I can get a Macap M4 shipped to my home for approx. 350 € for Italy and from a vendor I've bought stuff from before, very fast shipping and overall a pleasure to deal with. They also have the MX, for 440 € shipped.
But now I've found a german vendor that sells the Mazzer Super Jolly for approx. 450 €, but there might be additional fees such as shipping from this vendor. They are also a known vendor, and being German I don't have any fears in giving them my money.

So, now it comes down to if the Mazzer is better than the Macap MX, and are these worth the extra money over the cheaper M4? All of these grinders have dosers btw.

I don't have any experience with the MX but I currently own both the M4 & the Super Jolly. The SJ is a definite step up from the M4 & thats an excellent price for the SJ compared to what we pay over here ($775).

The Macap MXK and Mazzer Super Jolly were part of the Titan Grinder Project. Below are my off-the-cuff thoughts on them. I'll focus on the Jolly and MXK; while the Macap M4 is a fine grinder, it simply isn't in the same class as the other two.

I was quite impressed by the MXK. Despite extruding coffee boulder grounds, it was oh-so-easy to dial in wonderful extractions, which really had me scratching my head about the conventional wisdom that clumps are bad, period. I still haven't figured out the bad vs. benign clump mystery posed by the MXK. The Macap doesn't have the rock solid feel the Mazzers are known for. On the other hand, the Macap's doser has good handle action and sweeps cleaner. It's thwack, thwack, thwack was really loud and sharp; I received complaints about it from my wife and kids! The Jolly is one of my favorite grinders. I hemmed and hawed over which grinders to keep for future equipment tests and the Macap MXK was on my shortlist. In the end I went with the Robur (high-end), Jolly (middle), and kept my old Mini (low-end).

PS: I read the last sentence above with a small sense of self-amusement. When did the Mazzer Mini get demoted to a "low-end" grinder?

Dan (and Sebastian for that matter), can you guys clarify for me if you're talking about the MX (65 mm flat burr grinder) or the MXK[R] (63 mm conical grinder reviewed in the TGP)? You sounded to me above like you might have confused the two.

Sebastian, if you are considering the Super Jolly, I would not get the M4. It is a fine espresso grinder, and I have enjoyed many a shot from it, but the Super Jolly is noticeably superior in speed and consistency, and probably cup quality (though I haven't had them head to head). My point is, the Super Jolly means less need to stir, less sink shots, and more fun. If you're comparing the MX to the SJ, I would say it's probably mostly an aesthetic question, with the SJ being the "safe" bet inasmuch as there are a TON of people that know and love them; less so with the MX. If you're considering the MXK[R] that Dan is talking about above, then his advice is much more relevant than my own--the Super Jolly vs. MXK[R] is much more Apples to Oranges, something you'll want to read more about on the Titan Grinder Project Thread.

Thanks Nicholas, you're right, I was thinking about the MX[K]. Macap grinder naming confusion explains what the various letters mean, e.g., K= conical, R = stepless.

It was the MX I was thinking about, the MXK is in a whole other ballpark, the cheapest, non-stepless, is around 850 € shipped.

What I was most interested in is the price difference, ergo, is the 100€-150€ extra for the SJ worth it compared to the M4, and should I get the MX over the SJ since it's at least 10€ + [whatever the shipping on the SJ is from Germany] cheaper. Taking into account what has already been said, I'm starting to think that I shouldn't even consider the M4

HB wrote:PS: I read the last sentence above with a small sense of self-amusement. When did the Mazzer Mini get demoted to a "low-end" grinder?

When a certain bunch of internet "sickos" decided to "dump" Mazzer Minis in favor of used Mazzer SJ's (the new "minimum standard," apparently!), Mazzer Roburs, Cimbali MaxHybrids, Mahlkönig K30's, and Compak K10's . . .

And considering I have two of those four -- oysh!

Cheers,
Jason