I should be receiving my used Major any day now. So I cannot comment on its performance yet but I will soon.

The main reason, I believe, that SJ are more popular is because there are 50 of them for each Major on the used market. They are also a bit more counter friendly.

Should you be in the Montreal region, you are welcome in for hands on experimentation on the Major!

I have a Mazzer Major for almost half a year now. Up until now, I have tried quite a few grinders (Vario, Super Jolly, Capresso Infinity, Pharos, Preciso, Armin Trosser) and I actually think Mazzer major is the best grinder I've ever used. If I could only have one grinder, it would be my first choice, hands down. The only grinder that I wish I have tried are electronic titan conical grinders like K10, but I like my Major enough that I am not even tempted to 'upgrade' or start looking for one (Pharos did help to curb that curiosity).

As for Major, it grinds very quickly (probably too fast, I wish there's a way to slow it down), low ground retention if you single dose (0.2g+- using doser), and the taste, in my opinion, is just fantastic! It has been able to give me shots that send me to heaven repeatedly,from time to time, by bringing the best out from the beans. The rest of the time is probably just the Mano factor but hey, it's still very good! It might not get as much rave as titan conicals or Super Jolly, but I suspect that's because as mentioned, the availability was not as abundant as the others.

Grind consistency? You bet! Repeatability probably isn't that perfect if you go back and forth, but once you're dialed, it's excellent. For home use?It's a little huge and heavy, but if you don't use the hopper, it's totally acceptable. The doser, just like any other Mazzer, isn't sweeping very clean. So you need to do some minor mod to improve that. A doserless would be perfect, but it seems that it can't do it without channeling, at least with my ghetto doserless funnel(will have to revisit that). The build quality is the bomb here. Nothing even comes close. If you can score one used, definitely go for it!

Randy G. wrote:<cue deep bass line from jaws... "Duuhhh Duh...">
Then DO NOT play with a Kony or Robur! Besides the ability of these behemoths to bring out some subtle, dare I say, hidden flavors, the benefit I have experienced is that they allow for a wider, useable range of adjustment to taste. That is compared to the Rocky, anyway.

Deep inside I definitely wants to play with the titans. But the rationale part of me knows that as a student, it's not plausible, at least for now, and they don't come used and cheap like Mazzers do. And I know Pharos albeit having a titan conical burrs, MAY not be the real thing itself. But it does come REALLY close, if not better/worse, to the titan electrical counterpart, from other experienced users anyway. And lastly, I think with decent grinders like Major, you would get much more substantial improvement with better beans, machines and skills(the next limiting factors).

It probably boils down to individual taste profile preference anyhow. And this was from my experience. I tried both and I think they are equally good but a little different. If I have to choose one, it's definitely the Major because of my preference, no doubt. There could be a possibility that I am not using my Pharos to its potential? I always had this worry that not every grinder is created equal, some is better than the other even of the same model/brand. Anyhow, I digressed. The point I am trying to make is the Major is definitely a very capable grinder. I don't think anyone would be upset by its performance except for its humongous size.

A Major can sometimes be found at the $400-500 easily and even less sometimes. For that price, I think it's a way much better bang for the buck than a new Vario. Plus, they will last longer than a brand new Vario if not abused.