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The people in this office have gone back to using the cheap $10 grinder that they wanted to replace. It may be our work location but the unit has a lot of static eletricity built up which leads to a messy counter top. Very disappointed w/ this grinder. It has a slow, annoyingly loud grinder.
While the grinder has worked more or less fine, it has had some problems - soon into owning it the timer jammed, so I now run it by plugging in the wall plug, removing when the coffee is done. Then, setting for finer coffee than espresso (Turkish) seemed to allow the burr wheels to meet, causing the coffee to have a burnt metallic taste.
It grinds fine enough for Turkish, unlike this one, and is a lot quieter and much more solid, and the coffee tastes better. I have had little problem with static, feeding, or oily beans, but while it's done pretty good duty, I'm looking for something a little better quality this time around.UPDATE: got the KitchenAid mill to replace this.
I've had this grinder for about 5 years, grinding both French press and espresso. of beans needed for a pot and grinding it.
Skip this and head for the KitchenAid. It does well at both, at least until it finally died recently - the grinding mechanism has come undone and only produces "coffee chips" any more.
Timers (on any grinder) seem to be pretty inaccurate anyway - you're better off measuring the qty.
You find you're left enough grinds for three-to-four scoops. This is NOT what you want. What a failed design. One must stand watch over this grinder as if it were a stubborn, disobedient child.Imagine this: You've turned the timer knob as far as it allows. And I paid upwards of $100 for it.Bottom line: If you love coffee and wish to protect your sanity, look elsewhere for a grinder. Next, you manually shove beans down in the hopper with a small spatula. Suddenly, the timer stops.
Finish your task by vacuuming the counter, grinder and floor below you with a DustBuster.Without one iota of exaggeration, and I swear by the God who guides me, this is the most aggravating kitchen appliance I have ever owned. Now wait, you're almost done.
At first, you shake the grinder to coax beans into the burrs, but it doesn't help. Repeat this procedure three times until you have enough grinds for a full pot of coffee.
I never thought grinding my own coffee could bring so much despair and frustration, but truly it has. You feel defeated, but you soldier on.
As one human trying earnestly to help another, I beg of you to heed my warning. The grinder whirs loudly as few beans are ground.
Coffee dust quickly spreads across your counter, creating a mess.
Not to mention the 3-5 week turnaround time that I would be without a coffee grinder.Poor customer service, poorly designed product - I'll never buy a Solis again.ETA: When it *does* grind beans it produces a nice grind for both espresso and drip coffee makers. Postage and insurance paid by ME. My husband bought this for me about 4 years ago - and every time we have used it, regardless of the size or roast of the beans - it needs to be fiddled with and jiggled and have a spoon pushed down into the hopper in order for the beans to feed without jamming.This takes anywhere from 3-5 minutes to get enough for a pot. :(I called Solis immediately afterwards, thinking our unit was defective, and was told that it was a problem that they were aware of, and if I shipped the unit back to them they would fix it.
Beans will slide smoothly into the grinding "burrs" for only a few seconds without assistance. It runs quietly and doesn't have static electricity problems. Has anyone else. THE UGLY TRUTH: you must figure that EACH time you use the machine, you will give it FULL-time attention, feeding the beans down the hopper. The lower hopper fits well so it seals tightly. I've gained some serious experience with it. anyway, I've intended to try some experiments, but haven't yet. Rocking or banging the machine keeps the beans moving, but knocks the burrs together when on the finest settings - this causes burr damage.
Why useless.THE BAD: This thing has INEXCUSABLE feed problems. THE GOOD: I have used the Solis Maestro daily for over a year. I believe they had to have discovered this in development and pre-release testing, but released it anyway. I think this is reprehensible.The machine runs smoothly and quietly and doesn't vibrate like cheaper grinders; but probably this smoothness exacerbates the problem. Best approach is a gentle poking and sweeping motion through a half-filled hopper.
I've found that a bamboo chopstick is the best feed-assist tool; if it is nicked by the rotating burr, it causes no damage. Perhaps some combination, with a rotating central Teflon plug which is cammed toward the top, and relieved toward the bottom. Or perhaps a central polyethylene or Teflon plug above the rotating central burr would occupy that space and keep beans from interlocking and packing there, and "bridging" the burr-set. It's bad enough that my wife gets frustrated and abusive with the machine, so I have assumed the bean-grinding responsibility. Perhaps a bump, or bumps, on top of the rotating burr would "cam" the descending beans with each rotation, and keep them disturbed and moving. It's a nice, slick machine that produces a good, even, fine grind for espresso (about all we ever grind around here).
ENGINEERING: As a mechanical engineer, I think the problem should (and could) be addressed by the manufacturer. I've heard that "oily beans" or "large beans" may have a problem: but in a year I have found NO beans, none - not oily, not dry, not big, not small - that feed without constant attention. And it has a self-timer - which is useless. I have found NO beans that will simply feed into the burrs without constant help: rocking, banging, poking with spoon or chopstick, etc.
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