Baratza Virtuoso repair or something else?

#1: Post by **imabeasttt** » June 4th, 2014, 10:44 pm

I'm currently in the market for a grinder, as I'm getting pretty tired of grinding by hand (Hario Skerton) making 6+ cups of espresso a day. I'm leaning towards the Baratza Virtuoso, which I found locally used through Craigslist. I was wondering, what are some of the common problems you can encounter with the Virtuoso? Are the repair parts cheap and the labor do-able? I'm fairly decent at repair work (I've done some on my Gaggia Classic) so I dont mind doing the labor. I'm looking for something with a pretty cheap budget ($125 or so) and wondering if there are any other options worth the money instead, as I've seen the Gaggia MDF, Baratza Encore, and others cheap/used as well. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

#2: Post by **Randy G.** » June 5th, 2014, 9:38 am

Virtuoso is easy to work on and Baratza customer service is un-excelled.

#3: Post by **turtle** » June 5th, 2014, 10:17 am

The Baratza grinders are child's play to repair and the parts are very reasonable.

The most common part that gets broken is the adjustment mech. They cost $5 so get a couple if you find you need one.

https://www.baratza.com/cgi-bin/commerc ... egory=PDVT

If you can pick up a Virtuoso for $125 (or less) it is a nice grinder for pour over, drip, press, vacuum, or moka pot.

If you are looking for an espresso grinder, keep looking as this model will not be suitable for making fine espresso as the steps are too far apart to "dial in" a decent grind (personal opinion only)

#4: Post by **Nate42** » June 5th, 2014, 10:32 am

You should probably step up to preciso if you want to use it for espresso. Virtuoso and Preciso (same burrs) are both great for brewing purposes, and although I don't like it nearly as much as my Pharos for espresso, the preciso is a capable espresso grinder and considerably more adjustable than the virtuoso.

June 5th, 2014, 12:03 pm

ahh so the virtuoso is no good for espresso dialing in. Does anyone have any experience with the MDF?

June 5th, 2014, 4:00 pm

MDF is poor for espresso as well as it has large steps, it's a finicky grinder any way. The Preciso is Baratza entry level espresso grinder. Nothing in your price range that will work for espresso, your better off turning the Skerton step-less since it's steps are wide too (search on coffeegeek for mods and steps to do so) and then save up for a refurbed Preciso etc

You can get the Virtuoso but your going to lack being able to dial in espresso, you'll be forced to compensate with dose changes daily up and down to get a good extraction. But you may not notice a difference anyway as the Skerton isn't good for espresso (I have a Hario as well) unless modded to be stepless. Out of what you mentioned, the Virtuoso would be the best of what you've found, but if you can save up for a Preciso you'll be way happier (might even snag a refurb, they update refurbs on their site every thursday)