ericbnc, just received the grinder and took it apart. Regarding left or right side hopper door. Maybe the copper dome flipped 180*. Reassembling the grinder it looks like rotating the copper dome 180* is no issue.

Defects that I was aware of are a slight separation at the right side edge, the square flat crank arm fixing nut and effects of time & use on the finish. One problem not noted by the seller is a slight warping, bowing of the base with hairline crack. Except for the ball bearing totally immersed in some real gunky grease, the burrs and the rest of grinding mechanism are in excellent shape. No corrosion or dings. If this grinder performs as hoped for will refinish. OE noted on his restoration page at his web site a method of flattening a warped bottom. Difficult task will be removing the base without cracking it.

I like these grinders - they look like treasure chests!

This makes a nice looking, consistent grind. No Cremina here to choke, but I do have a boiler and pump Krups Type 882 that this De Ve can easily best.

peacecup wrote:...
Prof Stack used to use Trossers, but I've never tried one. Fortunately there are still some deals to be had on these hand grinders. Its kind of fun to get one out of the box, set the grind and see if it passes. Most of mine have, but not all. ...PC

Yeah, I still use the Trosser grinders. One at home for espresso and one at work for drip. But I am toying with the idea of buying a Vario grinder as well as a Rocket Espresso Premium Plus or rotary machine and putting the grinder and the Gaggia lever machine on the shelf at home.

It's been awhile since I've been on HB or CG. But now I'm looking to "upgrade". Is the Vario truly an upgrade over a good hand grinder for espresso? I imagine so, but still wonder.

Norm,

I've got a Vario and plenty of old mills I've restored. The hand mills are a pleasure to use, but the Vario cannot be matched for convenience. It produces an amazingly fluffy grind that dumps neatly into a pile. Level, tamp and you're good to go. Sometimes, a process that easy is VERY appealing.

But I'll always enjoy pulling out one of my hand mills and "doing it the old fashion way" occasionally.

I admit there are rare occasions when I miss the convenience of an electric grinder myself. But for my own personal daily use the noise factor alone is prohibitive, cost and space issues aside. And I am skeptical at best that the espresso quality would be better.

I've yet to see much objective evidence that hand grinders are inferior to good electric burr grinders. There was once a test on the Titan grinder thread, and one of my old PeDe's lost to a Robur or some such. But the results were close enough to warrant further testing.

Prof, pleasure to hear from you. As for shelving the Gaggia, I do find that manual levers are a little slow at times, especially with milk drinks. And the Gaggia/Pavoni design does overheat rather quickly. Spring levers, otoh, function as double-boilers, steaming and pulling shots simulaneously (and quietly). Wouldn't trade that for the world.

What a wonderful world...
PC

The current collection minus the Salter/Spong.

The Zassenhaus Turkish and DeVe mills were able to produce a grind that created acceptable shots on the MCal and PVL. Trosser and I are having a bit of an issue in getting a decent shot. Maybe tomorrow. Need to decaf the brain. The Trosser is set as fine as I can tighten the adjustment. Shots are running a bit fast yielding a thin, lack of character drink. Will 1st try a heavy tamp and if needed a heavier dose.

Of the 3 grinders based on quality of drink, least effort and mess the Zassenhaus is my favorite. Was surprised with the amount of static cling the box grinders created. Trosser was the worse. Have had the Zass for a couple years, but until recently have never even attempted to grind for espresso. Based on the quality of shot the Zass creates I'm selling the backup M5 electric grinder that has sat more or less unused for the past couple years. More $s for this new syndrome. HandgrinderAquistionSyndrome(HAS)

Stopped by the local hardware store to find a replacement cap nut for the DeVe. Close but no go. 5/16, coarse thread cap nuts did not fit. Might be the metric size and or thread pitch. Any suggestions?



pc, like you I don't miss the noise of the vibe pump machine. Hand grinding process "feels" better than pushing a button on the monster MX. Just my opinion & the lingering effects of too many shots, hand grinding and pulling a lever are a better match. A more "classic, romantic or whatever" ritual, process in creating an espresso.

Hi Noel,

The Armin Trosser and Brass Zass both look nice. I picked up a mill from Peugeot that just works great for French press. I haven't tried it on any other setting yet and maybe never will - the grinder that does a good job with press has been elusive for me.

Static varies greatly with humidity - in the Alaskan rainforest it only occurred during rare dry periods, or in very well-sealed and heated buildings. Here in Varmland its a fact of winter.

Static can be easily dealt with if one grinds the coffee 2-3 minutes before needed, then opens the drawer slightly and places a magnetic implement (i.e. scissors, spoon, NOT stainless) into the drawer. Wait a couple of minutes and the static will dissipate. At worst it may require a few stirs with said magnetic implement.

Grinders that don't grind fine enough, however, cannot be so easily remedied. For those just on the edge of grinding fine enough, I've tried just going ahead with using them with the burrs rubbing aggressively. I suppose this may work over time to allow them to grind finer, but others suggest that it does not. I don't have any objective proof, but I trying to obtain this with one old Dienes and my Caravel. Since I only use them for espresso I have nothing to lose if it does not work, but don't recommend it to others who may want to use the grinder for other types of coffee.

Its by far the best to find one that easily goes to espresso-fineness - I've had at least a 50% success rate with this just buying off of Ebay. When they do work they work very well. There are a number of German and Dutch made companies that seem to work for this, but it varies by grinder as well. Maybe best to ask the seller before buying.

PC

prof_stack wrote:It's been awhile since I've been on HB or CG. But now I'm looking to "upgrade". Is the Vario truly an upgrade over a good hand grinder for espresso? I imagine so, but still wonder.

I just don't have the patience to wait 100 to 200 turns before I can brew. But, that's me, I don't get the "zen" of it. And the Vario is more consistent than any of the several hand grinders that I have.

We're both in Seattle, you are welcome to borrow my Vario for a few days if you want to try the difference.

hperry wrote:I just don't have the patience to wait 100 to 200 turns before I can brew. But, that's me, I don't get the "zen" of it.

Three minutes max for 200 turns = (200/30 turns per 12g) x 12g = 80g ground coffee. Not all, but several grinders I use will turn out grounds this fast.

80 grams makes a lot of coffee. I bet a Vario is nice though. I have a Baratza for when I am in a hurry too, but I try not to let this happen very often.