That therm with pc interface is a good deal I think. I checked around here. so that roaster HUKI will come to around 1600. plus possible tariff.

FYI: I think you'll pay an 8% sales tax on any import over $100 (¥10,000) here in Japan.

If you want to work off of experiences of others then the Huky is probably the way to go. No doubt about that.
If you want a system with variable speed fan control then I don't think the Huky has that; point to the Kaldi. Not sure how necessary it is though.
Huky has a great burner option so you don't have to worry about your initial setup there - you just need the propane tank.

Huky is well reviewed and seems to be a reliable machine. There's a great user base to lean on for help too.

I personally want the active fan setup, so I'm leaning toward the Kaldi. I already have a stove with needle valve and gas flow meter that I can use with either roaster, although that Huky stove is better than mine.

Either one of these machines should work well for you.

How much is the Kaldi with the chaff collector including shipping? It looks like a step up from the Huky. If the chaff collector/bean cooler requires the same switching as the original Huky I'd rather have just the chaff collector and rig up a home make cooler.

If you go in with DanoM and purchase the same machines, it would be an advantage in several ways.

The next step up in roasters is @$1800-$1900 FOB China, and you would have to contact them for an exact price. That does not include shipping, broker fees, duty, and taxes or the aspect of "due dillegance" on the buyer's part.

With the Huky US customers have been able to avoid duty and taxes generally, maybe because it's for personal use?

hankua wrote:How much is the Kaldi with the chaff collector including shipping? It looks like a step up from the Huky. If the chaff collector/bean cooler requires the same switching as the original Huky I'd rather have just the chaff collector and rig up a home make cooler.

The Kaldi, solid drum, data logger dual probe thermometer, chaff collector/cooler unit is currently US$1694. Shipping would be an estimated additional US$100 for all via EMS.
That does not include a stove though...

via http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/deta ... =904931232

These re so close in price I want to go with whichever one is the better overall. maybe I should take votes.. or draw straws lol..

Thnks!

JWStarr wrote:The Bullet doesn't seem like enough increase in capacity to double my cost...

What the Bullet will give you is a complete unit which is small and light enough to be easily moveable. Has only 2 parts (roaster and cooling tray), unlike the jumble of miscellaneous bits which is the Huky. It is very easy to use; the chaff collector works - no need for external cyclones! Comes with sensors built in and control and logging software available free - no need for extra boxes for ADCs or miscellaneous trailing wires.

I have had no issues with mine, although I'm not a high volume user. Most of the problems that have been mentioned on the Facebook page have been fairly easy to correct and seem to have been early QC problems.

The only real shortcomings seem to be that the first iteration of the chaff filter clogged easily, so had to be cleaned every roast or two. That has been modified with a larger filter so should be improved. The other issue is that the IR drum temperature sensor window needs to be cleaned fairly often and it seems that the device needs a significant amount of dis-assembly to get to the window.

DanoM wrote:FYI: I think you'll pay an 8% sales tax on any import over $100 (¥10,000) here in Japan.

If you want to work off of experiences of others then the Huky is probably the way to go. No doubt about that.
If you want a system with variable speed fan control then I don't think the Huky has that; point to the Kaldi. Not sure how necessary it is though.
Huky has a great burner option so you don't have to worry about your initial setup there - you just need the propane tank.

Huky is well reviewed and seems to be a reliable machine. There's a great user base to lean on for help too.

I personally want the active fan setup, so I'm leaning toward the Kaldi. I already have a stove with needle valve and gas flow meter that I can use with either roaster, although that Huky stove is better than mine.

Either one of these machines should work well for you.

Hey Thanks for all of the info from everyone. I've decided I'm never drinking coffee again so I don't need a roaster... haha/ Nonono .. The only downside on the Kaldi seems to be the IR stove is missing. In the product pic they seem to be using a standard tabletop conro-burner... I haven't yet found IR stove here. Y'all think the variable speed fan is a big item?? otherwise it sounds like the Huki with the trimmings is a solid investment.. The bullet seems like a mid step between a small roaster like the huky and a more full scale one.. almost double the investment, so I'm holding on that... I would look at those chinese machines Hankua mentioned but am not sure where to start... So I'm interested in any finishing remarks.. right now I'm like 50% Huky 49% Kaldi 1% other stuff I may not have encountered yet ... thanks!

Add one of these between the socket and your fan and ....viola: variable speed fan.
https://www.amazon.com/Speedster-Variab ... B000HQAVNI

With either the Huky or Kaldi you'll have a better roaster than over 50% of the self-roasting cafes in Japan. I have friends that still hand crank all their beans and sell that... definitely an artisanal product.

That Huky IR stove is pretty nice I think, and perhaps almost a necessity? If you plan to be roasting as a business a propane stove like that is hard to beat. Having a meter on your gas will definitely help in dialing in and repeating your roasting. Not sure I can emphasize enough that a good metered stove is important to your successful roasting. I think you can buy just the stove from Mr. Li if you decided to go for the Kaldi though.

I'll *probably* be going for the Kaldi Fortis solid-drum in the coming months. I already have my own gas flow metering that I use for disposable butane stove canisters and a modified camp stove (13K BTU) that should be sufficient to start with, although should that prove a problem I'll probably look for a stove from Mr. Li.

Hi Dan,

Not to hijack this thread but do you care to share your gas flow metering and stove mods? I'm using a cheap ass gas stove with disp butane cans too and it sure cranks out a lot of heat but I'm finding it difficult to control the flow (cooling effect of the expanding gas is high, the pressure probably fluctuates a lot over the time volume decreases etc)