GregoryJ wrote:They're at 15 / day (not week)

Oh! Per day! Well, that is a far different matter! That's a max output of 250/wk, so perhaps even 2 months including their ramp up. Interesting. Or more... likely more...

And yeah, maybe safer just means a more reliable speed. Who knows?

Where did 15 per day come from? Seems to be a lot of speculating going on here

That's what he mentioned in the most recent update

"We mentioned before that we're working to get up to a 50 unit/day pace. We are still hopeful to get there within February, but we are building about 15 units/day right now. "

So it looks like they will be shipping up to 50 a day by Feb. hope their goal is correct. I chose to be more positive than cynical.

They've been shipping for a month now. At 15 a day they are approaching between 450-500 shipped so far.

Those who have one already with the magic tumbler.... how in heck do you take the stopper out so the grounds fall into the PF cleanly and evenly? Always seems to either stick to the sides of the tumbler or fall unevenly into clumps (which then needs separate WDT, something I hoped to avoid with the magic WDT built in wire).

Oh and to those in the US who are waiting still, just be glad you don't HAVE to pay $175 for shipping and then an extra $300 or so in customs and import taxes into Australia ...

That's what the wipers are for. They worked flawlessly for me. Are you doing RDT?

jasiano wrote:Those who have one already with the magic tumbler.... how in heck do you take the stopper out so the grounds fall into the PF cleanly and evenly? Always seems to either stick to the sides of the tumbler or fall unevenly into clumps (which then needs separate WDT, something I hoped to avoid with the magic WDT built in wire).

I have a pair of the blind shakers for my EG-1, which are similar to the magic tumbler. Here are a few tips from what I've learned:

A bit of RDT can help with sticking issues.

A sideways shake or two also dislodges 99% of the grounds.

Once you pull out the stopper, give it and the portafilter a tap on your mat or knock box bar.

Every few days, I rinse the stopper and shaker with warm soapy water. Use only a very soft cloth or sponge carefully because you don't want scratch the coating. This removes any oil buildup which makes the coffee slide much more easily.
Cheers.

chipman wrote:They've been shipping for a month now. At 15 a day they are approaching between 450-500 shipped so far.

Your math is a bit off, most months have 20-21 working days considering weekends, which would still put them closer to 300 for a month, but based off the last IGG update, they are no where near that.

Dec 31 IGG update indicated just over 100 were shipped, Jan 28 update indicated 175 more were shipped.

Today is my 4th day using the Key, my IGG order was under 125 and I'm based in the US, paid for DHL shipping and did not incur any duty fees, luckily.

It's paired with a Rocket Appartamento, I'm working through a 1kg bag of Torch Coffee North of the Equator Light Espresso. Setup photo on my Instagram.

I'm a hobbyist, although been doing home espresso for a dozen years, here's my input from a few days with the Key, after transitioning from a Le'Lit PL53 hopper-fed grinder:

Packaging, boxing, parts and unboxing was all top notch and as one would expect from a premium product. Not a slight, but Niche recently posted on their Instagram what their packaging looks like, I much prefer the experience of WW, but after all, it's just a box and I'm sure every Niche arrives safely, as did my Key.

It's deceivingly heavy, in the right kind of way. When on the counter, you never feel like there's a chance it will move or slide while engaging the motor button on the side, pulling the brush out of the base or the magnetic tumbler off the bottom. This won't be tipping over.

It's very odd to say this, but the powdercoat feels nice to the touch, I've read on IGG comments there may be an issue with a Snow version of the key, maybe it's isolated, but Onyx is just the right amount of matte.

Setup was pretty straight forward, although it's kind of odd / stupid that they will go through the hassle of printing out a sheet of paper with some generic info on it, putting it in a perfectly sized zip-top bag with a WW sticker and then still need to scan a QR code to get the user setup and best practices PDF to pull up. Understandably, there's a dozen or more languages so maybe this was the more eco-friendly option, but still, wastes a sheet of paper and a zip-top bag.

No issue getting my hex bolt off the bottom and paperclip wiper installed as some have reported. Dial in from zero and back is slightly confusing and my first shot gushed out so I made some dramatic changes, but 2 shots later I was easily pulling 36g in 29 seconds.

My Appartamento is on a smart plug to auto-turn on, but never saw a need for the grinder so it's always been plugged into the bottom outlet on the same wall. The Key is setup on my counter to be directly in front of the plug, luck of the draw I suppose, so before it arrived I ordered a 1.5' right angle power cord, turned out to be absolutely perfect fit and prevents a rat's nest behind the grinder or the need for zip ties to wad up behind it.

Workflow has changed for me, and because of that it's taking a bit of getting used to because of a dozen years of muscle memory. All in though, I put the dosing funnel into a drawer likely never to be used again, am using an old IKEA aluminum espresso cup to weigh beans in (for now) and then dump into the Key, and the misting RDT bottle they send is very nice. The stainless tumbler included with Key is just too narrow for my liking and it's barely the right size with lighter roasted beans to get 18g in, no way more would fit if you were using a triple.

Started grinding at 70rpm, now around 90rpm, just because, no science, no reason. After I dump the beans in I put my steaming pitcher on the scale to weigh my milk (does that make me a psycho?) and by the time that's done, the grinder is usually finished.

As others mentioned, a gentle tap after pulling the plunger with the tumbler on the portafilter will dislodge any grounds and a quick little shake will settle them all in.

FLUFFY. That's what I can say about the grinds, thems is fluffy grinds!

I haven't used spouted portafilters in years, if you do use them I strongly suggest a tamping stand if you have breakaway spouts.

I have my Lunar scale set to 0.00g and have been at most -0.04 in the portafilter from the weight going in. I will also attribute some of this to the chaff of the lighter roast and the burrs still breaking in and no where near being seasoned. This makes me immensely happy knowing I'm no longer wasting coffee from a hopper-fed system that was almost always grinding too much or stuck in retention.

The cup, what actually matters.

I got the Torch coffee the day before the Key arrived and pulled a straight espresso and an oat cappy with it prior to switching over. Not an expert, but the notes of the coffee seem more balance. For a lighter roast there's a syrupy mouthfeel I normally wouldn't get from the PL53 while being extremely smooth, no bitterness and just the right amount of acid.

I've had to make minor corrections to the grind to really dial it in, my espresso this afternoon worked out to be 30.06 grams in 30.1 seconds, looked great in the cup, tasted super clean and amazing. Moving the stepped ring is easy, feels good in the hands and in a weird way, feels nicer than 'guessing' where to turn the stepless grinder knob on the PL53; Do I turn it a 1/4 turn, 1/2 turn, more?

One thing I wasn't counting on was how much the slim stance would be a benefit, for me. Might be able to tell in the photo on my Instagram, it's only a few inches away from the machine but enough room to easily get my hand in to activate the switch or grab the brush from the base. Being so thin, it doesn't feel like it's hogging up my counter and the tamping mat sits nicely right in front of it.

Getting in at $1500 and considering the $140 shipping charge, I think this was a great purchase, for me. At $2,000 + shipping, it would likely be a coin flip between the Monolith MC4-Duo and the Key, based on which I could get first.

The Key will likely be my end game grinder, considering I kept the PL53 for a dozen years and will 'retire' it into a pour over grinder if / when I get a kettle and some bit of kit, but will say the WW Magic Tumbler has really surprised me, in a great way. It's going to be hard to think about going back to grinding into a portafilter or dosing cup and dealing with some sort of WDT.