BaristaBob wrote:
While I appreciate your comments along with others saying the same, I feel differently. I've been using the MoonRaker for at least a couple of months now and really have not experienced a single issue. My Levercraft WDT tool took way more finesse to get a well distributed bed of grounds and plenty of experimentation with different needle diameters. And yes I think the Moonraker is missing a key function, that of vertical adjustability. As for the expense...well for that, I plead guilty as charged.

Thanks. My comment isn't meant to be directed to any user who bought the Moonraker and likes it. While I think we all will have some level of confirmation bias - especially with something this expensive for what it is - if you've had no issues with the tool then I'd say, based on some of these less-than-stellar reports on the Moonraker, that is testament to your skill at using it more than the tool itself.

Personally, I want a high-quality, well-made, aesthetically pleasing tool that does the job well when it comes to distribution. The Moonraker is billed as such... but perhaps in practice it requires a surgeon's hands to not damage it. While I think I could handle this, I wouldn't put it past myself to mess it up early in the morning, pre-coffee. And moreover, it would be harder for me to drop that amount of money only to have my partner, or a houseguest, treat it more casually and damage it.

More pragmatically, how much are replacement needles? Are they proprietary Weber needles or can any WTD/acupuncture needle be used? If the latter, it might be worth experimenting with slightly thicker gauge needles in the device - that might be a simple fix to all these issues.

The moonraker was said to be designed for their unifilter and unibasket so if you are using a standard basket chances are it will scrape unless you trim the needles. I have no problems with mine.

I've been using the Moonraker, previously used standard types from the likes of Normcore, Barista Hustle and another I forgot the name of, clearly didn't make an impression. I've found the Moonraker very consistent on a variety of beans from light to medium roast, and even a some really gross dark beans (random gift).... I've been clumsy and bent one or two needles, on one occasion thought it wasn't working as there was no rotation (user error, clean the base that sits in the basket). I use it with both Weber and Pullman baskets with no issue but tend to use Weber now.

Value for money is relative so I won't make comments on that. I'm happy with it, it looks great, feels and is premium. I could be mistaken, but I don't think the intention was for it to be used in a high volume cafe setting - just my opinion.

My shipment came straight from Asia so that could be the reason for the steep shipping costs. I've used the Moonraker three times now and two of the three times I've had the worst channeling. Once I had three streams the entire 25 seconds and the other time I had spurts which I had never seen previously over the past 45 days of having my new espresso machine. I think I might be turning it too fast and too many times, up to 10 full rotations which seems like it might be too much. Thoughts?

I would say that any change in your puck prep, you need to consider adjusting your grind size. Even changing from a standard WDT tool to a Moonraker or even change from one IMS basket to another IMS basket which is technically the same.... This is espresso puck prep, you will experience changes from the same batch of beans from Day 1 of you pulling your first shot to shot number 30 on day 12

Adam - no standard answer on this. I initially tried the 10 revolutions method and was spinning it too fast with similar results you're experiencing. I took that down to 6 half revolutions moving it slowly. Made a noticeable difference with nice even fluffy grounds. Try that - it won't eliminate channeling 100% of the time, but I found it to be more consistent than manual WDT

Thank you. I just don't understand what the purpose of this extra step is if it's causing more channeling. I did it slower last time with about 4 rotations and there was less channeling but still more than I usually get without WDT. One of the needles bent from rotating it too fast. Why there's no instructions that come with the Moonraker is surprising.

Has anyone tried replacing their needles with a thicker one?

wonder how the barista hustle autocomb performs and if anyone has used it?