This should be an easy question for a Mazzer Major owner: Does the Mazzer Mini "extra short" bean hopper fit on the Mazzer Major? I have just ordered a Major for Chris' Coffee Service where I was told "absolutely not." However, somebody at http://www.espressoparts.com tells me that the short hopper they sell does fit the Major. Who is correct?

Any general suggestions for how to make the Major fit better into the average home (or in my case, small apartment) setting?

Thanks,
Mark

The Major has an "interlock" collar like the Kony and Robur. The back of the collar has a tab that enters a slot; if the tab isn't slotted, the motor doesn't run. If you've seen the burrs on the larger Mazzers, you appreciate why. Anyway, the Major/Kony/Robur throat is slightly larger than the Mini or Super Jolly. I'm not aware of a shorter OEM hopper that fits it.

The interlock assembly is held on with two screws. Simply unscrew them, lift the plate (the switch is attached to the outer plate) up off the body. There is a small contact switch in there. You can put a chunk of something in there to hold the switch down, tape it down, or remove it and hotwire the two wires together to bypass the interlock. Usual disclaimers apply, not responsible for fire, electrocution, burnt up grinder, dismembered fingers, etc...

I am sure it will void your warranty.

caeffe wrote: I'm still interested as the OP is in whether the Mini hopper can fit in the interlock collar.

I have two older Majors, and neither have the interlock collar. With those, the mini hoppers fit nicely, TYVM! As far as the newer Majors go, I can't assist.

Here is what I did:

I removed the tall stock hopper from my Major but left the black collar and tab in place. I ordered a short Mini hopper and dropped it in the Major's collar. As has been noted, the diameter of the short hopper throat is smaller than the Major's collar opening. It works but rattles around and makes an annoying buzzing when the grinder runs. Also if you're not careful, you can knock a full hopper out of the collar, with resultant spilled beans decorating your kitchen floor. Don't ask...

So, I went down to my local plumbing supply house and bought a 2 1/2" black rubber couple (with end hubs). The one that I bought had hose clamps on each end held in place by the couple's ridged rubber collars (hubs). It set me back $2 or $3 as I recall.

I then removed the hose clamps and cut the ridged hub off of one end and slid the couple inside the Majors plastic collar. (sorry I still haven't replaced my "borrowed" digital camera yet but think T-shaped rubber bushing at this point) It was a bit of a snug fit to slide the couple in to the black collar but with a little patience it can be done. (it was easier when I placed the rubber couple flat on my counter and then wiggle-tapped the collar on to it from above) The hub of the rubber couple seats against the top opening of the plastic collar and gives it a "factory finished" look. After that, wiggle-tap the short hopper throat into the rubber couple (which acts as a bushing to take up the free space in the collar) and viola you're done!

Easy solution!

Oh, I was lazy and simply snapped off the hopper lock tabs to remove the tall hopper from the black collar. If you work carefully you can get the stock hopper off without having to break the tabs.

You could also wrap the mini hopper base with a band of electrical tape. Enough passes and you will create your own spacer to hold everything tight.

Thanks for all the info. My new Major arrives this Thursday. The info above should give me a good starting point. Any chance somebody could post some pictures of what they've done?

- Mark

Aside: I just pulled some (to me) excellent doubles with my Zassenhaus grinder this morning. I'm really impressed at how consistent I can be from shot to shot with this little grinder. Still, I'm looking forward to stepping up the volume with my new Major. I've never used an electric grinder before, so it will be interesting to see what the difference is.