So I've heard about a short stack made by Compak, with a little trap door at the base. I've been single dosing with the mini hopper and just closing the gate. I do like the look of this...

Check out the photo on Tom's post:
SCAA 2014: Coming from Compak, some exciting developments

TomC wrote:I'm not certain if this is a brand new feature or if I've just missed seeing it reported before, but I noticed for the first time a different small hopper that fits all their models, equipped with a trap door style gate on the bottom. It's finished nicely in a bead blasted finish that won't show fingerprints and should be a nice feature for those of us who single dose. It will come stock as an accessory to the grinder, nice touch there. The best feature of it is that it's not soft aluminum. You can torque it down with their hopper lock, holding it in place, without damaging it, because its steel rather than aluminum.

Anyone know if this available yet?

Sure the Short Stack is available.

http://www.orphanespresso.com/OE-Short- ... _5598.html

The original one and only.....

The funny thing is that copying this with a gate is absurd. The gate goes against the idea of the device since it is designed for single dosing....what does the gate do exactly? Does Compak actually understand single dosing?

Hi Doug,

I really hope you're being adequately compensated by Compak, it's clearly a direct copy.

I suppose I'm just a creature of habit, so used to closing the gate right down by the throat on my mini hopper, something makes me think this is an integral part of my single dose routine, yeah crazy I know.

Thanks for your reply.

orphanespresso wrote:The gate goes against the idea of the device since it is designed for single dosing....what does the gate do exactly?

Keeps fingers and detritus out, arguably. Allows the mini hopper to be swapped with beans in it when it's not being used for single dosing.

Does Compak actually understand single dosing?

No.

Rich

boar_d_laze wrote:Keeps fingers and detritus out

I'd just assumed it was instead of using a tamper in the top to prevent beans flying out.

Are people really using these as tiny hoppers... [edit]rather than just a superb single dosing tool[edit]?

I can't imagine not single dosing these days, when my K10 arrived I expected to fill the mini hopper and proceed as normal. Something made me single dose the first shot I ground, I haven't looked back since.

No, we are not being compensated by Compak at all, neither have they asked permission, nor contacted us in any way - not even a 'thank you very much...don't let the door hit you in the ....on the way out'. They saw the Short Stack at the Portland SCAA, 2012 - both the US sales, and the Spanish representative saw it. Yes, people do actually use them.

This behavior is in direct contrast to Kyle Anderson, of Baratza, who liked the wrench we made for the burr, asked about using the basic design, offered royalty (which we refused, but appreciated the offer of), then proceeded with manufacturing the tool with the waters not muddied, no feelings hurt, and no theft of intellectual property.
Barb

Sorry Barb, I feel like your delightful design has been stolen and is now getting a hard time. I didn't mean to suggest people wouldn't use it as a hopper, I appreciate height constraints are a problem for some and this provides a nice solution.

The K10 is just so widely known for single dosing, and now that I have one and single dose I can't imagine doing it any other way.

What would shipping all the way to New Zealand be like for a short stack (or possibly even 2)?

Rest assured - no grief intended to go your way! The original was put up for sale on April 17th, 2012. You can always check shipping cost on our site by putting the items in the cart & checking the shipping - no payment info needed until after that step (I don't have the info on hand at the moment...building & shipping grinders!)
Barb

It is not on their website(s) --(yet?), at least I couldn't find it.

So do they indeed offer that illegal copy?

M

orphanespresso wrote:Sure the Short Stack is available.

http://www.orphanespresso.com/OE-Short- ... _5598.html

The original one and only.....

The funny thing is that copying this with a gate is absurd. The gate goes against the idea of the device since it is designed for single dosing....what does the gate do exactly? Does Compak actually understand single dosing?

While I sympathize with those whose ideas are copied by others, the site's Vendor participation in the forums are clear on this point:

Guidelines for productive online discussion wrote:Forum members who have a financial interest in the topic in question should exercise caution before posting. For example, if you or the company you work for sells the product/service being discussed in a thread, you are welcome to correct factual errors, but should avoid posting opinions, product/service offerings, or critiques of competitive products. The same applies when a competitor's product or service is being discussed in a thread, i.e., you should refrain from offering opinions, alternative product/service offerings, or critiques. Moderators reserve the right to edit statements or delete posts that violate this policy.

Doug/Barb, you have a financial interest in this topic, so please exercise restraint when posting in this thread.

Markant wrote:So do they indeed offer that illegal copy?

I'm not a lawyer, but I'm not sure any law has been broken.

In my limited understanding of the law, written works and artwork have automatic copyright protection from the moment of creation. Product innovations, however, must be explicitly patented. It gets more interesting when there's brand association (i.e., knockoffs of Gucci handbags or Nike sneakers) where the seller is trying to profit from the value of the brand itself. If Orphan Espresso had a cause of action, the latter is the angle I would pursue (i.e., it's a knockoff trying to profit from association with the OE brand) since one could counter that an ordinary canning funnel serves much the same purpose and has been in market for much longer than OE's mini hopper.