mgwolf wrote:Just came across this video yesterday on the Ultra Levercraft. It seems mostly made to get a few laughs

It's just the style of all his videos, it's pretty funny all the time. I quite like the style. Shin (the guy in the video) is also the « Decent Man » for South Korea (see here what this means: Decent Espresso news).

I watched this video some time ago, it didn't seem to depict the Ultra badly.

I tried to resume below what is presented in the video.

Pros:
- really really quiet
- retention is impressively good (respectively 0.6g, 0.1g, 0.1g, 0.1g, 0.3g in the first tests, at fine-espresso setting, without RDT, grinder is new without any significant burn-in)
- very fast (20.6g at the 3 setting in 4.3s at 1500rpm, 20.5g in 2.8s at 2500rpm, 20.6g in 6.3s at 500rpm)
- the small tap to prevent clumps and get the last ground coffee works well
- the grinder can be packaged in a pelican case (nomadic use?)

Cons:
- no battery included in the remote
- some popcorning (expected in a single dose grinder?)
- the little thin metal which attach to the bottom of the chute falls quite often
- doesn't really grind at 100rpm (at setting 3 at least), it would be interesting to know if this is the expected behavior/if it continues after burn-in/what's the minimum usable rpm

Also:
- the burrs do not spin at 50rpm, but I don't think it's a con since the grinder is rated for 100-1500rpm
- he was able to make the grinder spin backwards, but again I'm not sure it's actually intended (and it may be that actual production models can't go minus rpm) and useful anyway

Couple things to note:
- he got one of the very first grinders (as you can see, the ssp burrs are not blind in his version, actually he went to ssp factory to get the burrs himself)
- he assembled the grinder/burrs himself and seems to discover how it is made/how it works live
- we don't see him align the grinder, hopefully he knows what he is doing or was assisted to do it properly

He explained he will publish a review later on when he will have had enough time with the grinder.

mgwolf wrote:Just came across this video yesterday on the Ultra Levercraft...but based on what I see, the Ultra doesn't look all that desirable. Would any actual users like to comment? Thanks.

I believe Shin has the direct-from-China Ultra which is the same species but not the same breed as the Levercraft Ultra, in that there are slight differences. I'll roll with my man, Indy. "Ultra doesn't look all that desirable." Are you asking about aesthetics/functionality/overall-impressions? That Shin vid was previously posted here [PROMO] LeverCraft Ultra Grinder. There are other informational goodies in that thread.

Love seeing more offerings hit the market.

mgwolf wrote:Just came across this video yesterday on the Ultra Levercraft. It seems mostly made to get a few laughs, but based on what I see, the Ultra doesn't look all that desirable. Would any actual users like to comment? Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ixTGg56Mmo

Not sure what desirable looks like to you but this is a badass grinder. I've had a dozen grinders over the last 10+ years, including boutique stuff. The Ultra is basically what I have been trying to hack out of other grinders. Single dose, low to no retention, well aligned, easy to swap burrs, RPM controllable, the list goes on. I wanted one grinder that could do brew and espresso at a high level. With the SSP Low U burrs in my Ultra, the cups I'm getting on both brew and espresso are fantastic. Comparing to my most recent favorites, aligned Forte (brew) and Monolith (espresso), the Ultra is an improvement on both.

A silly video is not a serious review. Eric took a version of the grinder that guy has and improved it...a lot. Not the same product.

Just came across this video yesterday on the Ultra Levercraft. It seems mostly made to get a few laughs, but based on what I see, the Ultra doesn't look all that desirable. Would any actual users like to comment? Thanks.

I would like to clarify that I think the grinder seems to be a really great grinder and I would consider getting one at some point. I think "desirable" was a poor word choice on my part. I got the impression the little flaps would fall off, it sprayed a lot, and functioned marginally at low speeds. I didn't realize this was a pre-production model, which would explain a few things. From the small number of owners so far who have posted, it does seem to be a very nice grinder.

GreggerATX wrote:Not sure what desirable looks like to you but this is a badass grinder. I've had a dozen grinders over the last 10+ years, including boutique stuff. The Ultra is basically what I have been trying to hack out of other grinders. Single dose, low to no retention, well aligned, easy to swap burrs, RPM controllable, the list goes on. I wanted one grinder that could do brew and espresso at a high level. With the SSP Low U burrs in my Ultra, the cups I'm getting on both brew and espresso are fantastic. Comparing to my most recent favorites, aligned Forte (brew) and Monolith (espresso), the Ultra is an improvement on both.

A silly video is not a serious review. Eric took a version of the grinder that guy has and improved it...a lot. Not the same product.

I am interested in knowing more on your thoughts on the Monolith vs Ultra. The Ultra at the price point is very tempting. What makes the Ultra better from your viewpoint?

Monolith is great, no negative comments there. Like I mentioned, with the burrs I chose I've got one grinder that does brew and espresso very well. That may not be important to everyone but I'm loving it. Also, the design is open-ended. As I evolve, coffee evolves, I change my mind/taste/palate, I can easily swap burrs, align them and I'm off and running. It also doesn't hurt that I know Eric from being a customer at his shop and knew that I would be dealing with a solid individual.

GreggerATX wrote:Comparing to my most recent favorites, aligned Forte (brew) and Monolith (espresso), the Ultra is an improvement on both.

Thanks for your impressions. It would be nice to get more in-depth feedback from owners, particularly the ones who previously owned serious grinders.

GreggerATX wrote: A silly video is not a serious review. Eric took a version of the grinder that guy has and improved it...a lot.

I'm not sure there is a need to attack this video. Being funny and with its own style doesn't make it less serious. We don't necessarily need only cold and chirurgical stuff. Also, if you read carefully the post I made above, you will see there is actually a lot to be taken from the video. Those points seem to acknowledge what you are saying, since they are largely positive for the Ultra. Anyway, discussing those points would certainly be more beneficial than to discuss the style of the video.

GreggerATX wrote: Not the same product.

Is it? I mean, I absolutely understand the added value brought by Levercraft here, but I assumed there was some kind of work in tandem with the original designer here, which would eventually benefit everyone (particularly in not having yet another niche grinder). I would love to get an actual feedback from Eric himself about this?

GreggerATX wrote:Monolith is great, no negative comments there. Like I mentioned, with the burrs I chose I've got one grinder that does brew and espresso very well. That may not be important to everyone but I'm loving it. Also, the design is open-ended. As I evolve, coffee evolves, I change my mind/taste/palate, I can easily swap burrs, align them and I'm off and running. It also doesn't hurt that I know Eric from being a customer at his shop and knew that I would be dealing with a solid individual.

The dual purpose is very appealing to me for sure. Originally I was thinking about getting an ultra setup solely for filter coffee but being able to do both exceedingly well would be even better.

I spoke to Eric via email yesterday and I'd actually like to get one of these completely setup for filter coffee. I have ssp burrs from Titus that are modeled after the 2015 mk burrs, in my ek43s and they're super good for filter. I hope Eric can test some similar burrs. I'd love to send mine to him to possibly test against the standard burrs.

Sold. And now the anticipation starts!