Giving up on Monolith grinder - What's next? - Page 4

#31: Post by **Bunkmil** » May 13th, 2019, 1:57 pm

On the « Versalab M3 mods » Facebook group Frank posted a second hand M3 for sale. It has already all the technical mods that improve this grinder. And since he has the grinder in his shop you could « pimp » it to your liking so it fits in your new kitchen.

#32: Post by **Mrboots2u** » May 13th, 2019, 2:34 pm

Feuros wrote:I don't know enough about this grinder. Are people successfully using it for single dosing with little/zero retention? Are mods required to achieve this?

It's not a single dosing grinder.

#33: Post by **MNate** » May 13th, 2019, 4:40 pm

I wouldn't give up on the Monolith either - as I haven't. To tide me over I got a big flat that can do OK with single dosing but not great. I thought it would help me determine if flat really was a good answer or not so necessary. And I thought resale value wouldn't be too bad.

There's a Compak e5 on the buy/sell that could work for a while, or if a normal Ceado E37s comes up for sale, it could be good enough.

But I think we're always going to want a Monolith and get one eventually. It's just how we are...

#34: Post by **drgary** » May 13th, 2019, 5:22 pm

If you're feeling that 80mm burrs in the EG-1 may not be enough, are you paying so much attention to specs and their diminishing returns that you're missing all the other ways to tune up your coffee experience?

Monsoon wrote:In the 1960's I knew the chief engineer for Harmon Kardon a well respected manufacturer of audio equipment. In his home he had a sound system consisting of a single speaker, a tube amp and pre-amp and a turntable. I asked him why he didn't have one of the high end stereos he designed. He replied that there are 2 kinds of people, those who listen to the music and those who listen to the audio system. He added that he listened to the music but made his living producing ever improving equipment for those who listened to their systems. While I have indulged in high end espresso equipment that I have learned about here on HB, I think this argument about audio applies to espresso equally well.

I don't think there are two kinds of people in that sense, but one can emphasize either end of the spectrum between gear and the experience it provides.

#35: Post by **mallen4248** » May 13th, 2019, 8:33 pm

I thought of chasing the Dragon and I have to small degree. I wanted a Monolith grinder but since I have a Ceado E37S and the dragon chasing started with adding the Quick Set Gear upgrade (luckily for me only a $99 upgrade). Then I added a set of SSP red speed burrs (fairly expensive). After living with these upgrades for a short while, I decided that the coffee I was getting was at the limit that I could taste. I found that this setup is very consistent and delivers the same dose within a tenth or so of a gram. Yes, I do purge coffee each morning to make sure I have the freshest dose, but I figured that for what a Monolith grinder costs I could purge a LOT of coffee. Maybe in a year or so my tastes might catch up to what the the monolith cost and availability yields and start the chase again. Yes the monolith grinders are probably great, but how much is it about it's exclusivity? I have a very good espresso machine and grinder and I am happy. Is it the best available, no but I am at the point of diminishing returns. There are folks turning out killer coffee with equipment far less costly than what I have. It's all about perspective.

#36: Post by **Donguanella** » May 13th, 2019, 9:50 pm

Revisit the Helor Stance Motor. There are a few for sale in the forum. I love mine and can definitely recommend!

#37: Post by **tumendoza** » May 13th, 2019, 10:36 pm

I have a flat which I managed to get after 2 years so don't give up. I tried but failed to get the max this last time but I'll keep trying. I see some flats posted here for sale from time to time so I would check in or post a WTB post. May be I'm biased but I love all of the KafaTek grinders and would not settle for anything else.

#38: Post by **TomC** » May 14th, 2019, 12:24 am

Bunkmil wrote:On the « Versalab M3 mods » Facebook group Frank posted a second hand M3 for sale. It has already all the technical mods that improve this grinder. And since he has the grinder in his shop you could « pimp » it to your liking so it fits in your new kitchen.

I couldn't find any Facebook group searching for any of those terms. And I didn't see anything on the Titus Grinding group. Can you share a link?

May 14th, 2019, 7:25 am

Versalab M3 mods:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/170128619773508/

Titus grinding :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/886585391408675/

May 14th, 2019, 9:06 am

drgary wrote:If you're feeling that 80mm burrs in the EG-1 may not be enough, are you paying so much attention to specs and their diminishing returns that you're missing all the other ways to tune up your coffee experience?
.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the 80mm burrs on the EG-1 are insufficient, not at all. This is the grinder I'm currently leaning towards. I was just questioning if it was good value, given that 98mm burrs with the Flat Max can (theoretically, but not practically) be had for $200 less. It's a lot of money, and I'm very much a bang-for-the-buck sort of guy - to a fault probably. So it pains me to think of paying more, for a "less capable" grinder. Even if I may not be able to taste the difference in the cup. Stupid maybe.