I figured I had been searching for a LONG time already for a grinder, and even though this was far from a STEAL, it was an alright price (I personally think > anyway..). One thing you have to know is that being in Canada, I don't see all that many grinders for sale here, I would say i've been on the lookout since January > and haven't seen much really. I've put a bid here and there, seen a grinder or two on kijiji or craigstlist, but rarely anything interesting. So im pretty sure > finding a deal, or actually just a decently priced used Mazzer or other known brand grinder might not be possible without a lot of luck.
I understand perfectly. I was in a small town once that had no craigslist and there were very few coffee shops. You were desperate. I kinda felt the same way about finding a decent used machine for a reasonable price. I didn't want to spend more than $300 but I needed the grinder ASAP for my still uninstalled coffee machine.
> The seller indeed seems sketchy now that you say you contacted him as well. In his answer to my questions about answering someone concerning the 220v question, he > said no one asked such a question. It is a bit weird...
I din't even think to ask that. I didn't see any 220s at the Mazzer site other than 50Hz European versions.
> Hopefully when it gets here I won't be disappointed, but if it runs fine then I'm a happy man. > > Its indeed rare these days to get any crazy deals from Ebay...
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