stijn wrote:Standard WD40 indeed isn't a pure lubricant but does contain some amount of it. Not that it matters a lot: for problems like this it just works.

Yeah, everybody has a can of WD-40, along with duct tape and bailing wire. It's an essential. But it isn't a very effective lubricant. Sure, it has some properties of lubrication but those are short lived. And in the case of parts that actually require a lubricant it tends to strip the existing lubricant away. I used WD-40 to free up a stuck mechanism in a sewing machine last year. I knew I was doing the Devil's work. It fixed the problem temporarily and for that I was very grateful, once again, for WD-40. But later I took the machine to a shop to get a proper cleaning and re-lube. If I'd left it as is, WD-40'ed, it would have killed it eventually.

But that little tiny ball bearing in the Kinu... does it actually need lubrication? Or just occasional cleaning?

jpender wrote:But that little tiny ball bearing in the Kinu... does it actually need lubrication? Or just occasional cleaning?

Probably more cleaning. Now that I remember I think I did put some Dow Corning 111 on it the last time.. maybe that's why it has been so quiet and smooth. The bearings only job is to rub against the grind setting dial, keep it from rubbing against bare steel.

John_Doe wrote:I agree as any grinder benefits from disassembly/cleaning now and then.

I think Kinu recommends not to disassemble the M47 outer burr. They used to supply a stick for the purpose but the new models come without. Maybe too many users broke their grinders or just managed to misalign them?

Anyway, I feel like I can clean the burrs well enough with a brush akin to a group cleaning brush, and blowing some air inside the cylinder.

Someday I will ask/beg Kinu to sell me replacement burrs but I gotta have a second grinder then.

ojt wrote:Probably more cleaning. Now that I remember I think I did put some Dow Corning 111 on it the last time.. maybe that's why it has been so quiet and smooth. The bearings only job is to rub against the grind setting dial, keep it from rubbing against bare steel.



I think Kinu recommends not to disassemble the M47 outer burr. They used to supply a stick for the purpose but the new models come without. Maybe too many users broke their grinders or just managed to misalign them?

Anyway, I feel like I can clean the burrs well enough with a brush akin to a group cleaning brush, and blowing some air inside the cylinder.

Someday I will ask/beg Kinu to sell me replacement burrs but I gotta have a second grinder then.

I had considered the M47 Classic, but felt it was just overpriced for what it is regardless of material used/place of manufacture. Went with the 1ZPresso JE-Plus and I simply can't imagine ANY hand grinder being any better.

Important thing is we are happy with what we have and feel confident the gear will last and be dependable. I feel good with the M47 and I can trust it to deliver consistent results, and I trust its manufacture, couldn't want more no? Until upgraditis hits and I go nuts of course

I love my kinu. I use it many times in a day. I also have a 1zpresso jx which is on loan to my brother. I would still hands down pick my m47 over any other grinder I have. I wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong because I know the 47 in theory will last a lifetime. My post was to hear from the community of experts here not to in any way bash kinu .

If you drop your all-steel Kinu Classic, it survives. If you drop your aluminum 1zpresso JE Plus and it gets dented, well....? Regarding cleaning, even if the coffee residue takes "years" to go rancid, I would still think cleaning would reduce the bitterness coffee oils and fines residue can acquire in what I imagine is a far shorter period. What I wonder is can a Grindz tablet be enough to get those bitter old coffee fines and oils out of the grind mechanism or does one need to take the grinder apart and clean it instead or some combo of both? Or is it really unnecessary to clean the grinder? It seems hard for me to believe.

Might be aluminum, but it is very dense and I imagine it'd take quite an impact to cause any indentation. Thing is I seriously doubt I'll ever drop it anyway as I don't suffer from a weak grip like some in this world. For the sake of reference, I've had various cell phones for many years now and have yet to drop one at all.

Regarding Grindz, I think products like that are a joke as coffee must be used to flush the residue out afterward. For a LONG time I've used a brush and vacuum to keep every grinder I've had like new. On a few occasions when I bought used/raunchy grinders I'd soak the burrs/carrier in Cafiza, give a hot rinse, a low temp oven bake to dry quickly and like new again. Absolutely no chance of rusting, etc. going that route either.

LewBK wrote:If you drop your all-steel Kinu Classic, it survives. If you drop your aluminum 1zpresso JE Plus and it gets dented, well....?

If you drop your aluminium 1zpresso on your tile floor the grinder gets hurt, if you drop the Kinu, the floor likely gets hurt. A new floor is more than a new grinder.

Ira

That's so funny that concern about what happens if you drop it could be factor in what you buy.

I move my espresso maker from cabinet to counter and back every morning. What if I dropped it? Should I have bought a plastic filter cone instead?

Not really a concern, just pointing out that the obviously sturdier grinder has other potential negative side effects. A perfectly reasonable response for the statement that was made.

Ira