Kopi Deva single-dose grinder - Page 15

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
mackerel
Posts: 2
Joined: 10 months ago

#141: Post by mackerel »

i have the Deva for 13 months now and no problems whatsoever.
i do not worry at all about the extra activation. It's not that the grinder is used a lot a day during private use.
The motor should be fine with that, and as you press the button anyways to stop grinding, it is very quick to do one extra.

Grizzley
Posts: 15
Joined: 1 year ago

#142: Post by Grizzley »

tn wrote:Yeah, I was curious if a couple quick on/off cycles would strain the components. How much retention is there if you DON'T do this? Do some light taps with your hand on the top of the chamber do any good?
I'd say no. Tapping on the funnel or banging on the top don't make any difference. Def need a couple of pulses at the end of the motor. I often hear a last bean or 2 go through the burrs as well at this time.

Advertisement
tn
Posts: 41
Joined: 4 years ago

#143: Post by tn »

A couple days ago I reached out to Kopi and they were super fast addressing some of my additional questions and they went into a lot of detail on each. They've reiterated and confirmed much of what has been said here.

I have been debating between the p64 and waiting for the Zerno when I found out about this grinder. There were some things I didn't like about the p64 (some minor aesthetic things along with the very high price), and just a lot of unknowns with the Zerno (lots of changes being made to the design and unknown delivery dates). The DEVA is very compelling for its price point!

I guess the last thing to decide is whether to go with the stock Super Jolly's or the SSP High Uniformity (only an espresso drinker here)...

Thank you everyone for your help - it has been so useful.

bolido21.
Posts: 7
Joined: 3 years ago

#144: Post by bolido21. »

Hi there,

anyone with experience with the multiporpose, high uniformity or ssp cast burrs installed on the kopi deva?

i want to extract more clarity on both filter and espresso as i have a niche zero and prefer it for bodied brews.

thanks

tupple
Posts: 8
Joined: 1 year ago

#145: Post by tupple »

I have a Kopi Deva from the Indiegogo campaign. It originally came with HU burrs which I've just switched for SSP Cast burrs. I also have a Niche for the same reason as you @bolido21.

Firstly, I really like the grinder. The workflow is fantastic for starters. I would say it rivals the Niche. Coming from a Niche I've had many disappointing grinders that required too much work for acceptable results.

The quality of the espresso is also really good. I'm not an expert but it's far better than any grinder I've owned before. I found the HU burrs disappointing. They were definitely a bump in clarity over the Niche but not enough for me. That's why I then fitted cast burrs which are perfect for my tastes. Another bump in clarity, more sweetness, pretty much what most professionals say about them. You lose texture but not as much as, say, an EK43.

I don't drink filter enough to give a proper opinion on that.

Hope that helps.

tupple
Posts: 8
Joined: 1 year ago

#146: Post by tupple »

I should mention that it was Grizzleys post on retention in the funnel that brought me here. I have the same problem. A couple of pulses of the motor are no effort. It's not a dealbreaker but it's very frustrating how sensitive the retention can be to the way you shape the wipers. I wouldn't be surprised if Brandon or someone with a 3D printer fixes this soon. It's the only niggle I have of an otherwise fantastic grinder. It's early days though and I'm going to persist.

tupple
Posts: 8
Joined: 1 year ago

#147: Post by tupple »

I know this thread is long and near death but I thought it fair to post an update on my experience. Kopiconcepts have been very helpful with the retention problem and sent me a troubleshooting guide and followed up with a few tips. After changing the wipers, checking their length and orientation, the change was quite dramatic, with virtually nothing left in the funnel now. I've posted a photo.

I know this may not be for everyone but for me the quality in the cup has been worth it. And to be fair, it's pretty good for v1 of a pretty novel design.

