my rocky is getting old in the proverbial tooth. i bought it off a coffeegeek member probably 7 years ago, and it was used at that time. time to upgrade, don't ya think.
i have my debit card poised at 2 options: the preciso and the pharos. want to keep my obsession under $300.00. my heart says pharos; my brain says preciso. the grinder will be paired with an isomac tea which is working great, thanks to chriscoffee.
thanks for your thoughts
rob

Pharos will win on grind quality no contest. It all depends on how much convenience means to you. Are you making a lot of shots per day? Then Preciso. Making one or two shots a day and not in a rush? Take the Pharos! It all depends on your usage pattern and how much you are willing to trade ease of use for superior espresso quality.

You've been replacing the Rocky burrs periodically, right?

thanks for getting back to me.

i have not replaced the burrs in the rocky.

i make 2 or 3 espressos per day. two for me and something milk based for my partner.

being mindful is what i find appealing about the pharos. i get up around 6:00 a.m. the isomac is on a timer. at 6:01 i am having my first espresso. the taking the time to grind the beans and being aware of what i am doing i find peaceful-as you say, something zen about it

You should really replace the burrs in your Rocky. They aren't known to last very long. That alone should make a big difference in your shots. New Rocky burrs and a Pharos, now that covers all your bases!

Pharos= Manual Compak K10
People love the K10 on this forum. It produces a very consistent grind that tastes good in espresso. Apparently, Conical burrs present flavors that differ from flat burrs. Conicals are usually sweeter while flats present a more chocolate taste in espresso. I haven't really compared both types of burrs as I don't have the money to have more than one grinder.

IMO, I'd get the preciso for convenience. You'd have to also take note how much time you devote to making espresso in the morning. I picked an electric since I have to wake up at 6 ish in the morning to prepare for my 7 am class(I start tomorrow, yuck).

Anyways, you'd be happy with either decision. It's just the convenience factor you have to take into account.

Hand grinding and dosing takes a lot more effort than does electric grinding. I can say this with confidence having hand-ground 3-5 espressos every day the past 10 years. It probably amounts to 3-4 minutes extra time per shot. If you are the kind of person that wants to spend that extra time making espresso hand grinding is very rewarding. Also, at least with my old-style hand grinders, there is almost no waste. If you already feel like making, cleaning up, and maintenance takes too much time, you may not enjoy hand grinding.

The only time I feel limited with hand grinding is when I have guests. Otherwise I find it far more satisfying than listening to the whine of an electric motor.

PC

what my choice appears to come down to: the convenience of the baratza vs the perhaps better, and, ahem, more hands on, grind of the pharos
if only money were no object....
can we do a poll? if one only could buy one or the other, which would it be. the rule is no more expensive. has to be $300 or less

You claim hand grinding is not a problem then it's the Pharos. Larger burrs, top quality grinds, more sturdy coupled with a simple easy to maintain design.

The Pharos is the fastest hand grinder I have ever used but if you have arthritis or very weak arms and hands it would be best to pass.

I see the Pharos as a total no nonsense top quality precision poor man's tool that will do the job just as well or better than some of the most frills filled expensive quality grinders out there provided the users knows what he is doing.

I have a Pharos and was considering a K-10 for $1400.00 due to wanting to keep a Conical grinder!!!

Well just ran thru 13 17 gram shots with my home roasted beans dialing in the pharos.

Results were better than I ever expected, I roasted some of the Monkey blend espresso last week and now setting the grinder for a 25 second double shot was a great learning experiance.

used a bottomless portafilter with a 18 gram VST basket on my Cimbali M21 , I could not be happier.

so back to the Grinder , if anything I will order another pharos to motorize it !!!

There great grinders that will last you a lifetime!!!!!!!