The internals you linked have ceramic burrs. shadowfax posted earlier in this thread that ProM burrs are metal.

Yea! I forgot to talk about that.

It also gives steel burr as an option. Since there is no data on burr size one could think that they could fit any burr size that they want (within the limit of the burr chamber capability). The ProM 65mm steel burr may be that option. Also since it is reported that the North American version will sport 58mm burrs it seem to indicate that indeed they have that flexibility. I think it may have something to do with the available voltage,

Anyway the good thing I see in this is that potentially there could be multiple burr alternatives for that grinder and maybe a potential ceramic set (although the size of it is not known (yet).

P.S.: The European version is confirmed to have steel burrs, it is the North American version that Nicholas (Shadowfax) reported as planned to be steel. I do not doubt Nicholas, but there have been promises from manufacturers that never panned out... Anyway I am just having fun speculating!

Current info that I have is that the ProM will be available in Europe as from the end of February (but I also heard a rumour that actual availability may still be 6 months off). The price is (as has been mentioned before) 899 euros + VAT, which I personally think is pretty steep. I would therefore be inclined to dismiss the rumour of a USD 700 street price in the US and rather expect it to be (well)above 1K.

I do think that the grinder looks very interesting with its alleged suitability for both espresso as well as other brewing methods - in package that comes in a compact, domestically acceptable size. Not to mention the modern looks/design, which I hope are/will be combined with a rock-solid build closer to that of the K30 rather than the Vario.

I just hope that: 1) Mahlkönig does not price themselves out of the market and 2) They actually get the product right (and do not compromise on finish, quality, function or features - even on the detail level that is so easy to get wrong).

Br,
Teme

It is already available and I have been told the same price. I would not draw conclusions about the US pricing, as there is a difference at least on the burr size.

akallio wrote:It is already available and I have been told the same price.

Interesting. Where have you seen it available for purchase? I've been been in touch with a couple of retailers in the Nordics (including Finland) as well as in Germany and no luck so far regarding immediate availability.

akallio wrote:I would not draw conclusions about the US pricing, as there is a difference at least on the burr size.

True, but I would still be quite surprised if Mahlkönig were to sell the "same" grinder for half the price in the US. My guess is that using different burrs would not account for a huge difference in manufacturing costs and I assume the rest of the grinder would be identical (why would Mahlkönig completely re-engineer it for the US market? I cannot imagine that being cost effective). But yes, this is only speculation.

Br,
Teme

Teme wrote:Where have you seen it available for purchase?

You might ask yellow_speedster that question (see his posts earlier in this thread); he already has one.

Richard wrote:You might ask yellow_speedster that question (see his posts earlier in this thread); he already has one.

Asked and kindly answered by Frank. To me it appears that availability to public is late February in Europe.

Br,
Teme

Does anyone have any current information on the status of the PRO M for the U.S. market please? It is my understanding that it was rejected due to switch problems.

I have been playing with ProM for a one evening now. The most obvious thing to say about it is that it's very small. Bearing that in mind, I was truly surprised to find out how it ground a double shot. It was relatively fast, but especially, extremely beautiful. No static, no clumping, very fluffy and the heap is nicely even and centered on the filter. Reminds me of K30, except that there's no clumping and it takes about half longer to grind. I have always thought that to produce a nice pile of fine grounds fast you need to have very large discs, but Mahlkönig seems to have done something clever here. I really expected to see some clumping and static.

There are also some things that obviously are not the way I'd like them. Most important is maybe the fact that it's hard to change beans when the hopper is full. Grinding chamber is relatively deep and there is no latch on the hopper. It is a bit shame especially because the grinder seems to retain no grounds (if you blow it empty, put in 20 g of beans, you get 19.9 g out).

The portafilter holder is not as good as in K30, but probably close enough. We'll see.

I like the overall usability. Fineness and time knobs work very well. There is only one button to control both single/double grinding and start/pause/continue and only one LED light providing feedback, so operating the grinder was a bit confusing at first. As a hint, it is important to notice that the light has a normal mode and two different kinds of flashing modes. It works probably well in home use, but might prove a bit clumsy on a cafe where both singles and doubles are ground at fast pace.

akallio wrote:I have been playing with ProM for a one evening now

I've had mine for a few hours now, thanks to you Aleksi My first impressions are much like yours.

akallio wrote:The portafilter holder is not as good as in K30, but probably close enough. We'll see.

The PF holder is adjustable and allows for hands free operation, but it could be a bit firmer - it does flex slightly under the weight of an LM portafilter and an enthusiastic user

It appears that there is a sensor that knocks off the timer and only allows the grinder to run in short bursts if there is no coffee.

On the back of the grinder there is what looks like a plug (see below). I assume this is for the display that can be retrofitted (once available) if one so desires.



Br,
Teme

Does the ProM feature a hopper interlock similiar to the Vario?

Does the ProM feature a hopper interlock similiar to the Vario?

Do you mean that the grinder does not run when the hopper is not in place? Yes, the hopper needs to be in place. Though it is easy to use toothpick to cheat it.