I split a couple pages of follow-on discussion to Bezzera BB005 shipping problems in USA? including some rationale from 1st-line behind their decision not to carry this grinder. Consistent with the Public complaints about customer service in the Guidelines for productive online discussion, I ask that members who wish to pursue 1st-line's decision take their concerns directly to them. I've put this thread on cooldown to assure contributors to this thread have an opportunity to read this message. Thanks.

Got a kit (BZ007 PID and BB005) for my daughter and son in law, and some of the espressos I had at their place were very good.
Takes little place and looks nice, grinds are good and timer works well enough, however I'm not sure about the durability, as pictures show several plastic parts ...
Bezzera's site indicates 48mm burrs.

http://www.bezzera.it/index.php?option= ... 54&lang=en

as pictures show several plastic parts ...
...Bezzera's site indicates 48mm burrs.

yes, as is the burrs block, made of ABS perhaps;
however, I used to work a couple of weeks in a row, settings unchanged, without any sign of decalibration;
moreover, I used some printed markings, and after a complete machine cleaning with burrs unmounted, I always have returned at the same marking as before with exactly the same effects in grinding;

the plastic block and the burrs as measured:

I am almost set for a Bezzera BZ07, but the election of a grinder is driving me crazy because there are not so many options in Stockholm within the ~350 EUR limit.

I have found a Macap m2 (both M and D versions) and the BB005, similarly priced in my local shop. I am not so interested in timers and stuff like that but grind quality for espressos/lattes/cappuccinos.

The M2 looks nice and I have read some of the very few reviews around. My take is that the stepped size selector may be an issue and that some beans may require tuning the dial very close to the minimum. Otherwise it should not have much problem with cluster. Hopper is removable.

The BB005 looks much simpler but it seems to have an edge in grind quality (?). Clustering seems to be kept very low. My main concern is actually related to the hopper. Is it (easily) removable?

I appreciate the most your suggestions!

Cheers!

tunkejazz wrote:...The BB005 looks much simpler but it seems to have an edge in grind quality (?). ... My main concern is actually related to the hopper. Is it (easily) removable?

don't know M2, actually I've replaced BB005 with a Macap M7T900R (stepless, 900rpm);
but probably M2 is sturdier then BB005, which actually does count less in a home environment;
the burr casing on BB005 is some plastic (ABS);
with BB005 I would notice the motor power of 100W, which, combined with the burrs geometry, gives quite a different grind particle distribution (I suppose) for the same setting, depending of the bean hardness;
I used a while some Kenya Fancy AAA which gave me a grind with notably fewer fines (? or perhaps more 'boulders') and high extraction debit, so I had to spend some time dialing-in when switching beans...
on the other hand, the BB005 has 48(31) mm conical burrs vs. 50 mm flat ones at M2;

back to your question, yes, the hopper is user removable; that is, it has a bottom metal collar which is fixed with 2 screws, on the bean entry chamber, in fact, on the external adjustable burr;
for me, it was quite a problem to remove it as a daily routine, as I had a scale glued on the collar:


but I had no reason to do it: the machine have 4 Kilos and it was not a problem for me to empty the hopper after a 5-7 doubles session, by turning the grinder... bottom up as a daily routine
I used the machine on demand, as it had timer; the problem with the timer is not the precision, but the rudimentary possibilities of adjusting time with a rather poorly marked knob;
well, and there is a problem more: disassembling the machine cover implies some (elastic) deformation of it, to avoid breaking the potentiometer shaft (well, finally a did broke one...)

The way I see it the best features of BB005 is (1)the conical burrs, with larger grinding surface and superior grind; and (2) low price (around 260 euros). The bad news is that its not build like a commercial grinder (but which cost about 400% more and then some!). But then compare the average domestic needs (4 to 6 espressos a day) with the commercial demand of tens to hundreds drinks a day. Horses for courses, as they say.

Thank radudanutco and Ivor! The info is very useful.

At this point the M2D seems to have a more solid construction and things like removing the hopper are easier.
I just wonder if the quality of the grind is the same as with the BB005 (aka size homogeneity and lack of clumps).

The seller seems very inclined to sell the M2D though.

There is a very favorable review from a user of BB005 on a Dutch forum; if you don't read Dutch you can use Google translate. Apparently BB005 is pretty much immune to static electricity which is another positive.

http://www.thuisbarista.nl/forum/viewto ... f=2&t=2015

You cannot expect the quality of the grind to be the same from 50mm flat burrs and 48mm conicals - size and cutting surfaces are significantly different.

Ivor wrote:There is a very favorable review from a user of BB005 on a Dutch forum; if you don't read Dutch you can use Google translate. Apparently BB005 is pretty much immune to static electricity which is another positive.

http://www.thuisbarista.nl/forum/viewto ... f=2&t=2015

You cannot expect the quality of the grind to be the same from 50mm flat burrs and 48mm conicals - size and cutting surfaces are significantly different.

That is one of the few reviews that I had read!
Google translate does a decent job to understand almost everything

Sorry I am somewhat newbie to all this grinder tech, I guess you mean that the B005 should give better quality with the conical burrs, right?

Same opinion on BB005 is on the German forums, very positive. Conical burrs are thought to produce superior grind to flats, at least that's the current consensus.