kuoyen wrote: I was thinking about K30 but still want a conical grinder as I feel the flavor of the beans that I like from conical burr is indeed more complex/layers than flat burrs (I could be wrong because I concluded this only based on testing five kinds of espresso blends with Max Hybrid vs. Jr.)

The CMH (I'm a former owner) only uses conical burrs for the initial rough grind. The critical grinding is on flat burrs.

[Update edit] Conical burrs have many fans and are certainly the favorites in the barista competitions (and the shops they represent). But, Pete Licata used a K30 to win the Southwest Regional Barista Championship, and used it again to win the USBC yesterday. So, as they say, "YMMV."

Fast grinders feel more silent too. It's too short to become really annoying. My PeDe had a good deal more 'aural impact' than the Faema MC. The PeDe's sound stopped after a minute or so. The Faema stops after a couple of secs.

I think it would be hard to find a grinder quieter than the K30. Unnecessary noise grates on me but there are tradeoffs and noise offensiveness is different for each person. The speed of the K30 makes it one of the most pleasant grinders for the home. I have been using a ProM for a couple of weeks and the grind quality, IMHO is better than the K30 but the noise and the slow speed makes it less pleasant to use. The grind quality and speed of my Macap M7D is much better but the noise is not as muted as the K30. If the M7D had been slow it would have been out of here a long time ago. I guess you have to weigh the importance of grind quality and for that the conical rules in my opinion. I doubt there is a high volume market for a grinder that meets the needs of a single dosing home barista. All of these behemoths are overkills for 4-5 cups a day but it's all we've got. The Pharos with a variable speed motor might do the trick....hmmm!

Marshall wrote:The CMH (I'm a former owner) only uses conical burrs for the initial rough grind. The critical grinding is on flat burrs.

Thanks a lot for your quick feedback. Can I assume that the "pure/real" conical burrs do make the flavor difference even more noticeable?

Marshall wrote:[Update edit] Conical burrs have many fans and are certainly the favorites in the barista competitions (and the shops they represent). But, Pete Licata used a K30 to win the Southwest Regional Barista Championship, and used it again to win the USBC yesterday. So, as they say, "YMMV."

I never doubt the quality and flavor from any of these good grinders no matter it's conical or flat burr, and I would love love to try any of them if I have the chance. As I mentioned, I can only make the judgment with the limited resources I have and below is what I experienced for your reference. Again, it's based on pure personal preference.

CCC Aficionado - more layers of flavor with better/longer after taste from CHM
CCC Tascono - Stronger and more noticeable chocolate flavor and sweetness from C Jr.
Klatch Belle - Stronger and more noticeable chocolate flavor and sweetness from C Jr.
Black Cat Classic - Not much difference I can tell between CHM and C Jr.
Hair Blend - Though the flavor is lighter/brighter than CCC Aficionado, the flavor is more distinct with more layers from CHM

I personally like Aficionado and Hair Blend more than the other three and that's why I am more leaning toward to conical grinders. Otherwise, from the usability perspective, K30 and Pro-M would be my top two choice.

I did some search on this forum. Many discussion about shot quality between K-10 and K30. Can anyone tell me how loud/quiet these two compared with each other?

Give the $200 price difference between K30 and Pro-M now, if I were to buy one of them, would you recommend go for K30?

Thanks again!