Pharos vs HG one - Page 4

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
MerleApAmber
Posts: 100
Joined: 11 years ago

#31: Post by MerleApAmber »

wsfarrell wrote:I grind coffee beans with my teeth, and boil the water with my rage.

--Chuck Norris
Can you come to work my espresso bar for a party I'm hosting tomorrow night? I'm offering free Cheetos and Chex-Mix if that will help.
</chortle>

You or erik82...
but Erik, if you come - bring the HG-One please :lol:

User avatar
peacecup
Posts: 3649
Joined: 19 years ago

#32: Post by peacecup »

Of course this thread had to come eventually.

I've never even seen a real Pharos or HG, but I've ground some 10,000 shots of espresso by hand. I personally find holding a hand grinder between the knees far more comfortable than grinding on the counter. In my opinion, the burgeoning high-end hand grinder market is ripe for a lap mill.

Peace
LMWDP #049
Hand-ground, hand-pulled: "hands down.."

User avatar
galumay
Posts: 341
Joined: 15 years ago

#33: Post by galumay »

TomC wrote: Many people have posted that using the Pharos is either awkward, uncomfortable, or it hurts their hands after a brief bit of use. Several people have posted that they've had issues with the grinder losing its grind setting and being tricky to dial back in to a set spot it was previously on a consistent basis, without modifying the grinder with aftermarket parts that add up the costs. These opinions and assessments by various users should be taken into account by the OP of this thread or anyone else considering a manual grinder.
Tom, as one of the very few people who actually have and use both, i would have to say you are going a bit far there!

The Pharos is not awkward, uncomfortable or painful! As I said in my original reply, its slightly harder to use than the HG-One - the point of distinction for me being the fact that my wife always found the Pharos physically a bit too difficult to turn, compared to the HG-One she uses every day.

Adjustment is equally easy on either grinder, although i also think this is drifting off topic in talking about the ergonomics.

My sense is that the OP was asking about the effort to grind using both of the grinders, simple fact is the HG-One requires less effort. (providing you are right handed).

A few people have mentioned the portability of the Pharos, which while not relevant to the OP's question of ergonomics, is a point of difference, one solution to that is the combination of an HG-One for home and a Lido for travelling. Thats exactly the setup I have for my Caravel when we go on holidays.

Perhaps its worth closing with the thought that as an owner of an HG-One, Pharos, Lido and K10, the only grinder not currently in use is the K10.
LMWDP #322 i started with nothing.........i still have most of it.

User avatar
TomC
Team HB
Posts: 10535
Joined: 13 years ago

#34: Post by TomC »

I'm certainly not "going too far" by simply citing what others have clearly said in the past, and going from first hand experience. When I used the Pharos, about the first thought that went thru my mind is "I'd hate to have use this daily as my grinder". And this was a year and a half before I ever laid hands on a HG-One. On the Pharos, I could never find a comfortable place to rest my supporting hand. I think I stopped and started at least 3 different times trying to rearrange where and how I held it down so it didn't squirrel around. I had to bang and rattle it just to get the coffee out. Oh, yeah, on that version, the bowl that came stock on it had to be almost pried out of the bottom to get to the coffee, then the coffee had to be funneled into a basket. It produced a wonderful grind, albeit with too much effort to do so.

I'm glad to hear once again that you own them both. Doesn't change anything when it comes to evaluating them. I've used them both and own the clear better of the two.

I'm skeptical of handedness making a difference on the HG-One, unlike what you claimed, since I'm left handed, and have no issues at all rotating the HG-One.
Join us and support Artisan Roasting Software=https://artisan-scope.org/donate/

Seacoffee
Posts: 338
Joined: 12 years ago

#35: Post by Seacoffee »

Well I use an unmodded Pharos every day. It find it easy to grind with it on the counter using the standard rubber mat. I empty in a small plastic cup and then into the basket with OE funnel then use slapshot. No RDT or WDT. Very consistent pours every time.

da gino
Posts: 677
Joined: 16 years ago

#36: Post by da gino »

For those that have used hand grinders before, but not the Pharos, it is worth pointing out that you don't have to be super strong to use it. I think it is probably pretty typical or slightly on the easy side to use, but I've never found a hand grinder that seemed like it ground itself with no work. That is part of the charm.

I think a (more) interesting thread would be one on how the taste of the coffee from the two compares!

User avatar
TomC
Team HB
Posts: 10535
Joined: 13 years ago

#37: Post by TomC »

They'll taste indistinguishable. They're both titan grade conical burrs.
Join us and support Artisan Roasting Software=https://artisan-scope.org/donate/

User avatar
galumay
Posts: 341
Joined: 15 years ago

#38: Post by galumay »

TomC wrote: I'm glad to hear once again that you own them both. Doesn't change anything when it comes to evaluating them.
Seriously? I reckon it changes everything. My evaluation of either the HG-One or the Pharos would be quite different if I had not owned them and used them for extensive periods of time. Using one or both once and evaluating them is hardly going to allow an informed review or comparison.
LMWDP #322 i started with nothing.........i still have most of it.

_OlTimer
Posts: 54
Joined: 11 years ago

#39: Post by _OlTimer »

Several posts in this thread come close to bashing the Pharos, which I find to be a fine grinder and feel compelled to defend it. I am using mine stock and have no discomfort, trauma or emotional distress in using it.

I'll soon be 64, but think I can still manage to crank this beast for a while longer! :lol:

I read all I could find comparing the 2 grinders discussed here and chose the Pharos for space considerations, portability and value.

I'm quite pleased with my choice. I believe the HG One is a fine machine as well, and likely easier to crank, and readily accept the fact that some will like it better.

Javier
Posts: 649
Joined: 18 years ago

#40: Post by Javier »

Seacoffee wrote:It find it easy to grind with it on the counter using the standard rubber mat. I empty in a small plastic cup and then into the basket with OE funnel then use slapshot. No RDT or WDT. Very consistent pours every time.
+2
LMWDP #115