^
^^
What's stopping Mazzer, Compak or other established companies from producing a similar non commercial single dosing large conical grinder. No need to copy the design as it does not appear to have anything proprietary outside of aesthetics.

The desire to enter this market. I can't remember if they are flat or conicals but we've already seen Ceado's and Eureka's single dosing options. Compak also has the PK100 which is more of a EK competitor but all of those are priced closer to a Monolith rather than Niche.

redbone wrote:^
^^
What's stopping Mazzer, Compak or other established companies from producing a similar non commercial single dosing large conical grinder. No need to copy the design as it does not appear to have anything proprietary outside of aesthetics.

Perhaps not. Not sure if there was anything patentable nor whether he filed for any patent protetion. [EDIT: this can include design patents on the ornamental features (sort of like copyright) or utility patents on subtle improvements (likely not broad sweeping claim coverage)]

But at the very least the Niche branding [trademark], the know-how, and any specific design documentation [copyright and trade secret] are of value, not to mention access to the designer/developer himself. It would be easier to work off an existing proven design with those resources than to copy or reverse-engineer the non-proprietary aspects. Although you could imagine a company coming out with their own version of something to compete in response.

The design could be copyright protected but the basic machine is prior art and not likely to be granted a patent or survive any challenge.

To quote my own review of the Niche Zero which I just posted ( Niche Zero Bottom Line Review ):

"just a little bit more room in the bean funnel/reservoir would be appreciated. Perhaps it's just the sloped design and smooth surface but it's a stretch to fit the 50g stated limit. I will sometimes grind 40g for cold brew and have to pour the beans very carefully so they don't spill over the edge. And sometimes even when I'm pouring in a 17g single dose, if I pour too fast or I'm a little too high above it, some beans will fly out."

Sorry if someone already suggested this. I must admit I didn't read all 75 posts.

Hmmm.... I think I'll design a small "hopper" which will go on top of the NZ. I guess it will need a pin to hit the red one the lid normally hits.

EDIT: Took some measurements. Designed a simple "hopper" with no pin. Making my first test print to see how it fits.

jchung wrote: Hmmm.... I think I'll design a small "hopper" which will go on top of the NZ. I guess it will need a pin to hit the red one the lid normally hits.

EDIT: Took some measurements. Designed a simple "hopper" with no pin. Making my first test print to see how it fits.

Cool. Keep us posted!

This is the initial design I was considering. I would obviously have to add the pin.

Here is an initial print, extending the funnel for greater capacity. I haven't tried it yet other than a test fit. Still needs a pin to press the red button.

Wow. You don't mess around. It looks good. Let us know how it works once you get the power interlock figured out.