I'm about to buy a new tamper (old one is flat bottom; want to buy convex) and I'm wondering if folks here ever use the automatic ones that click when you hit 30 lbs. At first it sounded hokey, but when I thought about improving consistency of tamp...well...

Send me the $60.
It'll do as as much for your espresso.
If you have a tamper close to your basket diameter, you're done.

Concentrate on distribution to the point that you can pull shots with no tamp.

i was having these same feelings back around the SCAA event in Houston. I really wanted an Espro click Tamper ( Red 57mm) to fit my Cimbali Jr. i even tried to get a deal on the show floor on sunday but the deals were stiff and i really wanted a good deal since the Espro tamper ended up not fitting in my hand as comfortably as i was dreaming it would ... I ended up convincing myself i had upgrade-itis and didnt buy anything. I still want a new tamper but i pull great shots now with my old flat bottom, solid steel (uh, its probably solid aluminum ), and un-attractive tamper.

I wish you luck on your tamper quest

I used a one-piece aluminum tamper for nearly ten years. Got hold of an Espro click tamper - both flat 58mm. Like the mass, and it fits my hand nicely. I like the contour of the handle, but I think that is like getting new shoes. Give them a week and the old shoes feel funny now.

I think the effect of the calibrated 30 pound tamp is relative to the grind and how much treatment your dose gets before tamping. For me (stock double basket and Kony grinder). This morning, it just so happens, after tamping as I normally do (with just a leveling of the grounds before tamping - no other manipulation of the grounds to speak of), after the "click" I wondered what would happen if I tamped harder? Nothing. At thirty pounds the coffee did not perceptibly compress any further. I just now checked the calibration and it is still right at 30 pounds.

So, if you are an experienced barista (home or otherwise) I would say that the calibrated tamper is nice, but probably not necessary.

In my experience, grind is a lot more important than tamp. Also, in many cases, you'll find that sometimes the tamping pressure that works best is quite a bit lighter than you think. On my La Pavoni, for example, I probably only tamp 5 to 10 lbs max.

A super hard tamp generally just promotes channeling, while not really solving many other issues. Like I say, most of the magic happens in the grind, not the tamp. Grind is like 90% of it and tamp is maybe only 10% fine tuning (if that). I mean, sure, you have to have a good solid tamp. But it really should be a feel that you develop, not just a blind 30 lb click from some tamper.

Get yourself a good Reg Barber tamper and learn how to use it by feel. You'll be happy you did.

As mentioned above, having the proper tamper diameter is far more important in practical application.

Ray

The click tamps are nice training aids but I don't think I would want one for daily use. Beyond that, a tamper is a tamper. They all do the same job regardless of what they are made of. The important thing is to get a reasonably well fitted tamper (custom sized to the 0.xx of an inch is overkill) and a handle that fits your hand. Beyond that, it is all esthetics. I use a regular Reg 58mm piston and turn a handle to match whatever wood I have on the machine at that time.

I was thinking about an auto tamper a few weeks ago also.

But now I use the tamper on my Mazzer doser and I noticed no difference in espresso quality.

Maybe tamping is overrated?