Mirrored Stainless Steel - (Easy to dirty, hard to clean) Won't hold some pressurized portafilters Bean Hopper doesn't Lock in Very Oily Beans Lag Feeding
Detailed Commentary
After the first couple of weeks with my Starbucks Barista as my espresso grinder I just got fed up, and was ready to upgrade. I looked at a ton of options ranging from the Nemox Lux to the Rocky, but this model just seemed like it sported so much more for the price, and it really met that expectation. At first I was a bit confused, I was moving the knob nearly halfway and I didn't get any coarser.. it took me far too long to realize that you have to turn the knob around to get results, as soon as I realized that I was dialing in my machine and blend and man was the difference huge. For the first time I could really consistently get a sweet tasting espresso (black cat).
I'm very happy with my purchase, I was expecting to regret not getting a Rocky or another one in the range but I paid about $150 less and I got a very customizable grind. My only negative aspects are minor. My main gripe is the mirrored stainless steel, if you have it in the corner without much direct light on it, it looks fine and professional but in direct light it really can get dirty fast with just finger prints, I'm a bit anal about those kind of things, a lot of you might not give a damn. If you have a pressurized portafilter with a large bottom you might have issues getting it under, so you'll probably have to take the basket out, not a huge deal for me because I later upgraded to get a bottomless. Another minor thing is the bean hopper doesn't really lock in, and it's fairly easy to knock over.. I rarely put a ton of beans in so it doesn't make a mess but if you are someone who fills your hopper up, be very careful of knocking it. On the bright side however it does make removing the hopper very easy, and it's extremely compact for travel.
Overall it's an amazing grind with some minor design issues that are easily ignorable with how great this grinder is. If you are looking for a great grinder for under $300 there really isn't a better option.
Buying Experience
I originally used a fast shipping code for 1stline but I realized I'd rather have slower free shipping and 10% off to bring it to $215. I called, they switched it immediately. Customer service was easy and nice to talk to, and I ended up getting the grinder fast anyway with the free UPS shipping on it.
