Thanks for the response. I made myself sound horribly inept; I just remember how much fun I had taking apart a Nintendo DS to change the touch screen and the case. After that debacle (which eventually worked), I am hesitant to modify much.

I am trying really hard to not spend money. Your alternations are making this grinder attractive and making it difficult.

smite,

First of all, congrats on a nice conversion.

On my K10, the only problem area for grounds retention is in the chute between the grinding chamber and the doser, which (with the finger guard removed) is cleared with a small cut-down spatula. As most have surmised, any nooks and crannies in the grinding chamber get filled up and are then a non-factor for future retention.

With your mod/conversion, do you feel you are able to clear that inch-long chute before the grinds hit your replacement chute?

I guess what I'm asking is, in your table of target/output/grind retained, how was the 'grind retained' determined? Was it simply subtracting one number from another, or did you clear the chute and weigh? Was each test run started w/ a clean grinder?

Peter,

Each test was done when the grinder was clean. I made sure there was no residual grind at all before doing each individual test. It was slow, but helpful for me to get a sense of retention for a single dose. I cleaned the chute, the grind chamber, as well as the doser when installed.

I know this approach is not practical for most for each shot but thought for the purpose of testing starting with a clean grinder was best.

No worries. I understand about modifications. I am not one for major alterations to an expensive item myself. I can say that after doing it, this was a very simple and straight forward activity.

Meepled wrote:Thanks for the response. I made myself sound horribly inept; I just remember how much fun I had taking apart a Nintendo DS to change the touch screen and the case. After that debacle (which eventually worked), I am hesitant to modify much.

I am trying really hard to not spend money. Your alternations are making this grinder attractive and making it difficult.

smite: that's a terrific looking conversion. i am pondering pulling the trigger... but it's too tall for my area. i'd have to move to a different place in my home to use the wega/compak like i'd want to. my kitchen has low cabinets and tight counter space. btw, and oddly, i think i like using a doser -- never thought i'd say that. -sam

Samster, Thank you for the feedback. Without the hopper it fits with enough room under my cabinets, but I still chose to place it in an area without a cabinet just to make it easier to use.

Beyond usability, the aesthetics of the grinder with the doser was also a factor. Oddly enough I felt with the doser, the grinder was too fat and not as sleek. With the doser gone it looks much cleaner to me.

I went from a Super Jolly, modded for single dosing, to a K10 Pro Barista with doser. I didn't think that I'd like the doser, but it's nice to not have to stand in front of the grinder for the 6 seconds or so needed to grind a double - that's enough time for me to find a clean demi and basket. A Robur or K30 would probably make the point moot since they're both so damned fast, but then there's the issue of grounds retention in the chute; more than a minor annoyance for anyone who single doses regularly.

When I run single shots with the tape vane mod, I find variance of ±0.2g as well, consistent with what jammin is reporting. The biggest change for me is that now I'm grinding and dosing 2-3 shots in a row for testing, as well as one at a time shots for leisure. If I were pulling only one shot at a time, I'd reconsider and start sourcing parts. smite, thanks for doing the legwork and congratulations on a great deal!

smite -

I saw those steam and water knobs on the Alex and i want some..
Where did you get those guys from? Also did it require a complete valve replacement or just the knobs?

Thanks

Sherman,

Thanks very much for the feedback. Hopefully fellow HBers in the market for a new grinder that are considering a titan or specifically a k10 can benefit from this thread and possibly save some money getting these rebranded Wegas.

Mastyl,

I got the levers from Chris' coffee. They are the same as the ones for the Quickmills I think. If you call they can confirm. They are a direct bolt on and are pretty easy to switch out.

After reading this thread i ordered a 6.8A directly from Tom at Wega USA. A steal for a high end grinder. Will start doserless mod soon.