Niche Zero flat burr set conversion from sworksdesigns - Page 5

#41: Post by **Ahmad H.** » December 8th, 2022, 6:10 pm

Just want to share my experience with the flat burr conversion:

I got the 58m SSP brew burrs, which was confirmed by SSP that this is made for brew. The reason why got this is i wanted a grinder for filter coffee only as i had another espresso grinder that is better than the Niche. Getting a new grinder with a similar style SSP burr would be more expensive that getting the flat burr conversion set. Not to mention that i love the workflow and look/size of the grinder. Also it is cool that this is one of the very few grinders in the market that can be converted from conical to flat.

My experience with the SSP brew burr:

- The installation is as easy as the original burr set carrier.
- The burrs were terribly misaligned which was expected. Marker test works with theses burrs so i aligned them using shims which was not difficult.
- Retention is the same, if not even less, than the original burrs. Whatever you put in, you get it out. i am using bellow with the niche.
- Speed of the grind with the NFC disc is similar to the original burrs. 20g dose takes around 30 seconds in the filter range settings.
- Taste in the cup for filter coffee is fantastic once i aligned and seasoned the burrs. It is SIGNIFICANTY better than the original burr for filter coffee. I have an EG1 that i used for filter coffee (and espresso) and the quality of the cups i get from the niche with SSP is surprising good compared to the EG1 core burrs.
- You can grind for espresso with the SSP burrs at the most fine settings, and it produces amazing "modern style" espresso. However, the problem is that it takes a long time to grind. a 20g dose can take up to 2 minutes to grind due to the low RPM of the grinder and the style of the burrs (they dont have pre-breakers).
- No stalling issues so far and i put the lightest roast beans through it.

Overall i am very impressed with the result for filter coffee using the SSP burrs. Tbh, i don't think it makes sense for someone to go with the espresso burrs. Or at least the ones available now are not that great for espresso anyway and you better off stick with the original conical burrs.

i have an instagram highlight with more details for those who are interested.
https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h ... JmNzVkMjY=

#42: Post by **bostonbuzz** » December 8th, 2022, 9:01 pm

That Nixie tube shot counter is baller.

#43: Post by **Pressino** » December 9th, 2022, 3:09 pm

Ahmad H. wrote:

- Retention is the same, if not even less, than the original burrs.Whatever you put in, you get it out.I am using bellow with the niche.

That was one of my concerns. I'm a bit surprised but glad to hear retention is not a problem.

#44: Post by F1 » December 10th, 2022, 11:00 pm

jdrobison wrote:Because if you already own a Niche, this is more affordable than purchasing a flat burr grinder. I'm not advocating for it as the better solution, just offering a justification for why someone may want to do it.

Until I hear from a reputable reviewer that this "flat" burr produces something significantly different from the kony burrs I dont see the point. Simply putting a flat burr in there is not gonna magically make the grinder better or even make it on par with other flat burrs. Especially those tiny 58mm burrs. Burr geometry makes a difference, but so does size.

#45: Post by **erik82** » December 11th, 2022, 6:42 am

And for the price of the conversion kit you can also buy a second hand Mazzer Super Jolly doser model, and put 64mm SSP burrs in it. That should make it even better then those pretty small 58mm burrs. And is just as easy to singledose as a Niche Zero.

#46: Post by **Jonk** » December 11th, 2022, 7:03 am

You will find plenty of positive reviews of the 54mm burrs from Mahlkönig/Ditting that Baratza is using. It has been confirmed that they're possible to use with the 54mm kit, with a swap of motor leads. It's a no-brainer that there will be some difference between the 63mm conical Mazzer burrs and whatever flat burrs people put in their Niche. If it's more or less to their liking is ultimately down to personal preferences. I would expect a lot better results for filter and filter roast espresso, just like Ahmad reports.

I have been single dosing a Mazzer Mini E for some time. It's not nearly as easy or convenient as on the Niche, which was the main reason for my interest in this kit. The low RPM was the other reason, but reading about 2 minute grind times makes me second guess myself. Perhaps worth it on occasion with a grinder with adjustable RPM, but I guess it might not be as fun if it's every single shot.

December 11th, 2022, 7:13 am

Jonk wrote:...

...The low RPM was the other reason, but reading about 2 minute grind times makes me second guess myself. ...

Sheldon stated that the 54mm version is actually grinding the fastest out of the 3 options and is on par with the original conical's grind time.

#48: Post by **erik82** » December 11th, 2022, 7:49 am

Jonk wrote:I have been single dosing a Mazzer Mini E for some time. It's not nearly as easy or convenient as on the Niche, which was the main reason for my interest in this kit. The low RPM was the other reason, but reading about 2 minute grind times makes me second guess myself. Perhaps worth it on occasion with a grinder with adjustable RPM, but I guess it might not be as fun if it's every single shot.

That's the Mini E which is totally different for singledosing then the SJ doser I recommended. Doser models are way easier to singledose. I could singledose my SJ in 6s after grinding was done and get everything out of it.

Jonk wrote:You will find plenty of positive reviews of the 54mm burrs from Mahlkönig/Ditting that Baratza is using. It has been confirmed that they're possible to use with the 54mm kit, with a swap of motor leads. It's a no-brainer that there will be some difference between the 63mm conical Mazzer burrs and whatever flat burrs people put in their Niche. If it's more or less to their liking is ultimately down to personal preferences. I would expect a lot better results for filter and filter roast espresso, just like Ahmad reports.

And ofcourse 54mm is ok but 64mm is much better. And those positive reviews are mostly by people that where used to using something like a Kinu M47 of similar so yes then it's better but comparing it to really good performing grinders they're not more then ok. In terms of getting a unimodal grind bigger is always better if the rest is the same. And there's a lot to be gained when your baseline is 54mm SSP.

#49: Post by **Jonk** » December 11th, 2022, 8:47 am

erik82 wrote:That's the Mini E which is totally different for singledosing then the SJ doser I recommended. Doser models are way easier to singledose.

I have used doser model Mazzers as well, and disagree. It's a 1-2 minute affair, faffing around with a brush and pulsing the grinder on and off. Still some retention left in the grinder. Build is great, taste with SSP burrs is great, but workflow is a (minor) pain as far as I'm concerned.

Very few grinders come close to the Niche's workflow AFAIK. Smooth, stepless adjustment dial. Quick, easy cleaning without any tools, no RDT and really no need for bellows, knockers or brushes. Speaking of the M47 I thought it produced slightly better espresso than the Niche (bigger is not always better, could be due to RPM differences too).. But workflow is what made me keep the Niche.

December 11th, 2022, 9:05 am

I beliefe 54mm is just fine depending on the burr: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoM93jK5BCE