I got up early this morning and unpacked my brand spanking new K30 Vario. At first blush I thought it looked like it was built along the lines of an NFL tackle, or guard, vs. the normally taller conicals I've owned.

I opened up the manual and proceeded with the setup and basic adjustments, which were a breeze. Next on the agenda was to adjust the grind to pull 2oz's in ~ 27 seconds, while keeping any eye on the color. For the beans I'm using that produces, most of the time , a cup that my wife and I really like. That took me all of ~ 5 minutes and 4 pulls, which set a new record in that regard.

What I like so far:

1. Based on my previous experience the K30 is faster than fast.
2. Setup and adjustments were extremely easy.
3. It produced very fluffy grinds, without a lot of fines.
4. The size is nice, especially if you have limited headroom.
5. The adjustment collar isn't going anyplace when your grinding.
6. IMHO, this grinder feels and looks like it's designed to last several lifetimes.
7. Mine is the newest version, which addressed the clumping problem.
8. It produces a neat pile, without any grinds flying all over the place; which is most likely a direct result of # 7.

What I didn't like so far:

1. In my dd the biggest complaint about this grinder that I found is the retention of grinds and after taking a good look at it layout, I can see that's a valid concern.
2. The inability to get a brush up the spout to where the grinds are, see #1.
3. The price was a bit more than I was looking to spend.

If you're interested in a photo of my new setup click on Post a pic of your home espresso setup...

Keith

Of all the grinders I've owned, I think the K30 is probably my favourite to actually use. Compared to the big conicals, the shots flow visibly very differently (blonde sooner) and taste different. I guess that's a matter of personal preference, but most seem to prefer conical. Some time I am going to spend a whole afternoon with the K30 beside a 68mm conical and just pull a bunch of shots.

Im really not sure if I've ever had a shot run 25+ seconds that wasnt' blonding like hell on my K30V. But it's dead quiet, easy to dial in taste wise, and fast.

I haven't had the K30V all that long but I thought I'd post some random thoughts:

I think the reason that so many of us are enamored with the larger conicals is due in large part to Jim's excellent "Titan Grinder Project". As Jim discovered in his comparisons, there are a number of large conical that come extremely close to, or beat, the Robur without having it's corresponding price tag. The interest in this comparison was tremendous and I can well understand why as a fair number of those grinders are simply outstanding.

If anyone thinks that I'm going to be able to come up with a clear winner of a K30V vs. the K10 shootout, I can tell you upfront that that's not going to be the case; nor am I even going to attempt it. However, having said that, it's my opinion that if you prefer to single dose the K10 is a clear winner; due in large part to the K30's, imho, excessive grind retention.

As to a comparison of the grinders:

1. Both produce extremely fluffy grinds and in a blind comparison I'd have difficulty telling which pile went with which grinder.

2. Taste wise I can tell there's a difference but each has its own attributes and once you finish dialing in each grinder, both offer an excellent shot.

3. Price wise there is an ~ $100 difference, which in this price range makes it a dead heat.

There are avid proponents of each of these grinders and that's rightfully so because both are excellent.

I know I'm sounding more and more like a politician by not taking a firm stand but if I could only own one grinder, so far I'd call it a dead heat; unless you're single dose die in the wool aficionado.

BTW, I sold my Conico to an extremely knowledgeable individual who currently owns a K30. Hopefully he'll be willing to offer his observations, after he receives it and has a couple of days to set it up properly.

Keith

Keith,
Thanks for sharing with us your opinion on the grinder. Did you measure how much retention the k30 Vario retains?I had a false impression that it would be more or less similar to B Vario(very low retention ~0.2g) in term of retention, guess I was wrong.

joatmon wrote:Keith, Good observations. BTW, I bought your Conico, so that extremely knowledgeable individual is out of luck.Jack

LOL, good one Jack!!! Maybe I should contact those 11 bidder and 36 watchers on eBay and let them know who spoiled their chances of owning a Pristine Conico

Sam, I haven't measured the grind retention of the K30 but I've run across several posts that indicate that it's close to 8-10 grams, which I believe. That wouldn't be a problem/wastage if you could only get a brush up the chute far enough but that's simply not the case. So my morning ritual is to run 10 grams though it to get rid of the stale grinds and if I was using $$$'s beans, I'd load them into my K10 and not my K30.

FYI, if the K30 didn't retain that many grinds I'd have to say, at least at this time, that it would be my # 1 grinder of choice.

Just an observation that I had regarding single dossing.

If you like to grind different beans, on a regular basis, single dossing is the only way to go. Otherwise, I can't think of any other reason(s) that don't have acceptable "workarounds"

TomC wrote:But it's dead quiet, easy to dial in taste wise, and fast.

Tom, +1

Keith

Dodger1 wrote:...I think the reason that so many of us are enamored with the larger conicals is due in large part to Jim's excellent "Titan Grinder Project". As Jim discovered in his comparisons, there are a number of large conical that come extremely close to, or beat, the Robur without having it's corresponding price tag.

Speaking of allegedly knowledgeable persons... I have owned the doser Kony from the Titan Grinder project for just over three years now. It replaced the Rocky I had used for about 6½ years. The comparison between those two is hardly worth making. On all factors that come to mind, the Kony makes the Rocky look like a toy. I can sum up the Kony simply by stating that I don't see myself ever replacing it. Heck.. I don't even think I will ever have to replace the burrs! About the only negative thing is that it is not designed for home, let alone, single-dosing, so mods have to be accomplished to keep from wasting a lot of coffee.

I think the Kony is a great grinder and for the life of me I simply can't understand why it isn't more popular.

Maybe it's due to its price point, which puts head to head with a number of excellent grinders. It might also have something to do with its 350 watt motor, which some view as being too low, but you certainly don't need a lot of watts to grind some beans @ 500 RPM.

I don't know if Mazzer considers the Kony as a home grinder, or a commercial, nor do I know if that motor would be prone to overheating, in a busy commercial operation. But I do know that the Robur is considered a commercial grinder, with a 900 watt motor, which seemingly could grind beans all day long without a hint overheating.

In any event, you've got yourself what I consider to be one of the best grinders on the market and it's going to last you forever and a day.

Now if you could only offer me some mods for my new K30 to keep it from wasting a fair amount of beans, I'd be in your debt.