My Personal Experience with Orphan Espresso Lido OG: Problems & Solutions

[raminolta]

I would like to share my experience with Orphan Espresso Lido OG Grinder. I have been using this grinder daily for the back six months. I am not super experienced and I have used very few grinders before Lido so I am happy if other users share their experience and if they can possibly hint to solutions that can solve my issues with this grinder.

I bought it specifically for espresso. It is solidly built, alignment is great to a good level of precision and there's no wobbling of the central burr. Unfortunately, it doesn't stand to its promise of precision and repeatability. First major issue is lack of consistency. I can get widely varying extraction times without changing the grind setting at all. Next, it seems the burr still shifts gradually by time even if the locking screw remains fully tightened. As the central burr turns, there still seems to be a transition in the grind setting. Albeit slight, this transition can have a dramatic effect in the range of fine settings such as espresso. Also switching between different settings such as doing a fine grind for espresso then using the clicking knob (without unscrewing the locking screw) to move to the coarse setting for a pour over, if one then returns to the original fine setting for espresso, one may not actually be where one was before hence repeatability is under question. Another problem is after a number of times changing the grind setting (using the clicked knob) or if one turns the central burr (without unscrewing the locking screw), two metal parts inside the grinder start rubbing against each other with high friction. I am not sure what they are: they can be the central burr against the side burr or the mechanism inside the clicking knob? When this happens, I open the grinder, remove the central burr and put it back (according to the instructional video) which solves the problem until the next time it happens again.

I have also learned that arriving at the same grind setting but through different routes does not get me to the same place. If I set the click knob to 300 and then make it finer for 50microns by releasing the locking screw, or if I set the click knob to 200microns and then release the locking screw and make it 50microns coarser, theoretically, I must end up the same place in terms of grind finesse and extraction time (let's call it 250microns). Unfortunately, this seems far from truth. If I set it to 300 and gradually make it finer in 3-4 steps of 10-20microns change each time, I can get a totally different result too. So far, my theory to explain all this is that the mechanism inside the grinder is just not accurate enough for fine adjustments needed for espresso

This is one of the most expensive hand grinders in the market and I had high hopes of it. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be what it was promised to be. I don't have extensive experience with coffee grinders so I can't really evaluate where it stands relative to other grinders. My grinder before this was a Eureka Facile which has its own problems however, an electric grinder for nearly the same price as this hand grinder, it now seems like the better deal. When I bought this I debated between Lido OG, Flair Royal and Niche Zero grinders. However, I liked the idea of a hand grinder and Niche zero was twice more expensive. I thought if this could deliver the same level of precised performance as the highly regarded electric grinder (Niche), I would be content. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be the case. There might be ways around the shortcomings of the Lido OG but it certainly requires a long period of try and error to overcome the flawed design which I was not expecting when I bought this.

Finally, though not an essential flaw, the cap covering the coffee bean chamber keeps falling. It became loose shortly after I started using the grinder.

[Yan]

Try to contact and ask OE by email or their IG @orphanespresso, I think this is the 1st issue I hear about drifting grind setting with the OG...

[doug]

Definitely reach out to them. I recently gave away my Niche, and have a DF83 now (with a planned declumper and burr upgrade), but for clarity and consistency with medium light espresso shots, I've never had better than the Lido OG. I had also used several hand grinders over the years, and found the OG to be the perfect balance of not too much effort, but also not taking too long to grind 18g of beans.

[raminolta (original poster)]

I am writing back to update the audience on the situation with Lido OG grinder. It seems Lido OG has not attracted many buyers as this thread is a testimony. Searching online, I have barely found any actual user yet alone someone who could interactively contribute to the thread by sharing their first hand experience..

I actually contacted Orphan shortly after posting my initial message here. They did respond and suggested a few remedies. They advised to lubricate the bearing disk and to remove the plastic o-ring on the locking screw which according to them, it was there only for the aesthetic. I followed all their instruction. on another note. I always meticulously cleaned the grinder including the bearing disk every time I was opening the grinder before putting it back together. However, I used to store the grinder sideways in its case. I decided to store it standup from then on because I thought it was possible that some coffee powder could travel to the bearing system when laid down on its side causing unwanted friction and metal rubbing. It does seem these measures have somewhat helped. Metal rubbing and inconsistency are still happening but less frequently.

During my discussion with them, it was found out that the brass disk in my unit sits a bit too low compared to their unit. I am not sure if this could be a source of problem. They didn't insist on that either. So that is left out as an open question. However, it does seem to us that the source of problem has been found now. I shall explain it in another post.

[raminolta (original poster)]

It turns out the problem is due to drifting. The locking screw's job is to prevent it. When fully tightened, it interlock the central axis and the brass disk preventing the grind setting to change; well, at least theoretically. For this, it relies on the friction between the end point of the screw which has a nylon tip and the central axis. The friction must be strong enough to make sure there's no slippage. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I ran a test. I fully tightened the locking screw and while holding on the central axis, I checked if I could still turn the brass disk. Indeed, I was able to turn it with a very light force. The friction is just too weak to interlock the two parts with each other. I was able to do this even without any coffee in the grinder. With the presence of the coffee and the resistance it produces, drifting becomes a path of easier route for the system slowly slipping towards finer settings while grinding (turning clockwise). Hence eventually, the extraction time becomes very long. Eventually, the two facing burrs become so close, they start rubbing on each other hence the source of my other problem.

It turned out Orphan were aware of the problem and had already been looking for solutions. They said they have made a little ball that can be put inside the chamber where the locking screw is located to prevent slippage. They are sending it to me. Hopefully, this can work though I think relying on friction of a very small area to keep the grind setting fixated seems not being an effective mean. I feel like a totally different system, a more sophisticated one is really needed. We will see.

[mborkow]

All in all, it sounds like a pretty disappointing experience with that grinder. Will they warranty/refund/replace it?

[raminolta (original poster)]

I have not requested a refund or a warranty replacement yet. The store from which I purchased the grinder did offer return and credit (so I can purchase another grinder). I have decided to wait and see if the problem has a solution before returning it. I am waiting for the little piece they are supposed to send me and check that out first.

In the meanwhile, searching the Internet, I have learned many grinders, even some more expensive ones suffer from drifting. So, if I want to avoid this issue, I have carefully choose my grinder. That's not an easy task. Online reviews don't always reflect such problems and buying another grinder to only find out later that it is inflicted with some problems is a costly venture.

On another note, I have pledged to Timemore Sculptor 78s. I still prefer a hand grinder but a next level hand grinder like HG-1 or HG-2 is crazy expensive while the Sculptor seems like a very good deal (at least on the paper though it needs to be tested in real life).

[buckersss]

That's too bad. I love the aesthetic of the Lido OG.

Does this make the case to stick to stepped hand grinders? Does the kinu have drift issues?

[BodieZoffa]

Having used my Helor 106 heavily for some time now I can say without question there is absolutely no grind adjustment drift and it's a very simple, but effective stepless design.

[baldheadracing]

Does this make the case to stick to stepped hand grinders? Does the kinu have drift issues?

I'd say that one person's unfortunate experience is not a trend. If there were other users collaborating, then that might be a different story.

I have had seven stepless manual grinders. One of the seven had drift issues, but that was my fault for not reading the manual, not the grinder's.