Baratza Sette Micro Adjust drifting while grinding

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
stherric
Posts: 68
Joined: 8 years ago

#1: Post by stherric »

As the title state, my Baratza Sette micro adjust ring drifts significantly while grinding a dose. It tends to drift coarser, but will also vibrate finer if allowed to run long enough. I've struggled to produce great espresso so far and have resorted to taping the ring down to the upper macro adjust while grinding a dose. Ive installed the shims, but am still experiencing the drift. Has anyone had a similar experience?

mivok
Posts: 10
Joined: 7 years ago

#2: Post by mivok »

I had the same issue, but thankfully there's an easy fix, and Baratza even has it as the second FAQ on their site at http://www.baratza.com/sette/:
Are you seeing your micro adjust move towards coarse when grinding? wrote:If you notice your micro adjustment ring moving toward the coarse direction you can correct this by simply tightening the three screws on the bottom of the adjusting ring. To do this, remove the adjusting ring and burr and turn it over to see the screws, tighten the screws up a little (maybe a 1/16 of a turn) and re-install the adjustment ring/burr and you should be fine. Do not over tighten the screws or you risk stripping the threads.
Hopefully that should fix it for you. It did for me.

Tbone87
Posts: 3
Joined: 7 years ago

#3: Post by Tbone87 »

I'm having this issue as well, I performed their fix, and noticed that some of the screws were loose, however I'm still getting the a lot of drift when grinding. It probably moves a whole letter step in 2 or 3 doses (5 sec each). Each screw is torqued down pretty well, and I feel tightening any more might cause the screws to strip. I wonder if this fix has been working for most people. I emailed baratza, and am awaiting a response.

mivok
Posts: 10
Joined: 7 years ago

#4: Post by mivok »

After posting that, I noticed that it does still drift a little, but only when grinding on empty (I single dose and set the timer for slightly longer than required to empty the hopper). Interestingly in my case it always seems to drift towards the fine end and not the coarse.

Tbone87
Posts: 3
Joined: 7 years ago

#5: Post by Tbone87 »

That's odd you say that. I seem to have no movement at all when grinding on empty, however, it is consistently going towards the course side when grinding beans. I think that it's a kick back from the burrs and grinding mechanism that was pushing it toward the course side. I do also notice that the adjustment ring does not move smoothly for me. It seems to be tighter in the middle of the settings, and feels looser towards either ends, not sure if that's related. It's a really nice grinder, but might be going back... :cry:

stherric (original poster)
Posts: 68
Joined: 8 years ago

#6: Post by stherric (original poster) replying to Tbone87 »

After installing the shims and tightening the screws mine is still drifting which really concerns me. That coupled with the fact I can't seem to make tasty espresso with it undermines my confidence. I hope it's just a faulty unit and it can be easily fixed by baratza.

Tbone87
Posts: 3
Joined: 7 years ago

#7: Post by Tbone87 »

They just got back to me. Apparently they're aware of the issue and it's due to a manufacturing tolerance. They are pursuing a fix which will take an undetermined amount of time to send out. Sounds like quality control is not a thing at baratza. Did anyone actually receive one that works properly??

Sam
Posts: 74
Joined: 17 years ago

#8: Post by Sam replying to Tbone87 »

FWIW, I've had absolutely no problems with my 270. No drift, just some initial static until the burrs were broken in. I'd probably just use painter's or gaffer's tape until they got the fix ready. I'm not big on aesthetics, though :)