I ordered a custom 59.4mm tamper base to go on an Espro spring loaded tamper handle. Love it because it helps my wife tamp well since she probably only does it a few times a month.

$35 for the custom base and about the same for a used Espro on eBay.

cafeIKE wrote:You don't hold it like stick shift, but by having the handle ball in the palm and fingers and thumb around the base so as to align exactly with the basket.

Given that most cars nowadays come with automatic transmission, such description may cause some confusion, especially to the younger demographics.
By the way, that is one strong looking hand.

Hello:

1rider wrote: ... added the additional tamper to the cart which I now regret.

Part of a post by me in 09/2018:

civ wrote: ... remember making some very good (looking and tasting) espresso on a modified L'elit type machine while tamping with the butt of a glass jar containing gourmet dijon mustard. It was a quite expensive French import, so maybe that had something to do with it. 8^D!!!

Not being able to obtain one locally, I then had one made in delrin which was OK but rather fragile.
It rolled off the countertop and the ball end broke off as it landed on the floor.



The tamper I have used since I purchased a used ca. 2000 Cimbali D/1 many years ago is the one that came with the machine.

I have long ago come to the conclusion that tampers (among a few other espresso items) are highly overrated.
Of course, YMMV.

Best,

CIV

What's the saying? The most important feature of buying a bike is picking out the color; if you don't like the way it looks, you're less likely to ride it.

Taken with a grain of salt, I mean to say that when spending upwards of a thousand dollars on a grinder and machine that works for you, a lot of design choice falls out of your hand, and you're always going to see something on here that will make you jealous regardless of how pretty your own setup is. So in my opinion, spending 50 bucks on a nice looking and feeling tamper that you enjoy using, something you might use 1-4 times a day, is very much worth it.

That being said, I love seeing and hearing about dijon mustard glasses and pepper shakers being used as tampers.

Capuchin Monk wrote:By the way, that is one strong looking hand.

It's Cannonfodder [Dave Stephens]

harrisonpatm wrote:What's the saying? The most important feature of buying a bike is picking out the color; if you don't like the way it looks, you're less likely to ride it.

NOT if you're an engineer / cyclist / motor maniac.
Most important features are a frame stiff enough to handle the turn g's & brakes that can handle the power to suck the paint off.

https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/rattl ... kUQAvD_BwE

The Rattleware tamper is well made, comfortable, and on sale now. I've been using one for probably a decade. Works well on EPHQ baskets, VST baskets.

harrisonpatm wrote:Taken with a grain of salt, I mean to say that when spending upwards of a thousand dollars on a grinder and machine that works for you, a lot of design choice falls out of your hand, and you're always going to see something on here that will make you jealous regardless of how pretty your own setup is. So in my opinion, spending 50 bucks on a nice looking and feeling tamper that you enjoy using, something you might use 1-4 times a day, is very much worth it.

I completely agree with this sentiment. For me, first comes function but almost equal to that comes form. When I changed our wet bar into an espresso bar, I put just as much care and money into the aesthetics as I did to having all the right gear to pull great shots. My most recent purchase was this custom tamper which I use 2-3 times a day. I didn't need the tamper as my other two work great, but I didn't want boring either. It's a small thing and it doesn't make the the coffee taste any better than the other tampers, but it brings me pleasure using it.

Thanks for the replies all of which are insightful from using a spice jar to buying something beautiful because that matters too. I may not have worded my original post as best I could. The takeaway was my surprise to have spent money buying a $110.00 tamper from the same folks that made the basket and it not fitting so great.

It works and I do enjoy using it or the feel of it. So, I will continue to use it and maybe when I want something different for difference sake I'll splurge on something else. I may just make one too if I can find the time.

Expensive does not necessarily mean good just as educated does not necessarily mean smart. I have owned some expensive junk and know a few highly educated idiots.

Tampers and baskets can be obsessed over to the ends of the earth. In the end, you can tamp with a brick as long as it fits reasonably (and is smooth). I have custom-turned precision tampers and the one I reach for is the Reg Barber 58mm that I have owned for around 20 years. Also, keep in mind that stock baskets are stamped out by the thousands in a die press. Depending on where that die is in its life, the basket can vary in diameter. I have had precision tampers that fit a basket perfectly, but another basket by the same company and the tamper will not fit into the basket.

Devil is in the details. When purchasing something you expect to conform to a specific variable, make sure the variable you are looking for is specified along with the +/- acceptable tolerance.

FYI, yes that is my hand with the big sausage fingers.

(tampers are) "barista jewelry" - Heather Perry