caffeineme wrote: With the Barista spaNoticed that the Barista space one is hollow in the middle, so that doesn't negate the coffee grind issue.

Just curious, do you know how heavy the Barista space version is? Also, how tall is it? TIA.

The Barista Space stand weighs 465 grams, is 2.75" Tall x 3.69" diameter. I needed a stand with a small footprint. I use a LW Blind shaker to weigh and then drop coffee into an OE tall funnel on the portafilter. My WDT is a bamboo flag skewer ...... also doubles as a precise spatula to remove any excess ground coffee before the drop.


My WDT! It works great, price was great as well! The cup on the grinder is a Japanese 1 Guo rice cup, I use it to catch the initial purged ground coffee each morning.

If my knockbox could also function as the tamping cradle, I think that might be ideal for me.

Davidm wrote:You may want to consider using a funnel so that grinds don't go everywhere. I wdt with the funnel in place and also tap the portafilter down on the decent stand (once again with funnel in place) to settle grinds before tamping.

To me mess is missing grinds in the basket and I want none of that.

David, not sure if you're referring to me, but I do have a Decent funnel, along with their tamper, basket, etc...

Hoping to find a tamp station where I can catch the fresh grinds from PF during tamping. Could be a futile effort though....

caffeineme wrote:Hoping to find a tamp station where I can catch the fresh grinds from PF during tamping. Could be a futile effort though....

I hesitate to say this, but IMHO it is futile. Finely ground coffee is like pixie dust - it's very hard to avoid spreading it around over time, no matter how careful you are. I've got a cradle rather like the Decent, only inverted, in the sense that the top is rubber - better for protecting the p/f and tamper - and the lower shelf is stainless steel. I wash it off from time to time. If you're looking to avoid mess then that Barista Space version looks like it might suit, but I suspect that it will only slow down the spread of pixie dust, rather than entirely prevent it.

gunda wrote:I hesitate to say this, but IMHO it is futile. Finely ground coffee is like pixie dust - it's very hard to avoid spreading it around over time, no matter how careful you are.......... but I suspect that it will only slow down the spread of pixie dust, rather than entirely prevent it.

I agree whole heartedly, I think the "pixie dust" is the price of admission to espresso! But nothing like hitting the handle of a portafilter full of fresh ground coffee and flipping it over while groggy in the morning........ #$%!*

Mike, just curious, would your bottomless PF balance on the Barista Space tamper station without your OE funnel? I have a bottomless PF and a Decent funnel, but I think the OE one is probably heavier.

I use the ECM cradle - very sturdy and works great. DecentEspresso makes quality, extremely well thought out stuff - I use their baskets, funnel, portafilter stand, digital thermometer and V2 tamper. If I was short on space I would take a hard look at their tamping cradle.

caffeineme wrote:Mike, just curious, would your bottomless PF balance on the Barista Space tamper station without your OE funnel? I have a bottomless PF and a Decent funnel, but I think the OE one is probably heavier.

I just tried it, my bottomless portafilter will sit unaided in the Barista Space station. Empty with no coffee or funnel it does not sit "down" completely into the station as it does when full with funnel. However, I could not tip it out by just bumping it. To flip it out you would have to hit the handle hard which would happen with any station. As others have said the Decent products are great, and they ship fast. I placed an order for one of their thermometers and some coffee books Friday and UPS is set to deliver tomorrow...... FROM HONG KONG! Barista Space ships fast too, but not that fast. I think you will be very happy with any of the three stations talked about. Buy something and try it, if you don't like it sell it here. There is no one perfect setup for everybody, you will pick, keep, and use what works for you. And your tools will change, mine are still changing.

Thought I'd post this.... decided to just go with a Decent cradle instead. Purchased the "defect" version, but looked perfect to me. Couldn't find any....

Along with my Hario scale, PF, and funnel, height works out great! I use my thumb to hit the button on my Specialita for activation.

caffeineme wrote:Thought I'd post this.... decided to just go with a Decent cradle instead. Purchased the "defect" version, but looked perfect to me. Couldn't find any....

Along with my Hario scale, PF, and funnel, height works out great! I use my thumb to hit the button on my Specialita for activation.

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That looks great together! Glad you found the solution that works for you!