Delivery time for Versalab M3 Grinder - Page 8

[mhoy]

Yes, this is exactly what I am thinking, instead of waiting for 6 months. I'll build one in 6 months. I'll start a separate thread soon.

Mark

[HB]

I added a washer between the drive wheel and shaft. Working again, though I get some screeching under load. A few beans at a time makes ordinary underlubricated mechanical noises. Perhaps the moving wiper is scraping the funnel.

Months of waiting comes to post-delivery shims? Screeching = bad = unplug it until corrected. I would not modify or tweak it in any way unless explicitly instructed by Versalab. You could offer to make a video and send it to them...

[mgrayson]

Months of waiting comes to post-delivery shims? Screeching = bad = unplug it until corrected. I would not modify or tweak it in any way unless explicitly instructed by Versalab. You could offer to make a video and send it to them...

I emailed Versalab last night. Their response today was to send me back my exact email without comment. No one else was CC'ed. Thinking this was an error, I responded again, but have heard nothing since. I called in the morning but no one answered. I am at a loss.

Surely a turntable manufacturer knows to remove a large platter that can put stress on a bearing during shipment. I know others have had good experience with their repairs, but I now have no confidence in the shipping process.

After such a perfect record of failure, I can put no faith in any assurances Versalab could possibly give. Even if they wanted to take full responsibility, what good is that to me now? The grinder seems to work with shim #2 in place. No blown fuses, no screeching. We will see.

[pdx]

How much did you pay for that thing? Be persistent- call until they work it out. When you start pulling it apart & redesigning it you're not helping your case for having the grinder fixed. You paid enough for it that it should work as designed.

[mgrayson]

I now know what the problem is. The main bearing is loose in the top plate. It is a pair of concentric cylinders. The inner one contacts the central drive shaft connecting the top large pulley wheel to the lower burr assembly and chute wiper. The outer cylinder of this bearing must be firmly attached to the top plate of the machine. This is the connection which has become loose (I assume in shipping). As beans grind, the pressure on the lower assembly pushes it down, dragging the main shaft, main bearing, and the upper pulley down, until the latter starts scraping against the top plate. This has the unpleasant side effect of ruining the grind!

As I cannot affix the main bearing without some advice from a more knowledgeable engineer (loctite? epoxy? cyanoacrylate? welding?), I will try to raise Versalab again.

Congratulations to those with a working machine. It seems a nice piece of kit.

[mgrayson]

BTW, the screeching was the wiper arm dropping down to contact the chute. That, and the fact that I couldn't screw the upper burr assembly down far enough to contact the lower burrs led me to examine the position of the main bearing. Once everything was back in place, the grinder operated quietly, but I can't use it till the bearing is properly immobilized.

I will certainly try to get it fixed. My wife has been wanting the counter space back for 6 months! (Big Macap for espresso, small Mazzer for decaf, smaller Baratza for drip).

[CoffeeOwl]

I must say that everytime I log on and see new posts in this thread, I'm scared to read them... and also, lately, after reading them, I'm getting sad. I have the lack of Versalab grinder listed on my equipment list. The design is unbeatable for home use. It works great.
But people, please... make the rest of your business at acceptable level. Still this matters, whatever genuine is the product. And it also defines selfrespect in a way.
Sincerely best wishes

[mgrayson]

I'm sorry if I have made you sad. Despite my earlier statements of anger and depression, I am still hoping that Versalab will respond helpfully and I will be able to post a glowing description of delicious espresso. Even if they do not, I believe that there are simple fixes to my grinders problem. This is a tribute to the beautiful and simple design of the M3.

Here is a picture of the area in question...


And a blow up...

[mgrayson]

Since I may (ok, certainly) have come across as hostile to Versalab, let me add that they ARE anxious to fix the problem and that I will be very happy to have my recent perceptions proved wrong. I would rather have a good grinder than the satisfaction of grumbling. (Is there a smiley for cautious optimism?)

Matt

[laservet]

Once the repairs are complete you will love the grinder. I was without mine for a week and had to use my Mazzer Mini, didn't realize how spoiled I was with the M3 until I felt the clumps from the MM thudding into the basket.

[CoffeeOwl]

...they ARE anxious to fix the problem...

