REVIEW REVISION!...
Below you can read my original review, but this is a brief revision that includes lowering my ratings of this grinder after having more time with it.
I really wanted to like the Pro-Line, especially because it was a gift from my wife. Luckily, she supports my "habit" and could tell I was not happy about certain aspects of the KA's operation. The bean hang-up is well documented, and a real issue that I, and others, have made KitchenAid aware of.
Also, I noticed that the consistency of the grind was not good, and included quite a bit of dust that became sludge in my Vac-Pot. But the resulting coffee was acceptable, so I carried on. Then, a Krups Moka Brew became my weekday coffee apparatus, and the post-brew grinds showed just how inconsistent the KA results were. Chunks of coffee in amidst the finer and average (desireable) grind.
My wife was very understanding when I asked if I could return it. Oh well...
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Right away, the Pro-Line grinder (which was given to me as an early, and only!, Christimas present) has made my life easier. It passes the WAF, or wife acceptance factor, and thus can stay on the counter when not in use. It is attractive. And very well made. The grind seems to be quite consistent, though I do notice some "sludge" on the top of the spent coffee with my vac-pot. No choking or stalling, so no complaints. It's quieter than the old Krups Il Barista, though not as quiet as the Zassenhaus ;-) . And, static build-up is not an issue. Also, the glass hopper and ground coffee container are top-shelf dishwasher safe - a nice extra.
That's the good; now for the not-so-good:
As noted by another reviewer, not all the beans make it out of the hopper without a little help. I use a wooden chopstick to knock the hangers-on down the chute. But, the chute is another issue. Namely, the chute is not vertical, rather, there is a little "shelf" on which beans can be found after gravity, and my chopstick, have done their thing. A firm shake of the grinder may knock these off, but I'd be concerned about the ground coffee container coming out of position. The chopstick does an adequate job of clearing out these areas. I could leave the beans there, but now that I'm hooked on "good" coffee, a little extra effort is worth it... That is, I'd rather not let these last beans wait around until tomorrow's grind.
I'm just not sure what the point is with this "shelf". Seems a completely vertical chute would have been ideal. |
