Weber Workshops Unifilter

#1: Post by **Ullke** » April 7th, 2022, 5:34 am

Weber Workshops have reimagined the portafilter, and they are calling it the Unifilter.

Is this the way forward? How often do you swap baskets because they are worn out?
https://weberworkshops.com/products/unifilter

We recreated the portafilter out of a single piece of stainless steel. No more removable basket and crevices for espresso gunk to build up over time. No more endless wiping, citric acid, or vinegar baths to remove grime. Use it, rinse it, wipe it, and it stays endlessly clean. Since you aren't subjecting your basket to repeated acid baths, it will last virtually forever.

Pics:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0268/ ... 1648782555
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0268/ ... 1648782555
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0268/ ... 1648782555

#2: Post by **Aardlek** » April 7th, 2022, 7:02 am

It's not really an issue that I'm having with my portafilter so paying 340 USD to solve a non-issue is kina heavy. Looks like they got a new website too, nice.

#3: Post by **BaristaBob** » April 7th, 2022, 7:53 am

Sort of like reinventing the wheel. However, a really straight wall design followed by holes right up to the wall edge will no doubt cause faster flow rates for a given grind size...this feeds well into high end espresso grinders which WW sells.

I'd purchase one out of curiosity alone if the price wasn't so steep. I'd love to compare it to my three other brands of baskets!

April 7th, 2022, 8:16 am

Ho hum. I swap baskets to change flow rates. Handles are boring. I like having two portafilters for when I have guests to speed things up. Don't think so.

#5: Post by **Spitz.me** » April 7th, 2022, 8:51 am

Interesting...

I don't think anyone ever considered how long their portafilter would last, but WW made that a reality. The unifilter takes a fairly indestructible item and makes it destructible since baskets can fail and warp. They lead the innovation rhetoric by saying they solved the cleanliness problem. To each their own, but innovating the portafilter to solve cleanliness and double to tripling the cost of the item seems a bit much. Cafe owners rejoice?

They don't discuss how their filter is more durable than the filters you can use and swap for much less than several hundred dollars.

#6: Post by **JRising** » April 7th, 2022, 9:12 am

Quote: No more endless wiping, citric acid, or vinegar baths to remove grime. Use it, rinse it, wipe it, and it stays endlessly clean. Since you aren't subjecting your basket to repeated acid baths, it will last virtually forever.

If you're destroying your baskets by soaking them in acid when you should just be cleaning them, you can simply stop soaking them in acid. You don't need to descale portafilter baskets.
If (somehow) you really are getting un-removable mineral build up on a traditional basket by somehow using incredibly hard water and way too high a brew temperature with coffee that has no acidity, it would behave the same on the Weber as on a traditional... But I'm sure someone will sell a snake oil for that issue, too.

If we're going to be making up problems to sell $300 portafilters we should go with "No more accidental loss of baskets in the trash can, this filter basket never leaves the portafilter handle".

It is a fairly solid looking portafilter, though. If it were priced similarly to a generic, un-attractive portafilter (which it is shaped like) plus a double or triple, stainless basket, it would be a little more reasonable.

#7: Post by **BaristaBob** » April 7th, 2022, 9:56 am

Granted on the marketing aspect...my VST and EPHQ baskets go in the dishwasher every night and come out looking shiny and new. Been doing this to the same baskets for more than four years now...no problem!

I guess I could give my dishwasher a rest and buy a Unifilter?!

And as for the simple handle design, let our very own Dave Stephens get a hold of that and turn a few sweet designs.

#8: Post by **emradguy** » April 7th, 2022, 10:02 am

So many excellent reasons raised already why buying one of these would be ridiculous. I own about 2 or 3 of about 4 different types and a couple different sizes of one. I change them rather frequently depending on the coffee and grinder I'm using, as I don't feel baskets are a "one size fits all" item. Some coffees extract best in an IMS competition basket, some in an E&B labs superfine, and some in a VST or LM Strada basket, etc. Weber has totally avoided that fact. I agree with John's implication...that this is snake oil. Add to that the "Spring Clean" device they came up with...I'm really not feeling much love for WW. I'm not even looking at the product links because, there's no way, no how, I'm ever buying or recommending one.

#9: Post by **cafeIKE** » April 7th, 2022, 11:04 am

P.T. Barnum gets the credit, but David Hannum likely said it first...

#10: Post by **TomC** » April 7th, 2022, 11:23 am

BaristaBob wrote:
And as for the simple handle design, let our very own Dave Stephens get a hold of that and turn a few sweet designs.

Already done and in route to me. I have a review unit on my Speedster.