This is my first post here. I've been following this thread with interest for many months, I ordered (and paid a 50% deposit) for my M3 grinder July 1 2008. It arrived yesterday:( I ordered a hopper with it but this didn't arrive. It sounds like there have been several refinements of the design over the past year, so hopefully many of the issues raised here have been addressed, 6 month delivery times is not one of them in my experience though. I spent the morning feeding it coffee trying to get the grind right (Sumatra Mandehling) but obviously still have some way to go. The lack of a calibration scale is a problem - at one stage I got 'lost' with my adjustment and had to return to the beginning again. I think that I'll just end up marking grind ranges for particular coffees depending on humidity as my home is not air-conditioned. Introducing coffee into the grinder is an issue that I'm working on at the moment but I've discovered that the blind portafilter basket holds the right amount of beans for a single shot pour and about 1.5 for a double. Even adding the beans after the grinder is spinning results in beans being spat out onto the bench....and the floor..and...... - I'm working on that one:)

I'm looking forward to the challenge of mastering the M3 and improving my coffee quality.

proftournesol wrote:The lack of a calibration scale is a problem. Introducing coffee into the grinder is an issue that I'm working on at the moment but I've discovered that the blind portafilter basket holds the right amount of beans for a single shot pour and about 1.5 for a double. Even adding the beans after the grinder is spinning results in beans being spat out onto the bench....and the floor..and...... - I'm working on that one:)

Yes, installing the scale they send should be one of your first activities. It's in a separate envelope in the box, so make sure you didn't leave it with the packing material. I wound up with a small stainless container from the local cooking store that's shaped like a frustrum of a cone, and I squeezed it in a vise so it went elliptical to make it easier to pour from. You should always feed the beans in while the grinder is running. Doing it a bit slowly will minimize the popcorning but not eliminate it. I keep my hand over the opening while it's grinding. Having gotten used to it, it's a terrific grinder for my needs.

Best,
David

I've been using the grinder for a few years now- I've not bothered with the grind scale. I just have a couple of pencil lines drawn on (one for each of the two roasts I often use.) My house isn't air conditioned either, but I can usually guess where to adjust relative to the mark based on humidity & freshness of beans.

I weigh beans into an empty pf basket & pour slowly from that into the grinder. 2 times out of 3 the belt slips & I have to bump the pulley by hand to finish the shot. Total PITA. Good grind, though, and quieter than my old Mazz Mini.

thanks for the tips David and Ben
no envelope for me:(
Laura has replied to my query about the missing hopper, apparently they are shipped separately but they're out of stock at the moment, it would have been nice to have been given that information without having to ask but perhaps I'm being picky. Coffee quality improving, how do others fill the 'hole in the donut' of ground coffee in the basket?

proftournesol wrote:Coffee quality improving, how do others fill the 'hole in the donut' of ground coffee in the basket?

I weigh my doses, so the level is usually lower than the basket rim. I quickly swipe with a straight-edged piece of plastic in four directions to push what I can into the hole. This may or may not be necessary, but makes things less messy. Then I use a nutating tamp ala Jim Schulman: move the top of the handle in a circle a few times, making the circle smaller until the handle is straight up and down. Spin the tamper a few times and you'll feel the puck level out. Press down (I'm using my fingertips, so it's probably no more than five or ten pounds), then spin with no weight to polish, and you're done. All this takes a lot less time to do than it does to read, maybe twenty seconds or so. Now the bottomless portafilter in my Techno wets evenly almost every time. Hope this helps.

Best,
David

I've suddenly realised that the best way to dose with a Versalab is to use a spare double portafilter basket for a 2 cup pour and a blind portafilter basket for a single pour - these hold the correct amount of beans - 14g for a single and 26g for a double. I must say that this grinder provides the basis for some amazing coffee!

Has anyone thought about a lid with a hole and a funnel to get the beans in the grinding chamber? I'm going to try and engineer something so I don't have to keep my hand over the funnel.

Helllo, I read about someone who used a plastic cover for oatmeal; then cut a hole for the shaft and slit it in order to remove or replace it.

In regards to dose distribution - do you other owners tap the pf/basket to settle the grinds? And do you tap before or after scraping with a straightedge?
Dennis

I'm narrowing my choices for a grinder upgrade to the versalab m3 or a la cimbali max hybrid. The versalab costs twice as much, but i like to change coffee per dose and that grind pattern is pretty. The max hybrid likes to have beans in the hopper, but for the price of the versalab, i could get two hybrids and just have one for SOs. (Just kidding - or am I?) Plus, i'd buy the hybrid from chriscoffee - tough to beat their service.

Two big questions i have about the versalab:
1. Anyone else experiencing bearing issues besides Jim?
2. Is delivery still taking 6 months? (the last report was ordered in july/delivered in january. No way i'm waiting that long! I think a month is the max). No pun intended, but once seen, approved of!

The wait is much shorter now. I got mine within two months. I've had the Versalab since January or February 2009. So far, no problems.

Originally I thought I needed two grinders, like you, one for espresso and another for SO. The Macap has been sitting in the garage for past several months. The Versalab is just a more elegant solution for single shot and home use.