I've used a Rocky for 14 years. When they came out with the doserless I converted mine. A couple moths ago I was having severe channeling problems, and all the searches I did basically said the Rocky grinder was one of my main problems. Well, I picked up a used Fiorenzato Doge grinder off Craig's list. I installed a new set of burrs and made a few modifications to it and started using it. I was still having my channeling and on top of that, it took another several days just to get learn the new grinder.

Now that I've gotten my channeling problem worked out, I tried my Rocky again. Yes, there is a totally different grind. The Doge is huge compared to the Rocky. The Doge makes a tall fluffy pile in the porta filter, the Rocky makes a dense, low mass in the porta filter. The Doge will grind 18 grams of beans in a few seconds, the Rocky seems to take forever after getting used to the Doge. However when it comes to the shot produced. I just don't see the difference now. I can fine tune the Doge to the exact grind I want, and never modified the Rocky to do that but other than that. I don't see where the extra expense I put into the Doge grinder was worth it.

I got the Rocky out because I will be going back to Texas for a few months and thinking of taking the espresso machine with me. Having limited counter space in Texas, and the I don't think the Doge is going to fit under the top cabinets, I wanted to see if I could use the Rocky. I've pulled about twenty shots through both grinders in side by side comparisons. Now, there is no comparison between what goes in the porta filter but when it comes to the espresso shot coming out of the porta filter, I don't see a difference. I didn't change anything about how I prepped the shot, just used different grinders.

There are a number of possibilities. Let's leave it at, De gustibus non disputandum est-that is, there is no disputing against Hobby-Horses; and for my part, I seldom do. (cf Tristram Shandy, by Laurence Sterne)

Rich

12-15 years ago the Rocky grinder and Silvia espresso machine, both Rancilio products, were the gold standard of home espresso. This was mostly due to the enthusiasm and tireless writing and photography of Mark Prince (CoffeeGeek). Most of us who got into serious home espresso around that time wound up with one or both of those machines.

I had both, which took a lot of convincing of my wife, who thought the expense was crazy. When Mark went to the Rancilio factory in Italy a few years ago, he was treated like visiting royalty for the market he had created for those machines.

Shortly after that time, the Mazzer Mini became the gold standard in home grinders. I upgraded to one when I discovered there were some coffees my Rocky could not grind finely enough at any setting.

Since then the "gold standards" and rituals that go with them have reached fairly insane heights.

But, now as always, barista skill matters. In the right hands with the right coffees, I have no doubt that the Rocky is capable of excellent espresso. I wish you many happy years with your machine.

I get the impression also that the "Rocky" grinders have some quality control problems. The Rancilio company occasionally seems to produce a "lemon" or two. The so called "Teflon tape" mod discussed in other threads in HB also provides an interesting bit of information. One layer of Teflon tape around the threads of the upper burr carrier on a good Rocky will result in substantial tension being required to turn the grind adjustment. I suspect two layers of tape would make it impossible to reassemble the machine. One layer will cause the setting for espresso to be about 10 units from touching burrs. One layer results in the adjustment being like that of manually focusing a fine camera lens. Others report that more than one layer of the tape is required to do this. It seems logical to suspect that the threads on these burr carriers are not up to standard.

The Rocky is not a monster, and can be transported all over the place without difficulty.

It does not grind at a rate for a coffee bar, but it is not designed for that purpose.

The appearance of the ground coffee that really matters is what it looks like under magnification.

I try to NOT speak about products I do not have a good long experience with. For products that I am knowledgeable on, I try to not speak badly about the product or the company that produces the product.

I have come to the conclusion that just about any product in the hands of a competent barista, when used with the freshest ingredients, can produce a finished shot that is superior.

I do get those who will argue (or try to argue as I don't participate in any online disagreements) that my opinions are baseless or wrong based on "their opinion"

I've come to the conclusion after many decades of "surfing" to take all comments with a grain of salt. I listen to everyone but I only apply what I hear to my situation and never "regurgitate" others "opinions".

Keith, the burrs in the Doge probably need at least 5 pounds of beans to break in if they're brand new. You could try to pick up stale beans at a roaster or shop, or try Minute Rice.

I bought a Pharos last year to see if the hype about the large conical burrset was true. I did find the taste in the cup to be more balanced, with good flavor separation, so I personally believe there is a difference, but I can't bring myelf to splurge for a titan (yet).

I had two Rocky grinders, one was with doser - older clear plastic hopper and another doserless with newer blue plastic.
Quality on both were quite good. As for design, it was a reasonable good design for the price.
Obviously not being stepless it was harder to find right grind setting and with hopper being straight beans tend to stick to the sides. Doserless also tend to be messy as grinds are ejected in to a short nozzle.
Is it on par with Mazzer? No it is not but it also doesn't cost as one. It is reasonable good starter grinder and a great backup one. I moved to Mazzer Mini E and it is much better grinder, but Rocky provided me with years of reliable service. If price is not an issue I would move past it to Mazzer and such, but if price is a sticking point Rocky is good to start with.

Here's the thing, cost for a rocky isn't a deal for what you get. A super jolly is worlds apart, and readily available used for the same or lower cost. Build quality is such that it won't ever break down on you.

The Rocky is not a perfect grinder but it doesn't deserve all of the negative comments that are invariably generated almost anytime a question is asked regarding the quality of the machine. My 10 year old doserless is working as well today as it did when it was new. I replaced the burrs on my Rocky and Macap M4 grinders last summer, then ran some side by side comparisons. My experience is similar to yours. When the grind is dialed in, the shots are indistinguishable, and by that I mean outstanding. I prefer the M4 for speed, the convenience of having the doser, and the infinite grind settings the worm gear adjustment provides. There are times when the limited number of grind settings on the Rocky can be a hindrance. And the smaller diameter of the burrs creates feed problems when trying to grind oily beans. I still use the Rocky for French Press and Hario V60 duties. As an espresso only grinder it is not the best choice. But it's robust construction and compact size still make it a worthy contender when considering grinders in its price range.

just my $0.02 and one data point, if that much:

Rocky should be better for its cost. It has two major faults (for the price):
1 - The steps of the adjust are too large. It could have easily been stepless. The Teflon tape mod helps this situation but shouldn't be necessary
2 - The thread tolerances for the grind adjustment are quite low. Push the adjustment lock button down and wiggle the hopper to which the burr is ultimately connected. Too much slop. The Teflon tape mode deals with this, but again, should not be necessary.
And while this third may not now be a factor, I had a Rocky for about 7 years and in that time I replaced the burrs twice and it could have used them again. On the replacements I did do, I noticed a great improvement each time.

A lot of the negative comments concerning the Rocky are from long-time home baristas here on HB. This forum is dedicated to "exceptional espresso" and many of us have come from a time when Rocky was "the" grinder for new home baristas making their first serious purchase of coffee equipment. This was well before the various Mazzer knock-offs were available and before Baratza had so many offerings as they do now- really, before Baratza was selling grinders at all. Those of us who have moved up to higher quality grinders such as those from Mazzer, Compak, OE, and HG-One know what a difference a good grinder can make. It is those experiences which have created mantra like "Grinder first" and prompted many to recommend better grinders.