I would just be happy with the Mahlgut Dozer & Buzzer...

It appears my ideas didn't have the aha reaction I was hoping for - oh well. Good luck!

Hi Fausto, I like the idea of putting one of these in the grinder spout:


but in the portafilter itself, I think it'd just cause local compaction zones in the basket.

Here is my Ultimate WDT tool

My ultimate WDT tool is the LW Blind Shaker.

decent_espresso wrote:I can tell you that in most cases WDT makes things much worse than nothing at all.
...
With all the tools tried above, WDT consistently made worse shots than nothing at all.
...
Now, as far as WDT tool goes, I've found that a single dissecting needle tends to create areas of local compaction and more chanelling.

These claims run counter to my experience. As far as tools go, a dissecting needle has always worked very well in my hands. I fail to see how you can create compaction by stirring with a needle - unless you are deliberately trying to create an uneven distribution.

The rationale for stirring is straightforward:
If you have a clumpy grind, breaking up clumps improves the likelihood of an even distribution. And even if you don't, not every dose will drop evenly from the grinder into the basket. Some grinders are better than others in this regard, and "paying attention to the landing" helps. But a short stir to redistribute grounds in the basket is a simple, nearly foolproof way to ensure an even distribution.

If you can find a better way, more power to you.

RapidCoffee wrote:These claims run counter to my experience. As far as tools go, a dissecting needle has always worked very well in my hands. I fail to see how you can create compaction by stirring with a needle - unless you are deliberately trying to create an uneven distribution.

Hi John, thanks for weighing in.

Are you using a bottomless portafilter? I agree with your premise that a dissecting needle should help, and breaking up clumps is good, but I'm going by the observed results of WDT with a dissecting needle (that's what I use) and with a bottomless portafilter I experience more channeling with that implementation of WDT.

I always use a bottomless portafilter, and (very) seldom have issues with channeling. Granted, a Robur helps. But WDT certainly does not hurt.

Here is a typical pour. Check previous Favorite Espresso Blend reviews for more.

RapidCoffee wrote:I always use a bottomless portafilter, and (very) seldom have issues with channeling. Granted, a Robur helps. But WDT certainly does not hurt.

Ah ha, I think the difference is that your Robur is getting your puck into good shape (low clumping) whereas I'm trying various inexpensive grinders that are prone to clumping, and using WDT to repair that.

What's interesting to me is that dumping the grinds into a container, shaking and pouring them back into the portafilter (through a funnel) results in a very good shot. However, WDT doesn't manage to get a good shot from those grinders.

I might be asking too much of WDT

decent_espresso wrote:Ah ha, I think the difference is that your Robur is getting your puck into good shape (low clumping) whereas I'm trying various inexpensive grinders that are prone to clumping, and using WDT to repair that.

What's interesting to me is that dumping the grinds into a container, shaking and pouring them back into the portafilter (through a funnel) results in a very good shot. However, WDT doesn't manage to get a good shot from those grinders.

I developed the WDT to get good bottomless pours from a ghetto-hacked doserless Super Jolly, a real clump monster. There is no doubt that it helped. What grinders are you using?