Hello all
i have a Mazzer mini, was new maybe 8 years ago
i grind about 1 pound per week over that entire time, it seems to be working fine but i assume the burrs
or other parts will not last forever

when is it due for maintenance (I don't want to do it myself) and what are the signs ?
tx
ds

Erratic changes in the grind
and having to go finer and finer
you can also remove them and feel the sharpness by going against the cut of the burr with your finger or nail
you can do a deep cleaning of the doser

It should certainly grind more than 400 pounds. Have you noticed any change in grind speed or change in it's output quality? Maybe it just needs a thorough cleaning?

If you have any questions, just replace the burrs and see. You can certainly do this yourself.

In the 6 or so years I had my Rocky I changed the burrs twice, about every two to three years or so. I estimate that about 75 pounds or so went through each set, but I never kept track. It could have been less... or more. I have never read what the actual rating on those burrs is, but based on my experience it is probalby no more than about 75 pounds, tops. With each time I changed the burrs the performance of the grinder was noticeably improved with each change. Why? For one set, some of the coffee I ground was Yemen, and the Yemen concrete drying pads are (were) disintegrating so bits of concrete did get ground at times. For more of that same coffee I would gladly sacrifice another set of burrs. It could also be a factor of the qualtiy of the burrs and the hardness of the alloy used or its heat treating (all sets were genuine Rancilio burrs). I don't know.

The bottom line is that your burrs are at a point that you have little to lose by changing them. Worst case is that you see no difference, and just keep the old ones as the spares. best case is that you have a new grinder which you won't have to worry about for another 6 years or so.

thanks everybody for the comments and help
it is nice hear an actual number like 660 lbs
i don't have a manual
how involved is it to change the burrs, do they come with instructions?
if it weren't for the weight i would rather send it somewhere
of course then there is the downtime too

i am getting some oblique angle thin squirting sprays out of the bottom of my bottomless portafilter, think that could be related ?
ds

HB wrote:One pound a week for 8 years is more than 400 pounds. Unless the burrs feel sharp as Stefano suggests, I'd replace them.

Dan, OK, that would be 416 pounds. He has another 3 years to go.

If you think that the grinding is good dont bother . If you are afraid of no grinder for a time just order burrs and let them sit until your grinding is not good. Even though a replacement after 8 years is not a bad choice,maybe your standards lowered parallel with burr deterioration.

Most pros I've spoken to suggest changing burrs when they reach half their rated life. It's a complete pain in the butt to blind compare old and new burrs, so I don't have any hard data to support this.

HB wrote:I replace burrs at the halfway point, so by my standards, he's two years late.

Ditto that, to maintain really good grind 200lb for mini and also agree with Randy's 75lb (100max) for Rocky. SJ 400 Major 600lb max... Sure they'll grind double that as rated by mfg life, but by then shots gradually become dull and lifeless.