D4F Senior Member Joined: 15 Mar 2012 Posts: 1,198 Location: USA Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Gaggia Classic PID Grinder: Preciso
Posted Fri Feb 15, 2013, 10:11am Subject: Re: preciso woes
Try a phone call and ask if they can help you. What have you got to lose? Seems like those who do not like the grinder have still noted great service. They can tell from the number if it is the old gearbox, and just might help you out.
redkiosk Senior Member Joined: 13 May 2012 Posts: 156 Location: Chicago Metro Area Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Illy Francis-Francis X1 Grinder: Baratza Preciso w/ Esatto... Vac Pot: Someday, very intriguing Drip: Bunn Trifecta MB Roaster: A sure path to divorce!
Posted Fri Feb 15, 2013, 10:39am Subject: Re: preciso woes
My Preciso w/Esatto is just under a year old. Baratza replaced my grinder after one month because it fell within the group that did not have the adjustment ring glued down. Since then, absolutely no problems at all. It's used only for my Trifecta MB, so any grind adjustments are minor. I do clean the grinder throughly after every change of coffee (12-24 oz), removing the top burr and inspecting plastic parts for wear or cracks. Besides following the rule for adjusting grind only while grinding or empty, I use this grinder as it should be, multiple times every day. For the price, what it does and how well it does it, I can't complain. Take care!
Jim
The pathologically precise are annoying, but right!
pilot25 Senior Member Joined: 7 Jan 2012 Posts: 93 Location: MD
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia Grinder: Preciso
Posted Tue Feb 19, 2013, 1:24pm Subject: Re: preciso woes
Conteur,
Baratza knows the gearbox was a POS. They have readily replaced ones out of warranty. I would call them and they probably will send you a referb or at least a new gearbox you can install. I talked to the designer of the Preciso and he lamented over the gearbox choice in the original design.
Definitely. I grind for espresso, so minimal changes to the gearbox. Others like pilot25 who moves the gearbox from coarse to fine frequently experience issues. So the Preciso works well for most but those who vary grinds greatly will probably experience a higher failure rate.
Dave Harley rider, Espresso drinker, Primo XL grill
Madurodave Senior Member Joined: 3 Feb 2012 Posts: 141 Location: NH Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia Grinder: Baratza Virtuoso Preciso Vac Pot: Yama 5 cup Drip: Mr Coffee, perculator Roaster: HotTop B, West Bend Air...
Posted Tue Feb 19, 2013, 1:48pm Subject: Re: preciso woes
conteur Said:
I can only second everything being said here. I own a Preciso, and even though it is over a year old it hasn't been used that much. The gearbox is shot. I brew mostly pour over and an occasional espresso. The gearbox failed without doing a lot of adjustment. I just wish I had used the machine more often so that it would have failed in the warranty period. What a piece of crap! I'll just chalk it up to a $300 lesson/mistake.
JimOD Senior Member Joined: 24 Jun 2012 Posts: 31 Location: Orange, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Saeco Aroma Non Pressurized Grinder: Baratza Preciso with Esatto Drip: Bunn NHBX-B
Posted Tue Feb 19, 2013, 4:32pm Subject: Re: preciso woes
Henry Ford began with the Model A. Each successive model was the next letter in the alphabet. He finally delivered a premium product with the Model T. I'm sure many buyers of models A through S wish Ford had simply begun with the Model T, but it doesn't work that way. He required field use by customers to supply accurate feedback. He required time for he and his engineers to digest the feedback and try solutions. Although each model, beginning with the Model A, was Ford's best effort at the time, there is no substitute for actual customer use.
Baratza is trying to deliver a precision product to a discriminating market for about half the price of comparable products. I'm happy they are. My first Preciso with the older gear box delivered a consistently good espresso grind for six months, allowing a beginner like me to start learning about espresso on a tight budget. After six months, when the machine failed, they delivered a new one to me with the upgraded gear box within four days of my original email.
Beginners don't want to blindly invest $1000+ in a new hobby/endeavor. They need a grinder that allows them to begin exploring the world of espresso at an investment level that makes sense. I applaud Baratza for taking the slings and arrows of addressing this market.
If my new Preciso eventually fails, and Baratza tells me their current Preciso will last for years, I'll buy another Preciso. If the Preciso is still only lasting a year or two, I'll buy a Vario, but I'm sticking with Baratza.
conteur Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2007 Posts: 9 Location: Florida Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La Pavoni Europicola, Bruni... Grinder: Various hand mills Roaster: Heat gun and dog bowl.
Posted Tue Mar 12, 2013, 5:46am Subject: Re: preciso woes
Here is a follow-up to my complaint about my Preciso. Apparently my original complaint submission to Baratza Support got lost in their system. After posting here I resubmitted the complaint and received an immediate response from Pierce Jens. They supplied me with replacement parts and detailed (youtube) instructions as to how to replace the damaged gears at no cost. They asked if I could perform the repair myself, or if I thought I needed to return the product to them. I opted to do the repair myself, and I am glad that I did. I now feel I have a more intimate understanding of the grinder and it's inner workings. I still think that it is unfortunate that a defectively designed product was released for distribution, but I will have to say that Baratza's customer service is outstanding. Bravo Baratza.
IMAWriter Senior Member Joined: 4 Jul 2002 Posts: 5,464 Location: Brentwood, TN Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Nothing at the moment Grinder: Vario-W,Preciso-Esatto/KyM... Vac Pot: Adcraft SS, Yama 8 cup Drip: Brazen.Chemex, Hario, Clever... Roaster: Behmor 1600, CO/UFO combo
Posted Tue Mar 12, 2013, 8:47pm Subject: Re: preciso woes
conteur Said:
Here is a follow-up to my complaint about my Preciso. Apparently my original complaint submission to Baratza Support got lost in their system. After posting here I resubmitted the complaint and received an immediate response from Pierce Jens. They supplied me with replacement parts and detailed (youtube) instructions as to how to replace the damaged gears at no cost. They asked if I could perform the repair myself, or if I thought I needed to return the product to them. I opted to do the repair myself, and I am glad that I did. I now feel I have a more intimate understanding of the grinder and it's inner workings. I still think that it is unfortunate that a defectively designed product was released for distribution, but I will have to say that Baratza's customer service is outstanding. Bravo Baratza.
I believe the phrase "defectively designed" is a bit harsh, and perhaps unrealistic. Please allow me to explain. How many bugs are there in nearly every release of a new OS for Windows and Mac? Let me count the ways. Same with nearly every piece of music software I install. Invention often comes with some growing pains.
That said, as you correctly and considerately noted, when a company backs their product as does Baratza (and thankfully some other companies as well) the consumer wins, even if it's a bit of a struggle occasionally.
What's cool is that YOU were treated with the respect you deserved, and you've got the grinder doing it's job as you've hoped it would.
Posted Wed Mar 13, 2013, 6:37am Subject: Re: preciso woes
IMAWriter Said:
I believe the phrase "defectively designed" is a bit harsh, and perhaps unrealistic. Please allow me to explain. How many bugs are there in nearly every release of a new OS for Windows and Mac? Let me count the ways. Same with nearly every piece of music software I install. Invention often comes with some growing pains.
That said, as you correctly and considerately noted, when a company backs their product as does Baratza (and thankfully some other companies as well) the consumer wins, even if it's a bit of a struggle occasionally.
What's cool is that YOU were treated with the respect you deserved, and you've got the grinder doing it's job as you've hoped it would.
also you have to remember that Baratza designed their grinders to be user servicable all parts are easily replaced/repared by the end user with use of helpful guides and videos on the Baratza site.
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