That Reg Barber ripple base sure is unique. What's the logic for it? Regarding the Versalab M3, I've owned one for a few years (one of the earliest made). It's been a champ. It dispenses perfectly clump free grinds in a nice, even mound. The mound has a depression in the center, like a volcano crate...

I've been to Marzoccoman's (aka Espresso Machine Contractors) in Seattle. I haven't bought anything from them at this point but they demo'd a machine for me. They look to me to be a legitimate business; I found them to be very helpful. Another company in Seattle I've dealt with is Visions Espresso. ...

I wonder about a couple things I read in this thread and would appreciate if anyone could clarify. 1. It was stated that an advantage of levers (other than the Achille) is lack of a dispersion block. Why is this an advantage? I would have thought that getting good dispersion of the water would be an...

I agree with Dan regarding Versalab. In my dealings with them I've found them to be honest and trustworthy, although also quite weak at setting dates! I do feel it's counterproductive to give a date when probably the date isn't known with some confidence. On the other hand, I imagine it's hard for a...

I own an M3. You can get a hopper for it that allows dosing measured amounts of beans into the grinder. So you don't have to manually feed shots if you get that option. (I haven't purchased the hopper as I dont' really need it). I find the grinder to be very quiet. In fact I know of no

Looking forward to your report on your upgraded M3. I have an M3 also, one of the early ones, and have been wondering if the upgrade gives noticeable improvements. I've had no problems with mine but you're right about needing to pour the beans in as it grinds. Darryl

Maybe check your burrs? Could be they are worn or damaged. Darryl

My experience with Versalab is same as Andy's. I have an M3 grinder and whenever I've needed anything they've taken care of me. I've had the grinder now for a couple years or so and haven't had any failures. Just did a few updates as they improved the unit. I haven't quite kept current with the late...

Here is another alternative for a portable brewer. It's advantage is that you just need a way to get hot water (such as a hot pot). I have no idea how well it works, though if the hand pump achieves a high enough pressure it would result in more of a true espresso extraction, versus a moka pot extra...

The advantages of the M3 are evenness of grind, ability to run consecutive shots with different beans with almost no grounds contamination, and small size. It was designed as a cupping grinder and serves that role really well. The Major would be a better choice for people who need to pull lots of sh...