AssafL wrote:The OP seems to really like the roaster as do others - so my guess is that they have QA issues as quality is hit/miss. The question is how well Aillio handles it.

If you are a laggard sit back and enjoy how idiotic "crash and burn" early adopters are - but if you are an early adopter (like me) sit on the edge of your seat and root for Aillio to do the right thing and convert those "disappointed" early adopters into brand ambassadors.

+1 Well said

On the note of product development, the range of Huky owners (now well over a thousand) have seen quite a few of them. I saw a picture over at the Huky forum of the very first Huky 300 (serial # 001)... Well, I do recognize the shape and the cover plate. Apart from that it's a very different roaster. (I'll see if I can get permission to post that picture over here too, as it's very cool.)
The Huky is put together with various off-the-shelf parts but it's basically a very simple roaster, compared to the much more hitech Bullet. Let's hope that the Allio team sorts out the quirks as they appear, as the Bullet is a very appealing roaster for the home roaster.

I have not experienced any real issues with mine, I'm impressed with the build quality and it's performance so far. The software had a couple bugs initialy but that has since been sorted out, not that I won't expect more. Aillio is actively working on improvements to the firmware and software based on user feedback and they are responsive to user inquireies and issues. My biggest issue is just learning how to roast with it and that would be the same whether I had bought a Bullet or North or Santoker.

I've been roasting the past two years on a DIY bread machine roaster documented HERE. With that setup, after standardizing on a batch size I really only had one variable to adjust. Could I repeat the same roast twice? No. Could I coax the maximum out of any given bean? No. Did I consistently turn out great tasting coffee? Absolutely. I'm hoping to do at least the same with the Bullet, at larger batch sizes but I also gain more advanced features and greater control, provided I put the time in learning how to use it. Right now I feel like the high school football star who's PO'd because he doesn't get to start in his freshman year at college.

Even my first roasts on the Bullet were at least drinkable, but all so far have been a little too light and bright for my taste. Unfortunately since I'm roasting larger batch sizes now I'm not roasting as often, so progress is a little slow. I'm guessing that the majority of people on the User Forum are like me, hobbyists coming from bread machines and poppers with a number of Hottop and Quest owners all trying to figure out how to drive this roaster as well as learn more advanced roasting techniques in general. Not a lot a talk about what's in the cup because for a lot of us it's simply not that great yet, but that is not necessarily the fault of the machine. There are a lot of "profile" posts because people (primarily amateurs) are trying to figure this stuff out and find something that works.

To the best of my knowledge the "Aillio R1 Bullet User Group" is not an Aillio officially sanctioned forum, although they do post there. It is closed because that is what the forum admins decided, presumably because they were getting a lot of spam from new Facebook accounts. I know I joined Facebook only because of the user group. There is an official Aillio Facebook page and that is not closed.

My experience with user forums like the Bullet user group is that by and large most people post because they are having an issue. For everyone that posts a problem you never hear from the ten that don't. It's the nature of the beast. There have been various issues with loose set screws and drum shims that needed tweaked, the drive motor coming loose is about the worst I've seen so far. Nothing yet that would suggest to me major widespread quality control issues, not that there won't be any or that the roaster will really deliver as promised, but it's still very early in the game. I do look forward to some "pro" reviews.

I would say that the the biggest unexpected negative has to do with the maintenance of the IR window. I can see where that can be a deal breaker and hopefully they will come up with a solution. But to be fair, if you have at least a little mechanical skill after you do it once or twice it really only takes ten minutes to do. If you have small hands and some dexterity you don't even have to disassemble. I'm thinking the hour time frame mentioned earlier was in regards to swapping out panels to add the trier. Regardless, this is a weak point in the design.

The chaff filter is another PITA part of the design that requires frequent cleaning and I know they are actively working on a solution for that.

Additionally, there is an issue when the front panel is set to display in Fahrenheit you cannot change some settings via the front panel. Aillio is looking into that as well. The software on the PC works fine in Fahrenheit.