Advertisement
bespresso
Posts: 17
Joined: 7 years ago

#148: Post by bespresso »

tupple wrote:I know this thread is long and near death but I thought it fair to post an update on my experience. Kopiconcepts have been very helpful with the retention problem and sent me a troubleshooting guide and followed up with a few tips. After changing the wipers, checking their length and orientation, the change was quite dramatic, with virtually nothing left in the funnel now. I've posted a photo.
Thanks, Steve. Funnel looks great. Wondering if you could share a pic of your wiper adjustments, and/or lengths, or did you do exactly as in their guide? Mine seem right but there is retention (even with RDT). [Edited to add quote for clarity.]

Tillamook
Posts: 135
Joined: 3 years ago

#149: Post by Tillamook »

I have recently received this grinder and am currently using it as a daily driver. I thought I would report on what I have experienced so far..... As everyone has mentioned, the build quality is 10 out of 10! Everything looks and feels like it is made to last a lifetime. The layout and design of everything on the outside is perfect in my opinion. I did not care one way or the other about it being cordless, but now that I have it on the counter, I am a huge fan of no cords. It already has a very small footprint, which makes it even nicer to have less cords everywhere. It is very nice to be able to move it around anywhere you want with ease. I initially thought this grinder looked like a drill press, but my opinion has changed since seeing it in real life.

Now for the bad.... Immediately upon unboxing my Kopi Deva, I set everything up and turned on the toggle switch. The LEDs on the grinder did not light up. There was no power, even after charging for 2 hours. I decided to open up the grinder and see what was going on. I quickly found a very small wire unattached to the toggle switch which had broken off. The wire gauge they chose is very delicate and is too small for a spade connecter. It was attached to the switch with solder, which had been very poorly soldered. This combined with a heavy battery loosely bouncing all around against everything inside during shipment, resulted in the wire breaking off. Despite the quality exterior build of this machine, its downfall is the internal electrical components layout. There are many components crammed inside the body, all flopping around loosely. It appears as if possibly things were maybe rushed, while trying to meet deadlines, with the electrical phase of building these grinders. The LED power light strip is held in place against the inside wall with nothing more than electrical tape. I think somebody could possibly 3D print an internal support system that would hold everything in place nicely. I re soldered the wire and installed everything back to normal, began grinding coffee and started pounding espresso shots.....

Back to more of the good.... IF you RDT, the retention is next to nothing, (results may vary). I can live with it for the rest of my life the way it is.... The zip tie swiper adjustments mentioned in this thread, can only improve the retention. I hear a lot of whining about this company going cheap, by using a zip tie/cable tie as the swiper. I am a big fan of using easily accessible parts, as long as they can get the job done. Would you rather have them make the same part and sell it for $25? Another common complaint is the portafilter holder. I actually like it. Yes, out of the box it has issues, but like everything, once you dial it in, it works great. I added felt pads to the bottom of it and bought some hardware to help adjust the height for the neck holder. I believe it is very well built and has added weight to counterbalance things. It is also very helpful with lining things up perfectly when you match the portafilter holder with the curve of the grinder base. The edge of this base has a sharp edge which may lead to the powder coat easily chipping if you drop the dosing funnel. The dosing funnel provided is also great quality. At the moment, using medium dark roasts, I am getting by with nearly no WDT, (results may vary). This grinder distributes the grounds very evenly, directly into the portafilter, if everything is lined up perfectly. The crying about the dosing shovel inconvenience is also over exaggerated. Yes, it is different from what most people are used to, and yes it takes a little practice, but it is a nice tradeoff for having such a small compactly built, nice-looking machine. Also is worth mentioning that the machine is quieter than I expected.

The battery situation does not scare me whatsoever. It will be easily accessible in the future and can be easily switched out in less than 3 minutes. I do not believe it will be expensive or hard to find in many different places including RC car Hobby Shops. Pictured below is the inside of the grinder, followed by a photo of the broken toggle wire.



tn
Posts: 41
Joined: 4 years ago

#150: Post by tn »

Thanks for the very objective review.

The gauge of those wires to the switch, and the fact that they are unprotected against mechanical damage, is just ridiculous. Doesn't surprise me one bit yours arrived broken! Glad it was an easy fix.

I guess the solid and attractive appearance is nice but there's some truth to the saying that it's what's on the inside that counts.