shadowfax wrote:I didn't see a warranty mentioned at all for the Monolith. Does anyone know what warranty it carries?

The flat and conical pages state:

12 months non-commercial use warranty

Sideshow wrote:Doesn't the EG-1 already easily work for the home environment, in terms of its footprint and usability? I know the EG-1 is more expensive. However, if you can spend a little over $2k for a grinder, then you can probably spend a little over $3k for a grinder.

I think most are missing the point. The maker of this grinder gives a service beyond what you would get in a grinder at any price point: You get an extraction yield test report proving the effectiveness of the grinder. This is also a very small operation. This is built by a guy who has a passion for coffee and this, to him, is more about sharing his coffee experience with everyone, not necessarily turning a huge profit on a mass produced item. Making 50 grinder total a year would be about all he is interested in doing.

I don't doubt that the EG-1 is a great grinder, the two grinder fill certain niches. The monolith series is for people like us, fanatics of the HOME coffee experience. Can you use a monolith in a cafe? Sure you can, with very happy customers but it is not what it is designed for. It would would be far too slow in a busy cafe.

One thing (of many) that impresses me about the Kafatek flat: it's only 14" high and that includes the speed control unit integrated into the base. By way of comparison, the EG-1 is 18" high and has a separate box for speed adjustment.

The EG-1 has a highly adaptable/customizable rail system for various uses. The Monolith doesn't. Cut the rail system out of the design of the EG-1 and it would sit even lower than the Monolith. The EG-1 clearly took a different approach in terms of aesthetics too.

TomC wrote:The EG-1 has a highly adaptable/customizable rail system for various uses. The Monolith doesn't. Cut the rail system out of the design of the EG-1 and it would sit even lower than the Monolith.

But it cannot be cut and

AndreG wrote:UPDATE

Denis wrote: « Grinder will have forks, no worries, there is a rail on the side arms to attach them. »

That's why I said "out of the design" not just cut the darn thing. I was pointing out that the EG-1 offered a lot more in terms of features.


And I knew about his forks. I'd be curious if his forks have the same design capabilities of the EG-1 or if they're just forks.

TomC wrote:I'd be curious if his forks have the same design capabilities of the EG-1 or if they're just forks.

Me too. I guess it would be more like the Monolith Conical's.

Until recently I had been using the original Monolith 1 for over three years. It provided the same basic features as the latest production model Monolith. Not once in these three years did it fail to perform with the same consistent grind quality. It was designed for the home barista and makes the work flow so easy. These grinders are SOLID. No compromises in the quality of materials or design. Built like a tank with consistent single stream pulls from the start. All this at a very surprising and welcomed low sound level.....especially in the morning. The production model conical is a refinement that was a surprise. The simplicity of design using parts that are readily available in the open market; burrs and motor. There are enough users out there now that you can get others input on their experiences with the Monolith. My experiences have been that they all like to share with others.

The Home Barista has finally some choices other than grinders designed for high volume retail settings. It has taken a long time to get here. I am sure the EG-1 is a fine grinder and whatever choice you make will benefit the home barista's needs.

Peace
Bob

CwD wrote:EG-1 has a burr chamber that comes completely apart in seconds with no tools (and without even temporarily moving either burr), no cap to mess with, microstepped adjustment for exactly repeatable settings, and the upcoming version has magnetic burrs.

It's a close race for me and I'm not sure what I want to get, but there are things that each has that draw me in over the other.

Cut the rail system out of the design of the EG-1 and it would sit even lower than the Monolith.

I was comparing the published height specifications, not a theoretical re-design of the rails.

UFGators wrote:I think most are missing the point. The maker of this grinder gives a service beyond what you would get in a grinder at any price point: You get an extraction yield test report proving the effectiveness of the grinder. This is also a very small operation. This is built by a guy who has a passion for coffee and this, to him, is more about sharing his coffee experience with everyone, not necessarily turning a huge profit on a mass produced item. Making 50 grinder total a year would be about all he is interested in doing.

I don't doubt that the EG-1 is a great grinder, the two grinder fill certain niches. The monolith series is for people like us, fanatics of the HOME coffee experience. Can you use a monolith in a cafe? Sure you can, with very happy customers but it is not what it is designed for. It would would be far too slow in a busy cafe.

I think folks were missing the point of my comments. All I was trying to do was move past the "EG-1 is for the cafe and Monolith is for the home" notion. Both are easily deployed in the home setting (or the majority of home settings - again, an 18" height really isn't bad), so I don't think that's a meaningful way to distinguish the grinders. However, what IS a meaningful way to distinguish them is on performance, retention, convenience, and longevity, which is (happily) what the discussing has been mostly here.

Moving on, I'm finding the discussion of the flex control and alignment precision in the Monolith illuminating. I suppose we won't really know much until some of the flat burr monoliths start shipping out. However, I can't remember hearing any negative feedback regarding the Monolith conical, so I'm optimistic that Kafatech will put out another stellar product. From what I hear, both LWW and Kafatech each offer great customer service. I mean, this discussion is tough because we're talking about two grinders that, as far as I know, haven't even been made available to the public yet.

As far as the look, sure the EG-1 has a sexier appearance. However, if performance, retention, convenience, and longevity all fall in favor of the Monolith flat, then that would point me in the direction of the Monolith. While aesthetics are important, in terms of the visual appearance and the tactile experience of use, for me, it's about what ends up in the cup.