Yeah thats weird, no flap here, never had clumping either like your describing with the Preciso or Vario. I always single dose and never had a problem, once in a blue moon I'll put in 16.5 for example and get 16 out, but usually a quick purge or two of the power button and tipping forward the grinder a bit gets that last part out, more then likely due to static/humidity changes as thats when I've noticed it in South FL (weather got cooler today and stormed yesterday and had that happen).

nismo270r wrote:Good to know! I've been looking at those and the Tidaka.net funnels. On the Tidaka funnel looks like the lip is shorter and doesn't extend down into the basket as much. Anyone have any experience comparing the two side-by-side?

The Tidaka has a base that is indented so that it sits on the basket - so it is only held on by gravity. The OE's sits in the basket and 'snaps' in so it is more secure.

The Tidaka allows a workflow that lets you tamp while the funnel is still in place and the basket is in the portafilter. I got really used to doing this - especially with the HG one producing such fluffy grinds. (I grind directly into the portafilter.) You can see how it works in Tidaka's videos, e.g., http://youtu.be/eeLawPqZ9vI?t=48s for a La Pavoni (49mm). The E61 vid shows the bottom of the funnel http://youtu.be/GnEszTOnSMg?t=1m

If your workflow is different, then I think that the OE funnels make more sense as they are more secure.

However, when I was using my Vario for espresso, I just used the (metal) portafilter holder adjusted so both the 58mm Silvia and 49mm MCaL would fit. Worked great, no funnels, no WDT, no mess.

For Americans, Tidaka is a serious premium over OE's products, mostly due to the cost of shipping from Germany vs. USPS. For me in Canada, the landed cost was similar. Funnels are like tampers - espresso jewelry, to paraphrase Heather Perry. In all honesty, a paper cup works just fine .

I ended up picking up Tidaka funnels for both the Appia and Microcasa a Leva. I love how they just sit on the basket, rather than in. Quality pieces for sure and the shipping from Germany wasn't as bad as I expected it was going to be. Customer service and communication was top notch as well! These make dosing from the Vario a bit less messy and I think will translate just fine to an HG-One

mdkmdk wrote:I started using the big dosing funnel from Orphan Espresso and it killed any issues with static in NYC. It's food for thought...

+100

That funnel could be the single best espresso tool I've ever bought. Zero stray grounds, no WDT, just a couple taps on the mat, tamp and go.

The first thing I did when I received my brand new Vario was weigh the first input dose and resulting output. I got 4 grams less out as compared to what I put in.

I've been struggling with huge clumps occasionally falling out. Looking up at the exit chute with a flashlight, I could see a significant amount of coffee packed into it. So much so that the flap was pressed against the back wall of the chute. With a lot of tapping, I could get a couple grams out, but it would always back up again.

I did the modification as described by nismo this morning, and cleaned out all the packed coffee in the process. Once assembled, I dropped 1.5 grams in and got 1.5 back out after just a little bit of tapping.

It was helpful to see the design of the chute. The fact that it is nearly horizontal (facing forward) at the exit makes cmin's process of tipping the grinder forward in the case of stuck grounds seem very logical.

Looking forward to pulling shots with it tomorrow.

I pulled four shots this morning on my newly modded Vario. I notice a huge improvement. Getting within .1 grams of what I put in every time. No more clumps. I no longer feel like I need to purge coffee through the grinder when first starting up or adjusting settings, because I don't think it is retaining more than a minuscule amount of grounds.

Great to hear it's working better for you now!

nismo270r wrote:Then just lift the two sections apart enough to slide the chute off and out. Flip the flap and reassemble in reverse order.

I will say, I tried this out and even with a little RDT, there is still a LOT of static. I had one a heck of a mess trying to grind directly into the portafilter with no funnel. I ended up putting the flap back to it's normal direction. I was thinking about trimming the flap to be a bit shorter to see if that would help with single dosing and just contacting Baratza to get a spare flap in case it screws it up entirely.

Hey guys, so trying to do this mod and flip the rubber flap. However my chute is not budging, like it's seriously stuck on tight. Either I'm doing something wrong or I have no clue how it's possible to flip the rubber flap lol. Also, if possible lol, what do you do just flip the flap like a 180 so it's opposite?

Sent you a PM on the chute, it slides off of a dovetail type groove though. The 180 flip on the flap will be a bit more self-explanatory once you get it apart. You're basically flipping it to where the flap no longer hangs into the chute. I'll try and snap some pics the next time I pull it apart though and post to this thread.

Got the PM thanks, I'll try again later. Still a little stumped getting the chute off, I feel like if I pull on it its gonna snap or brake something.