I removed the large hopper from the interlock color on the Kony tonight. The retaining tabs were a pain to get pried up over the retaining lip. I have taken the hoppers off both machines and have a 58mm tamper sitting in the throat of both machines. Removing the hopper makes the machines much more manageable.



The added extension on the Kony holds quite a bit of coffee. I will weight out the amount next time I fill it. The grind has tightened up substantially over the previous day. Same coffee but I had to adjust the grind color from 2, too near the start here sticker, strange.



When dosing, I like to move my portafilter around to evenly dose into the basket. That works well with a bottomless portafilter, but a spouted PF clunks around on the portafilter fork on the grinders. I noticed the mount screws on the forks are slotted so they can be lowered just a little, about 1/8 inch. So I decided to unscrew them and move the fork down as far as the mount will allow. I kept thinking 'boy these are long screws' then I hear the dreaded 'tink!'. Apparently, those are not threaded/taped screws and the backing nuts fell down in the case. I guess I get to pull the covers off the Kony this weekend.

I believe the hopper from my Mazzer Mini will drop onto both machines. I will try to remember to bring it home from work (the Mini and Isomac are my office kit) and verify that they fit. The grinders just look funny sitting there with the tamper on top, and it gets to be a pain constantly filling the grinder throat after every grind session. Remember the Kony likes to have some pressure to keep the beans feeding and grinding uniformly.

I usually keep about a quarter pound in the hoppers on my personal machines. They look like shrunken head dolls sitting there with those little tamper handles sticking up. A little espresso voodoo doll.

cannonfodder wrote:I kept thinking 'boy these are long screws' then I hear the dreaded 'tink!'. Apparently, those are not threaded/taped screws and the backing nuts fell down in the case. I guess I get to pull the covers off the Kony this weekend.

As I read this I said to myself "no, don't do this, I've already made this mistake with mine". 'Tink', oops cannonfodder, too late... Oh well, people will want to see the "insides" anyway... Besides, it will be a good time to do "surgery" on the hopper fill switch...

k7qz wrote:As I read this I said to myself "no, don't do this, I've already made this mistake with mine". 'Tink', oops cannonfodder, too late... Oh well, people will want to see the "insides" anyway... Besides, it will be a good time to do "surgery" on the hopper fill switch...

The level of modding at this point seems a bit over the top. What are the boundary conditions imposed on the tests? Seems to me that the folks using them have little experience with them and are trying things willy nilly. I can tell you that both the Kony and the Robur like having some beans in the hopper. And the hopper fill switch is a non-issue for each grinder since there is a manual override.

Are we testing grinders, or are we testing modded grinders, or are we just modding grinders?

-Greg

I wanted to pull the covers to see what makes it tick anyway. I am actually enjoying not having the portafilter fork on the machine. I find them more annoying than helpful.

When I dose, I do not simply twist the portafilter from left to right, but move it in a circular motion so the doses throw along the sides of the basket leaving a low spot in the center. Then I just level off the high points. Then one tap down onto the tamping stand to settle the grounds and smash it with the fancy hammer. That is how I work a below the rim dose. Sounds like another video opportunity.

gscace wrote:The level of modding at this point seems a bit over the top. What are the boundary conditions imposed on the tests? Seems to me that the folks using them have little experience with them and are trying things willy nilly. I can tell you that both the Kony and the Robur like having some beans in the hopper. And the hopper fill switch is a non-issue for each grinder since there is a manual override.

Are we testing grinders, or are we testing modded grinders, or are we just modding grinders?

-Greg

I do not consider removing the finger guard, running the machine without a hopper or adjusting something as simple as the doser fork to be modifying. Others have modified their grinders and documented the process which is why I have not changed the doser pressure switch and pointed out that there is an override.

Anything that would alter the grind would obviously be off limits, or anything that could be considered a permanent change, like cutting wires and bypassing switches. Just as the other buyers guides refrain from making any permanent or extreme changes. However a little experimentation is always acceptable, i.e., changing steam tips to check performance, adjusting pstats, OPV's, removing finger guards to clean out chutes, removing hoppers so they will fit under a kitchen cabinet etc.

In addition to real lab work, this is part buyer's guide. I doubt the average home user would keep a 5 pound hopper on top of the machine if it was not needed, and if it is would want to know that prior to purchasing one. I was not, so I post it for others knowledge. In regard to experience with the grinders, no we do not have experience with them which is why the bench thread is formatted in more of a blog fashion. Documenting what we find as we go and doing it in a relatively logical manner. Then in the final guide, the facts and experiences are condensed into a summery document with reference back to the bench thread for further elaboration. We are at week 2 of a 12+ week review, there is much more to come. Hopefully there will be a little to everyone's likening.

I love "The Bench", and even more the TGP.

cannonfodder wrote:I removed the large hopper from the interlock color on the Kony tonight. The retaining tabs were a pain to get pried up over the retaining lip.

cannonfodder wrote:In addition to real lab work, this is part buyer's guide. I doubt the average home user would keep a 5 pound hopper on top of the machine if it was not needed, and if it is would want to know that prior to purchasing one. I was not, so I post it for others knowledge. <snip> Documenting what we find as we go and doing it in a relatively logical manner.

For the buyers, how did you pry up the retaining lips?
--
Danny

gscace wrote:Are we testing grinders, or are we testing modded grinders, or are we just modding grinders?

-Greg

You guys are testing grinders, I just using one... Sure is nice to have that silly flapper vane and switch out of the way though. Makes it way easier to clean the grind chamber exit chute as well. I'd bet most home users will end up doing this "mod", hence it's reasonable to mention. For me and my situation at home, it was well worth the 15 minutes of work, but you're right Greg- the point of such testing is to document objective differences in the cup between these contenders for the title of "Grinder King".

For the buyers, how did you pry up the retaining lips?

Flat blade screwdriver placed under the retaining snap clip, slight rotational twist of the screwdriver blade and the clips break off cleanly at their base. The "stock" hopper will then lift easily out of the collar.

FWIW, I did not break the tabs off but pried them up just enough to get the hopper off. If I had to break them I would not have removed it.

Greg has a valid point for the testing. The machines should be tested in their original condition and I will go back to that. But if it were my grinder in my home, the cutoff plate, finger guard and hopper would go. I would keep with the short Mazzer Mini hopper.

I'm glad you all have caught on the the conical burr craze - it began around 1900 in Germany or thereabouts, if I'm not mistaken, with machines that looked like this:



or this:



Some of us still prefer the "strong, silent type" - no worries about rpm's here. Incidentally, these burrs will last GENERATIONS of home use - witness the 1940's PEDE I use that still produces fine, even, unclumped grind.

But seriously, when the time comes to do blind taste tests and statistics, be careful of what's called the "illusion of technique". Remember that an individual's taste preferences can be confounded by an awful lot of variables, e.g. what they had for breakfast, their mood, local aromas, etc. Compound this with the variation in extraction due to grind, dose, tamp, and bean (freshness, roast, growing conditions, etc). Its just as easy to fall into the trap of believing that "the stats told us so", as it is in believing the large body of professed opinions available on the internet.

PC