neutro wrote:I'm using the Vario since last December and I must say going from finer to coarser is an exercise in frustration for me.

This was similar to my experience as well with the Vario.

Other grinders that use a more robust adjustment system don't have this problem in my experience. Some may be a bit challenging to adjust or lock into place, but most aren't as fiddly and adjust in the direction you'd expect. Purging is only to get rid of coffee that's the old particle size and not because the adjustment is squishy or springy in some way.

A forte or other grinder I think is the answer if it really bothers you.

boar_d_laze wrote: Why you had problems grinding for FP, I don't know.

I'm sorry that I hijacked the OP's thread with my (similar) issues -- this adds to the confusion. OP's indeed wanted to use the vario for much coarser grind.

I myself just want to do espresso and adjust grind for new beans. The past few days were a nightmare -- my long rant above (sorry about that) illustrate this I guess. This morning I got myself a bag of Metropolis Red Line Espresso, 11 days post-roast (the best I could do where I live) but that should be okay since the roaster recommends 5-12 days of rest. Anyway, I just wasted the whole 3/4 lbs bag trying to adjust the grind. This time I had to go finer and was finally able to get something manageable when out of frustration I tried setting 1-A (which is supposed to be well after the grinder's zero). Now the grinder seems to be "relaxing" or whatever and I'm slowly backing out to 1-C, 1-D. I only have a few shots of Red Line left though.

This time I tried doing all adjustments with the hopper full and always while grinding (previously, the grinder was on but since I was single-dosing the hopper was empty). Obviously it doesn't seem to help. I'm beginning to look for my options here in terms of a new grinder but the funds are low and I'm not sure if returning the Vario would be possible (I doubt this will be accepted under warranty -- there is no failure of a component per se).

The Quamar doesn't have any reputation as a brew grinder that I know of. You might try calling 1st Line or WLL.

Yeah this is part of the confusion I induced; sorry. I talked about the Quamar M80E because 1) I myself am only interested in espresso for this grinder and 2) it's supposed to be roughly equivalent to the Vario in terms of grind quality and a bargain considering the quality of build and current price. I was thinking my next grinder would be my "dream grinder" but the circa $2k price point is not really accessible for me.

A two grinder setup absorbs a lot of space and money, but this is HB.

Yeah I agree and that's what I use (and what I'd do if I was the OP). I have a Virtuoso for moka pot & drip, and the Vario for espresso.

Never had an issue changing grind settings on the Virtuso though

One of my most memorable moments is the first time I purchased your Vario W grinder (good espresso pulled but so much frustration to get it to work without calling Baratza). I felt the happiest when I sold it on ebay and upgraded it to a Mahlkonig Pro M Espresso Grinder. I still miss the Vario weighing feature but the performance of my new grinder as well as preservation of mental sanity are what I currently enjoy the most.

My advice: upgrade if and when you can.

neutro wrote:I'm using the Vario since last December and I must say going from finer to coarser is an exercise in frustration for me.

The point about the burrs having to settle seems to be right on but I have now idea how it works out internally or why so much coffee has to be wasted when going coarser; and 25g is nowhere near what I experienced. It was at least 200g if not more this morning.

My understanding is that the burr carrier rests on the platform that's adjusting the height by the levers so when you change the adjustment to grind finer you are pushing the lower burr closer to the upper burr but when you are coarsening up the grind you are lowering the supports and relying on gravity to lower the burr and increase the gap. More like the shaft of the lower burr carrier goes down through the large drive gear and rests on something that is adjusted up and down.

Since I single dose and switch from espresso to pour-over, I like to take the adjustment coarser with the motor running and lower the macro lever all the way down and then back up giving the lower burr the chance to drop sufficiently so that I know that I'll be pushing it up to the desired setting.

If your burr is not dropping down your grinder may need cleaning. You could also take the hopper off and push down on the burr with a chopstick to increase the separation.

You know, I do the same thing. I didn't know the whys of it, but that's what I've been doing. I grind for espresso and Aeropress.

I had a pretty good idea of how it worked, but this video starting at about 9:00 explains the hexagonal hole on the main drive pulley and how the shaft of the lower burr sets down inside the hexagonal hole.