Pharos or used Bunn for pourover and French press?

by **AlecMoody** on Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:05 pm

I'm looking for the best grinder in the ~$200 range for pour over and french press. Will a Bunn do a good press grind in addition to doing a good drip grind? If I go with the Bunn I plan to convert it to stepless with the option of later swapping in Ditting burrs. Thoughts?

by **samuellaw178** on Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:35 pm

I am pretty intrigued and would want to know the answer too. But I don't think there's anyone here who had gotten both a Pharos and also a Bunn grinder. Pharos owners praises how it improves the press grind quality but I wonder how well does it compare to a bulk grinder like Bunn. :roll:

http://users.rcn.com/erics/ · by **erics** on Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:54 pm

I know nothing about either of these grinders other than what I've read but it has all been deservedly good, especially for Mr. Pharos.

What I would think about is the expected duty cycle. Doing a drip grind for a party of six with a Bunn is a "walk in the park" whereas the same task with a Pharos is, well, a little exercise. And then there's the opposite situation where the Pharos would really shine.

by **cannonfodder** on Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:25 am

The Pharos uses the Mazzer Robur burr set, so the grind should be the same as that from a Robur. I used a Robur for a while, did not like the press/drip coffee I got from it. I have a Bunn bulk grinder but you will be hard pressed to get one for sub $200. I bid on dozens of them before I got a low ball price I could live with. The replacement burrs for the Bunn are $200, keep that in mind. $400 and you can get a new grinder that does not need torn down and cleaned. I have also never used the Pharos specifically, but have used the burr set.

by **Boldjava** on Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:36 am

The Pharos uses the Mazzer Robur burr set, so the grind should be the same ...

Espresso Parts lists the Robur burr set at 71 or 83mm, while OE suggests 68mm.

http://www.espressoparts.com/MAZ_129
http://www.espressoparts.com/MAZ_128
http://www.orphanespresso.com/OE-PHAROS..._3977.html

Probably just a difference in what part of the diameter is being measured?

B|Java

by **samuellaw178** on Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:29 am

orphanespresso wrote:The burr: Slowrain, you asked a very good question and we talked it over and can not come up with any logical reason to not be transparent about the whole thing. The 68mm conical burr set fits a Rossi commercial grinder.

Pharos manual grinder by Orphan Espresso

From these I am guessing that Pharos probably uses a slightly smaller conical burr than Robur. Not the exact same burr as Robur but close enough. Burr design is probably one of the factors in the equation, but I am wondering will hand cranking speed vs motor speed produce a slightly different ground profile?(Ahh, so many questions without an answer). If so, there is a possibility that Mazzer Robur drip might not be as good as hand crank Pharos (could also be the other way round).

by **jammin** on Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:45 am

I've lost track of who I pirated these photos from, but they are a comparison of Robur & Nino Burrs. The Nino is listed as a 68mm.

edit: Shadowfax posted these photos: Poor Grinder Burr Manufacturer QC

by **hankua** on Fri Aug 05, 2011 11:04 am

I've got both the Pharos and the Bunn FPG. The Bunn with the adjustment screw underneath is not convenient to change, mine stays on 8. The Pharos grinds coarse and medium very well, but going from espresso to drip every day would be challenging. The upper hopper on the Pharos is small, so if your grinding for one or two servings it would be OK. The Bunn G1 with the front adjustment would be my vote for going back and forth between french press and drip, chemex, and drip machines.

by **samuellaw178** on Fri Aug 05, 2011 11:15 am

hankua wrote:I've got both the Pharos and the Bunn FPG. The Bunn with the adjustment screw underneath is not convenient to change, mine stays on 8. The Pharos grinds coarse and medium very well, but going from espresso to drip every day would be challenging. The upper hopper on the Pharos is small, so if your grinding for one or two servings it would be OK. The Bunn G1 with the front adjustment would be my vote for going back and forth between french press and drip, chemex, and drip machines.

hankua, that's very nice to hear. Have you tried comparing french press/drip/other brewing for both of them by any chance?Would it be a stretch to say Bunn is a step-up from Pharos in term of cup quality(In press of course)?

I am asking from a view that convenience isn't exactly what I look for, but the ultimate quality in the cup.

by **Ben Z.** on Fri Aug 05, 2011 11:38 am

cannonfodder wrote:The Pharos uses the Mazzer Robur burr set, so the grind should be the same as that from a Robur. I used a Robur for a while, did not like the press/drip coffee I got from it. I have a Bunn bulk grinder but you will be hard pressed to get one for sub $200. I bided on dozens of them before I got a low ball price I could live with. The replacement burrs for the Bunn are $200, keep that in mind. $400 and you can get a new grinder that does not need torn down and cleaned. I have also never used the Pharos specifically, but have used the burr set.

Keep an eye on craigslist. Just picked up a brand new Bunn LPG for $100. Not kidding. It was on craigslist for 2 weeks, so I figured it was gone, but it was still available. Moving from a hobart or major to the LPG for drip was the best improvement ever made in my coffee. Better than rocky to super jolly, better than SJ to major, better than silvia to elektra, better than presto drip machine to my Bunn VPR. Maybe someday I'll try the ditting burrs, but my drip is finally how I thought it should be.


Contact Us	Legal disclaimer and copyright: This content and all its parts are copyrighted, all rights reserved. Content including all text and images in part or in whole may not be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission. Home-Barista, Home-Barista.com and related logos are trademarks of Home-Barista.com, LLC. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. By accessing this site, you agree to the terms of service. Overall speed: , current page: s, avg: s, max: s