the quest looks like the best value in the small roaster arena.

java_hound wrote:I currently roast 30-60 lb./week on a 1 lb. Sono, and while it does take a while, it is most certainly do-able. I would strongly recommend getting a stainless probe though - the ceramic ones cannot be cleaned easily, and thus you get darker and darker coffee the more you use it. You can use any 1000ohm platinum RTD probe (aftermarket), or if you upgrade to the 2014 ADR, it comes with one with the upgrade kit. (i haven't upgraded yet, so i cant vouch for its effectiveness/cleanability)

Nice! Can you tell me where I can get an aftermarket RTD probe? I can't afford the new ADR upgrades and my machine will need some refurbing before I get it anyways. I have only put maybe 20-30 lb on my current ceramic probe. Did you have to mod it or were you able to fit the new probe where the old one is?

Burner0000 wrote:The Artisian V roaster can do up to 5 lb per batch. I think they have added a PID for custom roasting too. Only $3,500.
https://www.coffeecrafters.com/

That website is like watching an infomercial on cable.

Yeah I noticed that too.

A shop in my area started roasting, and bought what appears to be a USRC 3k and a quest as a sample roaster.

I think it is hard to beat a HotTop for value and function. I have upgraded the main board on my old original D model machine. Thousands of roasts and around 8 years of non stop use and it is still going strong.

pacificmanitou wrote:A shop in my area started roasting, and bought what appears to be a USRC 3k and a quest as a sample roaster.

The Quest is a very common sample roaster for larger professional roasters. Not so much because it's features are better, but because it's reliable, and repeatable with little fuss. Highwire Roasters uses theirs bone stock, with a 100g charge, fan and heat maxed until the coffee hits a cupping roast, then dumps. When you're just looking to reveal what the bean characteristics are, you don't need fancy and you don't want fussy, you just want something that will do the same thing and won't break on you in 6 months.

Burner0000 wrote:Nice! Can you tell me where I can get an aftermarket RTD probe? I can't afford the new ADR upgrades and my machine will need some refurbing before I get it anyways. I have only put maybe 20-30 lb on my current ceramic probe. Did you have to mod it or were you able to fit the new probe where the old one is?

The probe is a RTD-870-1000 OHMS from http://www.omega.com/pptst/RTD-870_RTD-880.html make sure you get the 1000 ohm model, a 100 ohm will not work. You will have to drill a small hole for the probe, it is externally mounted for easy clean-ability. I started out with soldered leads, but for the last few months I've been using red posi-lock 18-24 ga. connectors to splice the probe wires to the sonofresco leads. (You can get a 5 pack on eBay for $10, they are definitely worth it compared to the soldering option). Note that using these probes will probably void your warranty if you have one, as they are not OEM parts. I used a silicone grommet in the hole to isolate my probe from the hot walls of the exhaust tube. I cannot claim to have come up with this probe idea, I saw someone else do it here first: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7495979@N0 ... 344142544/


edit: You might want to put a silicone boot on the end of the probe where the wires come out for strain relief - otherwise the wires could break there if you remove the probe a lot.