Best 1lb electric roaster below $2000?

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
bmralex
Posts: 27
Joined: 7 years ago

#1: Post by bmralex »

Folks,
I need your recommendation on the best 1 lb / 500g electric roaster below 2000USD. HT option is great but it may be too small for the coffee drinkers in our household. What can you recommend? Did anybody hear about DY500g model from Dongyi Machinery?
http://cncoffeeroaster.en.alibaba.com/p ... _500G.html

Thanks for your help

Gaius
Posts: 182
Joined: 9 years ago

#2: Post by Gaius »

Have you found any videos of this roaster in action?

Also interested in electric roaster, is in general with good quality of roaster result the same as with the gas one or not really?

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hankua
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#3: Post by hankua »

When people talk about the "best", what does that really mean? Do all the different aspects of ownership qualify or is it the one closest to a professional version?

If value, widespread users group, reliability, etc. are the metrics then the Behmor has to come in 1st place. But the Behmor doesn't data log or have enough knobs to turn; then what?

The DY locomotive electric would be an option if some impartial reviews could be found, or maybe try messaging with them. Another new electric on the scene is the Mercury, maxing out at 400g. They're in the middle of the second production run, most of the first went to Asian customers who infrequently post on HB. Jumping up in price are the Bullet and Mill City 500g, 1K more than target.

The Bullet does have HB member owners and a separate forum; it's new and may be ironing out a few wrinkles in production. Could also end up being the case with the Mercury, one should expect some teething pains from a new company.

The Mill City 500g although relatively new, has been in production for a year or so in the gas version, the electric one ought to be just a power train swap out. Those questions are just a phone call away, to they're customers delight along with an owners forum.

Roasting 500g with 120v electric has been a huge challenge, only the Bullet with induction has been able to overcome the limitations. Running a 220v line is most likely going to be necessary to use most 1lb electric roasters.

On the value question, many HB members have commented the high purchase price became less of a concern one or two years later. Professional level coffee roasters were designed to be used daily, and thats not what hobbyists are generally doing; extending the life expectancy for who know how long. I don't see a big difference between 2k and 3k, if one is able to scrape up the money or wait a little longer for it to accumulate.

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aecletec
Posts: 1997
Joined: 13 years ago

#4: Post by aecletec »

Does the homemade Stir Crazy (or KKTO variant) work well on 120v? If you're a little handy, it's very capable, most claim over 1lb capacity and easy to use due to thermostats and good visiblity.

Charlene
Posts: 494
Joined: 7 years ago

#5: Post by Charlene »

Gaius wrote:Have you found any videos of this roaster in action?

Also interested in electric roaster, is in general with good quality of roaster result the same as with the gas one or not really?
Found this on their website...

bmralex (original poster)
Posts: 27
Joined: 7 years ago

#6: Post by bmralex (original poster) »

The salesperson of DY500g was unable to provide me with any verifiable references on their device.
Dongyi company claims that their design is based on Taiwanese locomotive ET-300 and military manufacturing quality, but I doubt this.
Mercury looks promising, but not much information available, seems that they are still prototyping their product.
Most likely, the best option for a small 1lb+ electrical roaster seems to be saving money for Bullet R1 or running multiple back-to-back batches on a Hottop.

Charlene
Posts: 494
Joined: 7 years ago

#7: Post by Charlene »

Though its list price is $2650 USD, if you are going electric, the Bullet R1 bean roaster is worth looking into.
I could be talked out of gas and the Huky after what I've seen and read about it so far.

bmralex (original poster)
Posts: 27
Joined: 7 years ago

#8: Post by bmralex (original poster) »

Yes, R1 seems to be a solid machine. They do not have distributors in the US, so with the shipping from Taiwan the roaster will cost just under 3k, but it will probably worth it. Thanks a lot!