Hold your horses, Sonny! It's gonna be a while until you get your hands on this...
The C40 is on its way to the next member in line with an ETA of Thurs.
I don't think it's worth the time to rehash the build issues. It's enough to say that everything documented in the HB thread (mostly by TomC) is true of this unit. A few extra niggles I noticed:
- If you look down into the burrs from the top, the two Y-shaped bearings aren't quite aligned; this makes me wonder (possibly wrongly) about the possibility of there being a twist in the plasticized bearing carrier assembly. Sorry, but I found this impossible to take an adequate picture of.
- The "popper stopper" plastic disc that's attached to the crank and covers the hopper while grinding can come off or travel up the shaft if you push/pull.
Additionally, here's a short video of the well-documented burr wobble. It's supposed to be somewhat self-correcting when the burrs are actually grinding beans, but still:
But enough of all that. Taste matters most, no? I did my best to match the grind I use with my Trifecta and then brewed back-to-back cups of a QED Honduras I had on hand while varying only the hand grinder used (Comandante C40 or OE LIDO 1). Coffee from the C40 was OK but clearly inferior to that from the LIDO in terms of aromatics (muted), body (thinner; cup structure fell apart more while cooling), and flavor (muddier profile; edgier). YMMV.
The bottom line: at this price point in particular, there's no way I can recommend the C40. Let's hope they address all of the problems that have been pointed out in the near future. I'll be rooting for them.
One more thing re: ergonomics/ease of use: the C40 grinds faster than the LIDO. However, it's more awkward to hold for me, and I have small hands. Didn't expect this.
