A decent English spoken video introducing the Kaleido M2.

The more I use mine (M10), the happier I am with it .

P.s. looks like they moved the chaff collector drawer to the side. Minor improvement I'd say. There's a few more changes that show they're continuously developing, but the basic design is a winner (easy to clean, way chaffs collect etc).

In that video, he didn't discuss the dry end phase.

For the current users here, how are you liking the M2/M10? I just ordered an M10 from Espresso Outlet to start my small roasting business. It came down to that vs Bullet but at a $900 difference I chose the M10. I won't get it until the end of Feb but I still have a ton of setup to do.

Thanks in advance!

The more I use my M10, the more I like it. I'm about 55 roasts in so far and other than the very first dedicated test batches I never had to throw anything out. My preferred batchsize is about 500-800 grams of greens. You can go a bit higher, but that offers me the best balance between fresh coffee, learning and perfectly even roasts. I haven't gone up to the max of 1200 grams, but 1000g for sure shouldn't be a problem at all.

Last weekend I roasted 5 kilograms for friends 'buying' 2 kgs each. A huge amount for me, but back-to-back roasting worked surprisingly easy. With 8 batches of 750 grams it took about 2 hours. 10 minutes for each roast and a few minutes to cool/clean/fill and resetting the roaster (technically this only has to be a minute or so in between). Half a year and maybe 20kg in and I'm feeling pretty comfortable selling my home roasted coffee. It's just a hobby and learning experience for me so I do this at cost for friends, but so far everyone who received a bag wanted more. You could probably reach this level in a month if you really made a goal of it and had loads of coffee to begin with.

Not having used the Bullet R1 but having read lots about it this may be quite a statement, but I believe it may outperform it in certain areas. The hardware is so robust and designed stupid simple (which in my line of work is one of the hardest achievements) with the wide opening bat doors for easy cleaning, chaff collection drawer and exhaust vent. The software also doesn't require Wifi (my shed is out of reach). The Kaleido controller is nice and works well, but overall Artisan and working on a laptop offers the complete package (things like saving roasts and starting a new one are slightly easier).

I really hope the machine holds up for 10+ years. The only thing that might worry me slightly are the electronics and my damp shed. I don't see much of an issue using this machine to roast let's say 5-10 kg/day. Worst thing to happen maybe a fan or heating element running out (a few spares are included) or the bearing holding the drum. I don't expect it any time soon with home use, but when it happens it's an easy fix.

Ypuh wrote:snip

That is everything I wanted to hear, I really appreciate the thorough response!!

It sounds like it will be a great fit for what I want.

Kaleido provided me with an Artisan config file and digital manual when I purchased the machine. It took a bit of effort to setup the wireless Bluetooth connection, especially finding which COM-port it uses via the Printers & scanners overview in Windows.

After the initial setup everything works flawless and predictable. Once you plug in the roaster it connects with BT automatically and when you start Artisan the config file is already loaded and the software recognizes the roaster.

My only issues are when moving around the house with my laptop and losing the BT connection with the roaster. It kinda picks up again once you move into range, but sometimes after that Artisan gets stuck mid-roast or parameters aren't in sync. Best way to restore a proper connection is to turn off the roaster and reboot Artisan. There is some kind of logical order that you have to follow (start roaster > establish BT connection > load Artisan with Kaleido config).

I assume the config file may be updated by Kaleido once in a while and you need to contact them to receive it, but so far I don't see a reason. Their website is quickly improving and there is a support page 'Artisan installation package' that doesn't seem to be filled yet which I just emailed them about. Compared to Aillio I believe this is where Kaleido is still lacking, but their support has been very responsive.
https://www.kaleido-sniper.com/

[anonymized] wrote:Thanks!

They're not listed as a supported system in Artisan and not mentioned on then Artisan blog.

It might mean that they're merely hitch hiking / freeloading and not supporting Artisan development and then suggesting their users to also use the software without supporting it.

I hope that is not the case.

100% agree. I might consider the Sniper down the road, but hope they properly link up with Artisan support and also make connection with the software less complicated.

[anonymized] wrote:Checked with Marko and indeed the Sniper people are not at all supporting Artisan.

I conclude the Sniper <-> Artisan connection is not supported

I was talking with May from Kaleido and she said they are just getting into talks now with Artisan about supporting and becoming officially supported themselves.

Of course only time will tell.

[anonymized] wrote:The 'getting into talks' has so far not resulted in them actually saying anything to Marko

I'm hoping me bringing it up changes something but one can only hope. I feel like it could definitely help them become a more popular option in the future.

I guess Kaleido's just discovering the western markets now (in part due to the success of the Bullet R1). Compared to when I bought my machine a year ago, they already improved their online presence and marketing in English a lot. Less spelling mistakes, less bells and whistles in their promotion etc.

Aillio can be seen as the near opposite. Same as brands such as Weber Workshop, Option-O, Decent, they understand the western market a whole lot better. The hardware needs to be there to back it up, but there's no denying they also know how to generate hype, build a community and sell an experience.

Getting onboard with Artisan can be a good first step. They're pushing mainly their own Kaleido controller which wasn't bad (what I expected) but they could just join the Artisan community instead of trying to replicate Aillio which likely won't work because they lose their 20-30% cost advantage.