None of these things prevent me from using the roaster.

All in all I have not encountered anything that I did not expect as an early adopter. Aillio is responsive to customer and technical issues and continues to improve the design. At this point I remain optimistic and right now the biggest challenge to producing great coffee is my own lack of roasting experience and the need to spend more time with this roaster in particular.

I received my Bullet R1 this week and so far am liking it a lot! It's a huge upgrade from the former roaster, Behmor 1600+, where I am able to roast larger quantities and in much less time. It took a bit getting used to but I'm starting to get the hang of it and have completed some pretty decent initial roasts. The included software could use some updates but I understand updates are already in the works.

This machine has the updated bean probes to maintain consistency and also includes the trier which is a nice feature. I've enjoyed the 7+ roasts completed so far and am looking forward to perfecting profiles in the future.

It has been ten days since my R1 arrived. After four seasoning roasts and five regular roasts I am, like others, getting the hang of it. I am amazed how evenly it roasts. I'm coming from a Hottop so my only regret is that I don't get to roast as often. Once my roast are above average I plan to shower my relatives and friends with roasted beans. I just love roasting in my man cave.

I have had the Aillio Bullet for 3.5 months or so, and have roasted ~20 roasts on it. I am also the person who started the Facebook group. The roasts have been very even, with lots of control. Lots of "control" also means lots of opportunity for under and over-shoot, and there is definitely a learning curve. It took me a while to learn the software, get the right USB cord (worth getting a high quality one), and figure out when and how to clean the filter and IR window.

The purpose of the group is for early adopters to exchange their experiences. This machine isn't a push button, automatic roaster. You need to be willing to use tools and make adjustments occasionally. That being said, I fire it up and roast without any fuss almost every time. The "negative" stuff on the FB group is almost all problem solving and sharing of experiences, as the manual still needs some work. That being said - the large majority of owners are thrilled with this machine.

The pros - a fairly portable (basement to kitchen hood for me), highly controllable roaster with a trier and built in computer control/logging that roasts up to 1 kg. I go through 1 kg in 2 weeks or so, which means I can roast every other week and have great espresso every day. I wouldn't have been happy with roasting 350g - 400g on the various alternatives, and I don't have a dedicated spot for the 1 kg gas/electric machines.

The cons - a little quirky (what, and who isn't?) in places, some frequent/inconvenient cleaning.

I've got one of these roasters. Graduated from my hottop for larger batches, and to save time. Was taking an hour to get enough roasted beans out of my hottop to last me a week, about 190-195g finished beans per roast.

I've certainly not mastered the bullet yet, but have had some spectacular coffee from it. Still trying to find the sweet spot in terms of how much to roast at once to balance my time and consumption and figure out the best charge temps for that amount (suggestions are given in the manual). Also still haven't figured out the software, having become accustomed to artisan.

Hearing the sounds of 1C is a challenge, but some have posted solutions on FB. Keeping the IR window clean I'm still working on. I think it should be possible to perform cleaning without any disassembly, and with some inexpensive gear can be inspected to ensure it has been done properly.

TD

Four months now with the R1. No issues. Company is great in constantly perfecting machine. Thirty roasts now. My main taster, my wife loves the product. Continual software updates keep improving the included program. It may soon exceed Artisan in capability.

I, too, am 4 months in roasting with this roaster and over 200 lbs roasted. I've created several roast profiles for various beans and have consistent results. I'm roasting an average of 50 lbs/month with normal maintenance and Aillio have made updates to the software and a lot of firmware upgrades which constantly improve roasting...especially when roasting back-to-back. I'm waiting for the updated chaff filter to arrive in the mail which will mean less time wasted on maintenance between roasts.

Looking forward to future updates in the years to come!

Just wanted to share that I received my R1 a few days ago. The facebook group and this thread had a lot to do with helping me make the decision to make the purchase. Here's to having less space in my kitchen. Hooray!