Pharos vs Monolith Conical

#1: Post by **philosli** » February 7th, 2023, 7:44 pm

Hello all, first time posting here.

I recently acquired a Pharos 2.0-ish grinder. I have been using a Eureka Zenith 65 in the past 5 years or so. The Pharos really opened my eyes of the possibilities of espresso: the shots I pulled from Pharos grinds have more texture and clarity comparing to my Zenith.

This experience leads me down the rabbit hole of exploring how to improve my shots. I haven't got tired of hand grinding, yet. The usability of the Pharos is still tolerable. I think I can live with Pharos's quirks for a while.

But I am wondering if upgrading to a Monolith Conical will result in improvements in the cup. I've searched the forum and other discussions over the internet, but can't find much information of comparing these two.

I'll very appreciate any insights on on this question, or my quest to up the game of my espresso.

February 7th, 2023, 8:06 pm

Welcome to H-B!

The Monolith Conical is in version 5 now, and now features burrs ('Shurikones') made in-house by Kafatek. If you buy a MonoCon, make sure you get the MC4/MC5 versions that allow for the Shurikone burr upgrade. (Earlier versions are not upgradeable to the new Shurikone burrs.)

While the MC1-MC3 burrs are similar to the Pharos' burr, the MC4 switched to a Mazzer 71 burr and added a second "pre-breaker" burr on top of the Mazzer burr. The very last MC4's and the MC5 comes with Shurikones.

Comparing the Pharos to other grinders is not straightforward as the RPM impacts what you get from the Pharos. For example, the darker the roast, the faster I crank my Pharos.

The place that has the most discussion of the MC5 and Shurikones is the Kafatek forums.

February 7th, 2023, 10:57 pm

Thanks for highlighting the change since MC4. I've read about the dual conical burr design on Kafatek's webpage, but not much is said about w.r.t. the traditional conical burr designs. I'm curious what difference the new burr makes in the cup.

#4: Post by **Pressino** » February 7th, 2023, 11:22 pm

I just got a used Pharos a few weeks ago and have been using it daily since then. Like the OP I really do like the espresso I've brewed with it. I've used smaller conical grinders (in the 48mm and below range) and could appreciate the differences between the results from flat versus conical burr grinders, but the Pharos has been noticeably different. The shots have been more syrupy and "rounded" (by which I guess I mean with a bit less clarity and more "depth" for lack of a better word. These have been with darker roast in the Full City+ range. I decided to check extraction by refractometry and found that my extractions were averaging over 12 to 13 brix, about 1 to 1.5 brix higher than those from my smaller conicals and Mazzer flat burr grinders.

The 68mm Pharos burrs have made me think about getting a large conical burr grinder that is a bit easier to crank than the Pharos. Others who have used it know just how much of a chore it is to grind even with dark roasts. It needs to be clamped down, and even then I found I need the leverage provided by a 15" ratchet to make the job half-way enjoyable. I'm not at all averse to and would actually enjoy a large conical manual grinder, and have been looking at the HG-1 Prime or HG-2.

#5: Post by **mborkow** » February 8th, 2023, 9:41 am

As a long time Pharos owner I'm also curious...I assume the MC4 and especially the 5 are better in cup than the Pharos....but not sure it's 10x better.

February 8th, 2023, 8:16 pm

I share the same observations of yours about Pharos shots: more syrupy and more rounded. It may not shine on clarity, but on medium roasts, it beats my Zenith. So much so I suspect my Zenith has some problems that I didn't realize until I got my Pharos.

But I myself am not so sure about how long I can perform the Pharos ritual of hand grinding. The Zenith's dosing mechanism + a bean hopper allows me to pull shots in sequence in a rush. That convenience is hard to beat.

#7: Post by **jgood** » February 8th, 2023, 8:35 pm

philosli wrote:Hello all, first time posting here.

I recently acquired a Pharos 2.0-ish grinder. I

Question about the 2.0-ish Pharos -- the website says it's without the pointer as they're building them from the remaining parts. Is it still reasonable to set and so forth?

February 8th, 2023, 8:52 pm

Pressino wrote:The 68mm Pharos burrs have made me think about getting a large conical burr grinder that is a bit easier to crank than the Pharos. Others who have used it know just how much of a chore it is to grind even with dark roasts. It needs to be clamped down, and even then I found I need the leverage provided by a 15" ratchet to make the job half-way enjoyable. I'm not at all averse to and would actually enjoy a large conical manual grinder, and have been looking at the HG-1 Prime or HG-2.

Not sure which version you have, but very early Pharos had a shorter crank arm than later versions.

I use OE's "bench dogs" instead of clamps. Two bench dogs seem to secure the grinder better than a single clamp.

jgood wrote:Question about the 2.0-ish Pharos -- the website says it's without the pointer as they're building them from the remaining parts. Is it still reasonable to set and so forth?

I took my pointer off when I did the funnel mod. I just use a hex wrench as a dial indicator.

As an aside, if you get a Pharos, the first thing to do is get a good hex wrench for that split collar that adjusts the grind. Bondus makes a good made-in-USA T-handle hex wrench at a good price.

#9: Post by **spressomon** » February 9th, 2023, 1:15 am

Had an original Pharos back in the day with all the Voodoodaddy mods and then the Mahlgut MG-1, which I still have and use on occasion, that shares the same 68mm burrset as Pharos. And, yes, it can produce a thick, syrupy & sweet(!) shot with darker roasts especially.

I made an easy/cheap & quick to attach base using 12"x12"x3/8" granite tile with plywood top for the MG-1, which I used with a green colored anti-slip mat (sorry can't recall the name...) and it was solid.

February 9th, 2023, 7:33 am

Pharos v1.1 (has metal bolt covers so alignment is maintained) is essentially indistinguishable from Helor 106 (Mazzer 0186c burrs which are 71 mm conical burrs found in Mazzer Robur single phase) in nonblinded testing. If interested I made thread on HB about this few years back.

Other senior HB member whose owned both states Helor 106 (with Mazzer 0186c burrset) is indistinguishable in-the-cup from Kafatek Monolith Conical v3.

In my own blinded testing with two other HB members, Monolith Conical v1 indistinguishable from Helor 106.

Last time I search HB and Kafatek forum 1 year ago, no threads comparing Helor 106 (with Mazzer 0186c burrset) to Kafatek Monolith Conical V4 nor v5.