Is there something specific you want to see in action?

I could probaly text/email you a video(M.Flat) if you PM me. Not really interested doing something on YouTube.

My guess is the monolith conical and flat are top notch...but maybe not that much better in practice than [insert favorite $800 grinder here] because of two reasons..for one, any more precision may not be that noticeable to our palates ability to pick up on minute changes and two, even if we could decipher flavors down to the size of an atom...doesn't mean it would taste better to be perfectly uniform.

I can only speak to my new Conical, as my Flat won't arrive until next month. In practice, I'm completely blown away with my Conical and would expect the same from my Flat. I came from a Compak K10 Pro Barista that I purchased new and was very happy with. I primarily bought the Monolith(s) to ease my work flow, and to reduce noise. I wasn't prepared for the increase in grind quality and consistency that I've seen in the last week since taking delivery of my Conical. Visually, the uniformity in pulling shots (as viewed from the bottom of a bottomless portafilter using an 18g VST basket) is amazing. That's both with and without profiling as I do on my GS/3. More importantly the taste difference, more subtle but definitely noticeable. The highs and lows (acid/bitter) is more toned down and I'd describe the shots as more round. And with 100% consistency. EVERYTIME. I've pulled 2 lbs through it this week and every shot has been 100% consistent. Everyone of them since I seasoned it and got it dialed in (which happened after 6-7 lbs of seasoning and luckily enough on my first shot after that). So, if you can swing it and are in the market to spend north of $2k on a grinder, I'd do so without reservation. For me anyhow, it's made a HUGE difference in my espresso prep and enjoyment and I'm glad I made the investment, even given the fact that I had a pretty solid setup before.

As to why I haven't made a video review, and probably won't with my Flat... other than on home-barista I don't post stuff online. Same reason I'm not on Facebook and Instagram, Twitter, etc. It's just not my jam. I can tell you the Conical functions and sounds exactly like the videos Denis has posted on YouTube. I assume the same is true of the Flat.

Capitol wrote:More importantly the taste difference, more subtle but definitely noticeable. The highs and lows (acid/bitter) is more toned down and I'd describe the shots as more round.

This is interesting. Just curious was that from a side-by-side comparison? In my experience, the Monolith Conical was a tad harsher/edgier (and flavor a bit more compressed) when compared to other conicals, definitely not more round (prefer lighter roasts if that makes a difference). I kept reading about the taste difference and so kept wondering if there's something wrong with mine so want to verify this. That said, it's just subtle difference, and can't give up the Conical for the sheer convenience, super easy to use!

@Capitol - I am surprised to hear you noticed a big jump in taste going from a K10 to a MonCon. The K10 opened up a whole new world in the cup for me after this progression: Super Jolly -> Vario -> K30 -> K10. I was in disbelief how forgiving the 68mm conical burr set was/is & what effortlessly great coffee it produced. For a commercial, doser style grinder it's functions quite well at single dosing. The newer PB model I have doesn't even need all the mods my old WBC had to mitigate retention. The throat brushes out smoothly & the doser wipes very clean. Although I to want to replace it with a MonCon it would only be for work flow & counter space.

Sounds like my K10 is doing well for ya.

I certainly tried to keep it pristine.

Phaedrus wrote:Not to derail your thread, but I'm curious how you landed on the flat as your dream grinder. I've read all the conical vs flat threads and I've walked away from all of them with the same results: "they're both awesome" or "get both." I'm thinking about getting into single dosing and I'm leaning more towards the monolith conical simply because I think it looks cooler and it's a bit less expensive. Also because I see it as a bit simpler (no motor rpm as an additional variable to control for). If you can, please elaborate on how you came to your decision, I think it will be useful knowledge to memorialize on the forum.

A combination of factors.
- I already have a conical. Not a monolith, but a HG-1. Which is extremely good. So now I want to have a flat burr option.
- I've read several people saying that with flats, contrary to conicals, even the slightest adjustment up or down already produces a noticeable change in the shot. I'm looking forward to that.
- Direct advice given by Denis himself. I sent him an email sharing my goals (including the fact I want to also use it for pour over) and asking which one should I buy, and he was categoric: "get a flat."

So if you were doing just espresso, the choice would be harder?

Phaedrus wrote:So if you were doing just espresso, the choice would be harder?

Don't think so. That is not my main driver. I think the ability of fine-tuning resulting in obvious changes in the cup is what seems to me more appealing.