Okay, I'm in for Silvia... how about Solis Maestro grinder?

[pinch]

remember me? I'm the impulsive newbie who asked for advice, then agreed to buy a used Rio Profi Combo without waiting to actually *hear* the advice, hehe. I'm happy to say that my wife talked me into spending the money (yeah, I'm pretty lucky), and getting something that was certain to be non-abominational for my new passion. A few hundred kilometres from me is a brand new Rancilio Silvia stamped "pinch" and she'll be enroute shortly. So knowing that I'll be using a Silvia exclusively, I've chosen to mate her with a Solis Maestro grinder. I know the Rocky's the benchmark, but GreenBeanery.com is selling the Maestro for $119 CDN, as opposed to $400 for the Rocky. Given that I'm green in the palate and hand, and working exclusively with a Silvia, anyone want to talk me out of the Maestro? Swear to God, this time I'll listen Whoo-hoo! Bring on the crema!

pinch

[malachi]

to quote a famous coffee pundit, "the espresso machine is just an accessory for the grinder"

saving money on your grinder is just going to result in frustration and extra money spent

[pinch]

I was afraid you were going to say that. It seems there are some Maestro fans out there, or maybe there WERE, I don't know. I hear what you're saying though....

[HB]

Many times I've been tempted to reply "It's the grinder, stupid." However, since my Rancilio Silvia review comments seem to parallel your current trajectory, I'll instead point to its errily relevant Parting Shot:

Don't skimp on the grinder. I initially paired Silvia with the Solis Maestro. It is a capable grinder for drip coffee and a good price-to-performance value. However, frustrated by inconsistencies in my pours, I later upgraded to the Rancilio Rocky. Rocky doesn't have the "float" it its settings like Maestro, thanks to Rocky's top burr being set in a threaded brass cylinder; in contrast, Maestro's rides atop a nylon bushing. Like Silvia, Rocky is also a heavy, solid performer (approximately 25 and 15 lbs, respectively).

Escape while you can, it only gets (financially) worse from here.

[miKe mcKoffee]

remember me? I'm the impulsive newbie who asked for advice, then agreed to buy a used Rio Profi Combo without waiting to actually *hear* the advice, hehe. I'm happy to say that my wife talked me into spending the money (yeah, I'm pretty lucky), and getting something that was certain to be non-abominational for my new passion. A few hundred kilometres from me is a brand new Rancilio Silvia stamped "pinch" and she'll be enroute shortly. So knowing that I'll be using a Silvia exclusively, I've chosen to mate her with a Solis Maestro grinder. I know the Rocky's the benchmark, but GreenBeanery.com is selling the Maestro for $119 CDN, as opposed to $400 for the Rocky. Given that I'm green in the palate and hand, and working exclusively with a Silvia, anyone want to talk me out of the Maestro? Swear to God, this time I'll listen Whoo-hoo!!! Bring on the crema!

pinch

I've owned a Solis Mulino (model before Maestro) and then the Maestro. Maestro is a very decent grinder, unless you use it for espresso grinding. Problem is with the cheap burr carrier design. It allows too much play which results in intermittent burr clash fine grinding for espresso. Expect the burrs to last a few months at best espresso grinding. Oh, and only the upper burr is user replaceable so just throw the whole thing in the garbage. Two year time frame and 4 grinders later I finally "bit the bullet" and bought a Rocky. (that was 3 years ago.) I spent as much combined on the 4 POC grinders as I finally did for Rocky so could have bought TWO Rocky's Or a Mazzer or Cimbali Jr with money left over for lots coffee greens! Oh, I use Rocky for all grinding French Press to Turkish, for the heck of it replaced the burrs a couple weeks ago. Noticed an improvement with less than 3yrs wear on the burrs (albeit relatively heavy use )

[S Roger]

Also a newbie.

Ebay has refurbished/reconditioned Rockies for around $230. Best I could tell these were mostly machines people had returned within 30 days.

Good luck.

[MichaelinA2]

Forget the Rocky!!

Get a Mazzer (or better) grinder and don't look back.
You will not be disappointed...

[cannonfodder]

The Mazzer is a better grinder, but if you only have the funds for the Rocky it will do the job. Having said that, I personally would recommend saving for another month and get the Mazzer Mini, you won't be sorry.

[bpkengor]

Macap M4 is another credible choice, probably similar quality to the Mazzer Mini.