RocketR58 wrote:Hi,
I currently have a Mazzer mini E paired to a Rocket R58. I primarily drink double shot with 150ml milk. 20% espresso use. Don't single dose.

I'm looking to upgrade the Mazzer. Is there anyone that could make comment on this upgrade pathway, or is going to be more of a sideways move?

First off, I don't have hands on experience on X54. But having owned Mazzer Mini E and Mahlkönig K30, I'd say X54 is a significant upgrade on both quality and workflow.

Mazzer Mini E tends to clump, adjustment ring is bit of a pain, consistency could be better and it's loud. All those things are improved on X54, if X54 continues the path set by K30 and grinders after it.

Disclaimer: I do not have skin in this game. I haven't owned Mazzer or Mahlkönig grinders for years. And regarding X54, I'm relying on hearsay from couple of friends who have them.

jpetrow wrote:Mazzer Mini E tends to clump, adjustment ring is bit of a pain, consistency could be better and it's loud. All those things are improved on X54, if X54 continues the path set by K30 and grinders after it.

Except for the noise level, there's literally no advantage the X54 has over Mazzer Mini Electronic. Adjustment ring on X54 is a piece of flimsy plastic, X54 clumps even more, both are time based so consistency is as good as you dial it to be, X54 has nothing to do with K30 other than the design language.

X54 is slow, clumpy, has twice as much of retention as the Mazzer.

Mazzer Mini E has an amazing 64mm burrset dedicated for espresso, can be swapped with SSP. X54 has small espresso-to-filter burrs. Mazzer has a high quality build, X54 is full of plastic parts and is made in China.

X54 is a wanna-be-big-boy Mahlkönig, but it's really just an entry level beginners grinder with poor build quality and cheap plastic parts. It will sell mainly due to the branding and design language taken from higher end Mahlkönig grinders.

Mazzer Mini E is a small commercial grinder built to outlive most of us.

Going from Mazzer Mini E to X54 would be a downgrade.

I have the the latest Mazzer Mini Electronic B with stock burrs - minimal to negligible clumping, no static, fast grinding (little over 11s for 18g dose), consistent grinding, no motor stalling, amazing espresso. Would never even consider the small plasticky X54.

RocketR58 wrote:Is there anyone that could make comment on this upgrade pathway, or is going to be more of a sideways move?

Mazzer has updated the Mini Electronic models already, but may introduce a new Mini this year. If you feel like upgrading, it better be worth it. X54 is not an upgrade.

Cheers

Thank you for the replies! Seems pretty cut and dry that it is not a worthwhile upgrade. I would have been a victim of the marketing of Mahlkonig, being a brand I have lust after.

You could consider the Eureka XL (not the Specialita, decent and value for money grinder but smaller burrs).

Build quality pretty good. Silent operation. Little retention. Convenient timers and dose consistency. Very precise and comfortable grind adjustment. Not much clumping.

Results in the cup will be comparable.

RocketR58 wrote:Hi,
I currently have a Mazzer mini E paired to a Rocket R58. I primarily drink double shot with 150ml milk. 20% espresso use. Don't single dose.

I'm looking to upgrade the Mazzer. Is there anyone that could make comment on this upgrade pathway, or is going to be more of a sideways move?

Kind regards
G

The mini E has 64mm burrs where the X54 has 54mm burrs. Larger burr set doesn't mean a better burr set but the nuances might lean towards Mazzer in the cup in this case. Burr geometry can be very different and have different goals in mind without tasting them back to back it's hard say either way and it also depends on personal taste. The Mazzer design has been around forever and is due for an upgrade particularly with cleaning. The thread can get easily get crossed thread and dirty with coffee. You also loose your calibration each time you open it up so from a ease of use prrspective the X54 is going to win on that end. For some reason Mazzer doesn't care and keeps this design going with psudeo updates of short hoppers and larger steps. It's build like a tank and is an excellent grinder it's just the culture you get with a mazzer.

An updated mini would be nice but I don't think it will be soon coming. Mazzer has a commercial focus and perhaps are more responsive with their cafe market. They have updated the mini for a brew/home focus which is just a short hopper and larger steps but it's encouraging they are making changes however those changes seem more forced due to market demand. of course the mini has a strong history that has set the bar they are just finding themselves below the bar right now. I would like to see an update but it feels like a clash of direction with Mazzer. I couldn't imagine trying to do a burr alignment with one as they are now. They need to make it easy to open, easy to swap out the burrs and easy to clean plus lower retention. Manufactures should embrace swapping out burrs in today's market (especially the 64mm models) but that seems counter-culture for mazzer.

I was all about the X54 until I saw how much plastic is in it. The Eurekas "seem" better built with more metal. Anyone with a X54 care to comment on the build quality?

I've had the X54 since August and I can't say that I am in love with it. The grinder at factory setting is definitely way too coarse for espresso between 01-05. I've had to recalibrate it because it wasn't grinding fine enough for my GS3 machine and had to recalibrate it twice (went loose?!) and always had it set it at 01 setting for light roast beans. Does anyone have this problem or know anything about this?