While there are a lot of Mazzer mods, I have not seen one that discusses making a Mazzer grinder quieter. It's certainly not a huge deal, but I was just wondering what others thought.

I adore my Super Jolly, but since my small apartment has an open design between the kitchen and living room, sometimes my roommate doesn't. By no means is it an incredibly loud grinder (my old Bodum Antigua squealed like a banshee), but it's loud enough to distract from tv watching, etc. It's a pretty quiet hum without beans, but when actually grinding is a fair amount louder. I'm mainly looking to reduce the bean grinding sound, but reductions in general motor noise would be nice too. I grind per "dose" for my Aeropress. This is my current setup, a cup mini-hopper...



I just cut the bottom out of the cup, and it fits quite nicely. As you can see, cabinet clearance is at a premium.

So, two questions:
1. Where does most of the sound come from?
2. Any solutions?

Type of hopper:
I'm assuming that most of the noise is generated by the burrs and comes out of the top. My usual routine is to cover the cup with my hand to keep beans from flying out. Still, making a seal with my palm doesn't dampen the noise all that much. Does filling the hopper with more beans dampen the noise significantly? Would a different mini-hopper be a lot quieter? I don't really want to shell out the money on a legit short hopper. I also don't want anything made from PVC on top either. Sorry, but I think they are ugly...

Burrs:
My burrs are old and pretty dull, and will be replaced this month soon. Are new burrs quieter? I really doubt this, but just thought I'd throw it out there. Oh, and the bearings aren't particularly loud. They make a small noise (I think) when the motor spins down, but that's it.

Doser:
Does a lot of noise escape through the doser? Would sealing the lid better help? It's a pretty loose fit, stock.

General vibrations:
I'm pretty sure that my counters are some form of particle board covered in laminate. Do you think that vibrations from the grinder might resonate through the counter? Would it be worth using some sort of sound/vibration insulating material underneath?

I've tightened down all the screws and whatnot.

Like I said, I'll be fine with the level of noise if there is nothing to do about it. Just wondering what other people thought.

Thanks!

I assume the changes I made are particular to my kitchen and machine but here they are :

Mine made a loud hum, I put a mouse pad under which took care of most of it : my wife, remarking on the difference, said "wow."

The plastic in my doser sometimes buzzes / rattles - the top is getting chipped but moving it around to find a good spot, and keeping the screws tightened helps.

Some beans are quieter - I assume these are less dense (maybe darker roasts?), but I draw the line at buying quiet beans (-:

My doser is also a little bent - the lid hums, I grind with it off.

Good luck,
Phil

Yeah... I guess that there's not a magic answer.

I would get duraniums if it wasn't for the cost. And when I start using my grinder for espresso, the grinding time will be a less as well.

mini wrote:So, two questions:
1. Where does most of the sound come from?
2. Any solutions?

Sound is, by definition, the movement of air molecules. Since there are not a lot of moving parts on your SJ, I'm betting that it's a case of your SJ or ('the case of your SJ') moving larger diaphragms/ i.e., your counter top, which moves the supporting wall framing as well as the air around the countertop, which moves the wall, which transmits the noise to the other room, etc. ad infinitum.

The first, and most telling experiment for where the noise is coming from and what solutions are available, is going to be:
Put the beans in the grinder, and your roommie in the other room. Grind. In the middle of the grind, lift the SJ off the counter. Ask the roommate to compare the two. If he says that the first case is annoying and the second is tolerable, you need to isolate the vibrations of the grinder from the rest of the house. If he says that there isn't a large enough change to make a difference, you need to isolate the vibrations of the grinder from the surrounding air.
Once you've identified where the problem occurs, the solutions become more evident.

HB wrote:Actually grinding for espresso takes quite a bit longer than coarser grind settings.

Very true, but I'm grinding a lot more coffee for the way I brew with an Aeropress than 16g for a double.

I might try to heft it up while grinding. I just wonder if the little rubber feat do about all that can be done for vibration isolation. But I suppose that's the great thing about experiments, you know for sure after you do them.

I just made a cup of coffee. Contrary to what I expected, while running, the grinder was actually a lot quieter when I picked it up than when it was sitting on the counter. I guess it actually was causing the surfaces underneath it to resonate. I'm going to go buy some foam, then.

And if you care...
It's hard to explain sound with text, but here's my best shot. I think of the grinding noise as two parts, the hum from the motor/vibrations, and the shriller "wshhh" tone of actual burrs / bean breaking. About 90% of what I thought was inevitable humming just disappeared when the grinder was isolated from the counter. In my case, I'm going to call it a 40% reduction in total noise. Enough that I'm going to grab some vibration isolating foam to put underneath.


So there you go.

easy fix, just hold it in the air while grinding... it's only about 40lbs

it's a good workout

Cheap mouse pad.

Who knows it may encourage more mouse tails from your bottomless PF.