Unless something has changed, the SSP conical burrs are Mazzer burrs that have been coated.

Oh I did not know this. Thanks Craig.

buckersss wrote: Was intrigued to read this. Thanks John. There are SSP 71/83mm conical burrs...If you had to guess (or from experience) do you think the grinders that use these perform more like the MC5, or more harshly; like the traditional big conicals (K10).

I don't believe that any other conical burr set performs like the Shurikone burrs. They are the only reason I ordered a Monolith Conical and I haven't been disappointed.

baldheadracing wrote:While all true, I wouldn't say that the Mazzer Kony burrs in the Niche Zero are in the same league as "big conical burrs" for traditional espresso roasts. Close, but no cigar.

That being said, I would take a Niche over a Specialita for traditional espresso roasts.

YMMV. Taste preferences are subjective.

I thought the Niche had the 68/71mm burrs but now I see they have the 63mm burrs of the Kony. That's indeed a little bit smaller then those "big conical burrs" of 68-83mm. Still nothing bad with it's 63mm. I always loved the 83mm Mazzer burrs in the HG-1 for darker roasts as they handeld them very well.

2nded on the MC5 recommendation, if budget allows. Based on what you're after it's best in the class for what you want and good enough if you ever want to try anything a bit lighter. Obviously though, if you're sticking to medium/dark and have a strict budget, I do not see the benefit over the cheaper grinders suggested.

Has anyone compared MC5 and Pharos? In particular medium and medium-dark roasts?

If you are considering a hand grinder in the 1000-1500 range, hands down I would go with the HG1 Prime