I don't have that much trouble cranking my HG-1. Maybe I should be thankful.

I may have ordered a Monolith if I had not seen/preordered the EG-1 first. Seeing the Monolith hasn't made me regret my decision, but it certainly would have certainly made me think much harder before choosing the EG-1.

Something's definitely wrong. First thought is you're grinding WAY too fine. Second thought is your grinder might be defective. My HG1 was very hard to turn (although not as hard as yours), to the point I was extremely discouraged and ready to get an electric grinder. However, I ended up emailing HG 1 who convinced me to mail it back to them. Turns out the burr set was defective (Craig still isn't sure exactly how), but he put a new burr set in it and sent it back. It works fine now, a year later. Light roasted coffees definitely are harder to grind and I have to hold tight to the grinder, but medium and darker roasts are fairly easy. I would send the video to HG=1 (after you try a coarser grind). Have you actually tried brewing espresso with it yet? May choke the machine.

Trewbrew, mgwolf - the coffee in that video was a natural Ethiopia roasted to C level in my Behmor until I couldn't add any more time, so it probably baked. Grind size was set to fine drip maybe, definitely coarser than i grind for espresso. Last couple of days I'm grinding medium roasted natural African coffees and while not buttery smooth, my technique is getting better, grinder now stalls rarely. Coffee tastes phenomenal, very consistent, unlike Vario where I would get a tasty shot once a while. Tomorrow I'll roast some SM Monkey blend to FC/FC+ and see how that goes. i orderes ABLE2 antislip mat, hope that helps

My suggestion is to go out and buy some professionally roasted beans.

Chipman - Agree, will do that.

Did more testing today and I think I'm getting the hang of it. It would even look easier if my table was sturdy enough. Thank you all for suggestions.

This is Ethiopia Aricha - lightly roasted Sweet Maria Monkey blend - beginning of 2nd crack

Had to check that the OP post date wasn't April 1. Goodness gracious! I hope you can get it checked.

1g per turn is probably about right after 2 pounds of rice and 1 pound of beans

My HG-1 is from 2013, with the Ti-coated OEM after market burr set. It is well seasoned, with many kgs of coffee through it. I just went down to the kitchen to count turns. It is at least 50 turns with the medium-dark roast we have today.
1 g per turn would mean 14 turns for 14 g of coffee. It sounds crazy, but if that's the case, the burrs in your HG-1 must be radically different from ours.

We have ground several batches of light roasted beans in it, some of them just past first crack. Even though they are harder to grind, we have never had anything even close to what you show in this video. Me and my colleague are both into darker roasts, we think it suits the Caravel and the Bacchi that we use with it better, so we have taken off the crank arm and have put the crank handle on the wheel. Speed is better than power with these kinds of beans.

Sorry for the double posts, didn't mean to. Can't delete this double post so I'll edit instead.

Something's definitely wrong. First thought is you're grinding WAY too fine. Second thought is your grinder might be defective. My HG1 was very hard to turn (although not as hard as yours), to the point I was extremely discouraged and ready to get an electric grinder. However, I ended up emailing HG 1 who convinced me to mail it back to them. Turns out the burr set was defective (Craig still isn't sure exactly how), but he put a new burr set in it and sent it back. It works fine now, a year later. Light roasted coffees definitely are harder to grind and I have to hold tight to the grinder, but medium and darker roasts are fairly easy. I would send the video to HG=1 (after you try a coarser grind). Have you actually tried brewing espresso with it yet? May choke the machine.

Yes. I second this. Send it back for them to check it out. Unless the grinder is as hard to turn without beans as it is to turn with beans in it (there should be close to no resistance at all without beans, and that's how it looks in your videos), there must be something wrong with the burrs, or maybe they are some different kind. I counted the turns, and You do seem to be grinding 14 grams with less than 20 turns (the last turns don't count, i.e. the ones where you crank backwards and forward again because you want the last few beans to fall through into the chute. We do exactly the same thing BTW). This is hard work, not at all the kind of easy hand grinding that you should be able to get from the HG-1. And there is no way of getting around it - same amount of coffee ground with fewer turns will always equal harder work.

By the way, we have two Pharoses and one Lido to compare with. The HG-1 is easier and faster to grind with than all of the others. I think it should be, considering what you pay for it.

Another thing, and it's all about user experience. When entering the grind phase, you have the typical look and stance of someone preparing himself for a challenge - it looks much the same way that I look (and feel) when preparing to take my bicycle into the morning traffic for 15 kilometers, straight through the center of the city to my job at the other end. I am always glad when I get there without being run over or having a technical problem, and it's a good feeling to have accomplished something every morning I go through with it. But I know there will be a day when I must stop doing it, unless I do something about my means of transport, like put another wheel or two on it, or mount an e-assist, or put a protective shell on it, or save up money for a velomobile... or to give up and go by car instead. To me, using the HG-1 should not involve this kind of challenge. I suggest you think for a bit if this is what you wanted from the HG-1, and if it is an easy fix - as I think it is - it is most definitely worth it sending it back for a check-up and refitting of burrs.

zix wrote:This is hard work, not at all the kind of easy hand grinding that you should be able to get from the HG-1. And there is no way of getting around it - same amount of coffee ground with fewer turns will always equal harder work.

By the way, we have two Pharoses and one Lido to compare with. The HG-1 is easier and faster to grind with than all of the others. I think it should be, considering what you pay for it.

Have to say that my HG1 is not easy at all with lightly roasted beans, but OK with dark; in fact I'd say that the last 2 videos exactly reflect my experience with light and dark roasts.

In view of the large conical burrs, I can't see that it will ever be easy to use, after all work is needed to break up the beans - the grinders that originally use these burrs will be using powerful motors, probably 500W or more.

And you make less than 20 turns for 14 g as well?
I'll need to make a short video, I guess. Will get back to this thread when I've sorted things out enough in the Coffee Lab to make a shoot

0I have to second Zix. No way should using the HG-1 feel like a
Marathon. You do have to hold the stabilizer bar and I would recommend sturdy base such as a kitchen counter. But grinding should not be a chore