Older Elektra MXPC Grinder

[buzzmc]

All,

As some of you have seen I've bought a new VBM DoubleDomo... and while having some growing pains learning the new machine, I'm now questioning this grinder... It's fairly unknown I think around here, and it's hard to find specs for. It's a beast though, and it fits my eye well - But if it won't work well enough then what's the point?

Anyone with info on it please let me know.

Now for my results that make me question it's effectiveness... I have it dialed in to where I can grind and tamp firmly, and generally get "ok" results, but the pours are still fairly fast (20 secondish), and have no striping most of the time.

*ONE* click finer with the same tamp: Choked machine. If I do a light tamp it turns into more like a 40-60 second pull.

Two clicks, forget about it. Choked.

This holds true for my Andreja Premium as well as the new VBM.

It's obviously not a stepless... But I would have guessed that it was/is more than capable. When I got it from the seller he had more burr sets for it and I recently installed a different set, and that's producing the same results as well... Though I have no reason to believe any of the burr sets are new.

[buzzmc]

[HB]

It looks like a rebadged Macap grinder, the burr size would offer another clue to its true provenance. If it's a used grinder and you're unsure of the burr wear, check them. Their edges should feel sharp, not rounded over. That said, it's not that unusual to have only 3 useful "espresso zone stops" for a particular coffee. There's various tricks you can play to tweak the timing if you're between increments (e.g., increase/decrease the dose, grind half the dose at one setting and half the dose at another), but I'd start by confirming the burrs are in good shape.

[buzzmc]

Burr size: 2.75 inches, which converts to 69.85mm.

Maybe my idea of tamping hard isn't that hard... Not sure... But I've never had 3 useful stops from what I can tell.. Right now dialed in, with a firm tamp I get 20-25 seconds. Maybe if I put all my weight in it I could stretch that. One click and I have to almost not tamp to get any useful flow. 2 clicks and I think there's nothing I could do, short of not tamping at all.

All three burr sets I have do not feel rounded at all.

[HB]

Burr size: 2.75 inches, which converts to 69.85mm.

Hmm-m, not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things, but the closest modern Macap with that burr size is the MX at 65mm.

Maybe my idea of tamping hard isn't that hard... Not sure... But I've never had 3 useful stops from what I can tell.

For the Macap M4 that I evaluated, the increments between each adjustment correlated to approximately six seconds of pour time. That means there's only one setting that "works" for a given coffee, but there's three or four useful stops for all coffees you might use. The section Incremental or Stepless Adjustment? offers some barista techniques for tweaking the effective grind setting (e.g., mid-tamp, increase/decrease dose).

[stefano65]

I would do a deep cleaning and feel the burrs; they sound like they should be replaced.

[carton]

I've a chance to buy an Elektra MXPC. Have you any success getting replacement burrs for it?