Dale.
Thank you for a very comprehensive writeup. I am well aware of your problems with the Huky in general and Artisan/TC/grounding(?) issues in particular.
This last post by you is very well written in that you are aware of both the pros and cons of the Huky and you account for both in the way you've personally experienced them. I guess most Huky owners did have a more "gentle" ride while learning the roaster (I'm again thinking of your Artisan problems...) and it's possible that most of us are "tinkerers".
While I wouldn't mind a more integrated machine, e.g. a North 500g machine (or a larger one. ), I'm very happy with my Huky and what I can do with it. (I have lately on a few occations had access to first grade beans from a local roaster and did find a profile which cupped on par with his roasts. I'm not saying that I'm as good as he is at roasting, but the Huky is not the limiting factor.)

Yes the Huky is a klutzy roaster and has a number of drawbacks; but it can roast pounds of coffee one batch after another all day long if you want. If a potential buyer can stay below the $1500 mark it makes a great way to get into artisan profile roasting.

Is it perfect for everyone; of course not. If I lived in Chicago, apartment or condo I'd have a Quest M3. Ventilating the Huky is kind of a hodge podge add on arrangement; and at least mine leaves some residual smells. One of the best things about the Huky is it's resale valve; where you can move on to bigger or better machines.

Once you get past the 3K price there are quite a few choices in drum machines; and the Artisan 2.5 fluid bed just rolled out as well. Comparing these smaller drum machines apples to apples is a good idea; along with talking to owners. What's the drum material? How many burners are there? How does the air flow work? How well are the burners and air flow tuned to the machine? What's the sweet spot with charge weight?

wrote: "hankua" One of the best things about the Huky is it's resale valve;

IMHO the best 'best thing' is that a lot of owners wouldn't think of letting their HUKY get away ))

After many years of struggling up the food chain of roasters, the HUKY turns out to be absolutely perfect.
The next level (a North) is seriously tempting on some days, but....it's just too much roaster for me.
The move to the HUKY became obvious when I was (okay, very belatedly) made aware that it was possible to roast with gas (which is all I use for cooking, heating, etc.) Huh? That became the motivating principal: an affordable, manageable gas roaster. The HUKY is that. Perfect for my needs )))

dale_cooper wrote:Price point - look at spending $1800-$2000 on all the parts, you're not far away from a North 500g roaster at this point.

To be fair you're not even close to the price of a North 500g roaster. The roaster is $2999, $100 for the high pressure regulator and $350 for lift gate delivery. That puts you at $3449 plus taxes. Plus any other accessories or parts you may need to set it up.