Consistency with shot time, regardless of what's causing it.

Using the funnel and shaking grounds with blind shaker fixes all my issues with this grinder.

I see a market for someone to 3D print a lid for the magic tumbler.

I had a pretty light roast (city) ground in the Weber Key as fine as it would go and the shot still ran a little too fast (21 sec 18g dose.) Has anyone else run into that issue on really light roasts? FWIW, this was home roasted the day before.

Coming back to thread after 3 months of use. Switched from NZ. The Key has been everything I had hoped it would be, and solved for what I thought was lacking in the NZ. I find the workflow is better, and the results in cup are better. I use for both espresso and pour over. The first month or so was not so great as the burrs were seasoning and I was tightening the ring a step every few days it seems but after going through ~15lbs of beans it has been very consistent for me.

I did have some early mishaps, but now I'm just more cautious. 1) Magic tumbler - the top of the removable piece lifted when removing from the grinder because it hit the paperclip thingy and spilled most of the grounds. 2) Magic tumbler -I bumped the removable piece before it was settled on the PF spilling out the grounds. 3) I dialed back grinder 1 full rotation for pour over but then forgot to return to espresso setting (this still happens once in awhile) but I try to keep the settings off one tick so it's easier for me to remember. Ex 0- for espresso. 0+ 1 tick for pour over.

For my process, I use the magic tumbler and wiper as weber intended. 1 spray rdt and shake before grind, Quick level and tamp only. Primary bean has been hairbender, 18g, 1|2-2.25 ratio in 25-30 secs. WF has been streamlined from the NZ as I had hoped (no more banging the machine around to get those last grinds out or wdt) and looks much better next to my LMLM (my opinion of course) Wanted to share in case anyone else was thinking of doing the same. Cheers.

100% in agreement. I was one of the first to receive the Key, I'm January 2022 and I was also moving up from the Niche Zero. The Key makers better coffee, full stop.

Could someone who has more recent Key that includes a washer on the burr bolt (the one you can access from the bottom) tell me what it is? Is it a split washer or a toothed lock washer? I am tired of seeing my grind setting slip... TIA!

Mine just has a regular flat washer. You could consider using a 5nm torque wrench like this. I've been using it since the key came out and has never come loose. I clean it every 2-4 weeks and stays locked in every time. You'll also need something rubbery to hold the shaft while you torque it.

Mine also has a flat washer. They since have reportedly changed to to one that locks. There is no torque spec. If nobody chimes up I will probably get a stainless split washer.

So basically, if you replace this washer, there is no risk of the grind adjustment slipping?

I have another question re grind speed. Do users find a significant difference in espresso shot character from low rpm to high rpm? Also, is there a consensus on a minimum usable rpm in light roasts that ensures no stall? Does one have to adjust how beans are loaded if harder and at low rpm?