Is there a smiley for cautious optimism?

goooood

[EspressoObsessed]

I thought I'd pipe in since I have done a considerable amount of grumbling on this thread. I've had a few days now to work on my grind. I have had no issues with the grinder itself which is functioning perfectly. My espresso results are quite impressive. Really, really yummy. Silky flows with beautiful mouthfeel. New flavor sensations cascading throughout my oral apparatus. I feel I may be on the edge of espresso nirvana.

I'd use an appropriate emoticon if I weren't too embarrassed: I like words better.

Mary

[laservet]

I will say, after the way UPS bashed my M3 on its way to me and then lost it on the way back to VL for repair, I gladly paid extra to have mine shipped FedEx 2 day. Cheap peace of mind.

[shadowfax]

Indeed, Fedex is a far superior carrier. I think that the best you can do with anything is pack it ridiculously well, insure it, and hope/pray for the best.

[mgrayson]

My experience with UPS has been pretty good. They will ship locally faster than required if possible, where I've seen FedEx leave the package in the local warehouse for an extra day so that you didn't get speed you didn't pay for.

[Psyd]

Indeed, Fedex is a far superior carrier. I think that the best you can do with anything is pack it ridiculously well, insure it, and hope/pray for the best.

Looking at those photos, I think that someone did some inadequate acceleration calculations before deciding how much padding and how much box was required for that machine. The fact that FedEx was still willing to cough up for that damage is a testament to their dedication. There was a punk band here in Tucson that named themselves UPS, and it really was indicative of what the shipper has become.
My grinder that suffered a similar fate was denied any claim by UPS, and they shipped it back to the shipper without consulting us as to what the end destination SHOULD be after the investigation.

Needless to say, for me to get it the shipper now has to pay AGAIN to get it to me. Insult to injury, I say.
As to keeping a box in the warehouse, I'd much prefer accuracy over speed in any case. If it comes the day I expect it, and in one piece, I'm happier than parts and pieces rattling around in a box that arrived two days early. I'd rather they took their time and got it right!

[mgrayson]

If it were a choice of broken and fast vs. slower and intact, there would be no discussion. I have very seldom had damage from either shipper, and the M3 came in two perfectly packed and intact boxes. Versalab thinks it was insufficient adhesive and they will glue the bearing in again.

[shadowfax]

Looking at those photos, I think that someone did some inadequate acceleration calculations before deciding how much padding and how much box was required for that machine. The fact that FedEx was still willing to cough up for that damage is a testament to their dedication. There was a punk band here in Tucson that named themselves UPS, and it really was indicative of what the shipper has become.
My grinder that suffered a similar fate was denied any claim by UPS, and they shipped it back to the shipper without consulting us as to what the end destination SHOULD be after the investigation.
<image>
Needless to say, for me to get it the shipper now has to pay AGAIN to get it to me. Insult to injury, I say.
As to keeping a box in the warehouse, I'd much prefer accuracy over speed in any case. If it comes the day I expect it, and in one piece, I'm happier than parts and pieces rattling around in a box that arrived two days early. I'd rather they took their time and got it right!

Don't think ANY better of FedEx. You're just presuming about my case. In my case, FedEx ALSO required being sent back the machine for evaluation, and at the end REQUIRED it be returned to the seller, and also REFUSED to pay the insurance on the machine. My seller, class act that he was, refunded me the money on the ASSUMPTION that they would not be some-kind-of-holes about it and denied his claim. He had to threaten to sue them (I wrote an affadavit about their crappy job of shipping) to get them to pay out. It was an ORDEAL. There is no one righteous in this industry, there is only luck and diligence on your part and the seller's.

[Psyd]

there is only luck and diligence on your part and the seller's.

I guess that I've been diligent, and lucky with FedEx, then! I'm a pretty good packer, having been packing trucks with electronics and delicate scenery and props, not to mention film and grip equipment, for most of my career.
I'm sorry that the FedEx thing was an ordeal, but I do understand. Just got off the phone with Paypal after my bank got involved with that Rocky fiasco. I just assumed (yep, that does it every time!) that "And FedEx paid for it" on the pic site meant that they covered it, not that they had to be coerced by stuff like, you know, morality, ethics, and lawyers.
Good to know, good to know.

[shadowfax]

I think very highly of myself as a packer as well. I just shipped out my Mazzer Mini this week to a guy in CA via UPS. I got it insured for more than the selling price, and I packed it like a mad man--original packaging + well overstuffed. I will be darn impressed if they manage to screw it up.

That pic above, is that representative of how the Rocky was shipped? Crap, man, that looks like that was asking to get it broken!