Pharos vs Rancilio MD-50

[smico]

Miroslav, is that form just an exact replica of the bottom of the Pharos?
Can I just trace around it onto a piece of graph paper and then use that to cut out a piece of wood?
I do have some nice Fir I could use....Cherry and Walnut are too hard for me to cut.

Susan

Susan,

Bottom plate fits right under the bottom of the wood, so curvature has to follow lower ground chamber.
I used bottom plate to mark two holes, and then marked the curve using lower ground chamber.
I call it docking station for fun, but Pharos really docks in.  First left side (note that it opens inside) and then plug in the right side.

I will take few more photos as there are two support pieces at the bottom that don’t show here.

Miroslav

[SJM]

Cool.
About a year ago I had one of the bones at the base my left thumb removed and had a painless year which has been wonderful.  However, just after ordering the Pharos my left thumb started giving me trouble again, and I imagine that I have to wear a thumb splint again soon that holding the Pharos will be....difficult...

Susan

[smico]

I took few more pictures.  I hope that everything is clear now.

[SJM]

Thank you.

[SJM]

It's here and I gotta laugh !!!!
People complain about getting the grinds out of this?
They haven't been digging out the chute of the MD-50 with a toothbrush for each shot.

So far so good...
Susan

[smico]

Susan,

How does Pharos compare to MD-50 finally? 
I have zero static problem.  I use Sam's trick with paper, so it's not so bad, but ground catcher mod would make this a perfect grinder.  I just don't like it's $150 price.

Or, is your Pharos already at Yakster's...  Just kidding.

Cheers,

Miroslav

[SJM]

Hi Miroslav.

I'm not altogether sure how I am going to rate this over time.
There is no way that I can grind with it on the counter top;  I do have to pull out the stool and put it in my lap;  and it takes about 50+ turns to do my 16 grams for the SAMA.
I haven't thought I had a static problem, but somehow it seems as if the grinds don't come out as easily as they did in the first few days when I had it and I've been smacking it around more.

Still, that is less than I was having to do with the MD-50;  with the MD-50 almost all of the 16 grams would still be in the chute and I would have to sweep them out with a toothbrush.

As for the actual grind ?  The setting I had the MD-50 on when I stopped using it sure looked sweeter and silkier than the one that I have the Pharos set to, but.....what I'm getting out of the SAMA using this grind seems fine.

All of which means that I'm kinda too inexperienced to be able to compare them rationally, and I'm also lazy enough that I don't set up a whole barrage of tests.

What I do know is that I just like the pairing of the Pharos with the SAMA.  They both have a very basic and utilitarian feel.  I am absolutely sure that the SAMA gives me better shots than the Gaggia did, but I'm not sure what part of that is the Pharos?  I might have been a better judge if I hadn't changed both the espresso machine and the grinder in such a short period of time in relation to each other.

But.....the Pharos does stay and is doing the daily deed....

Susan

[smico]

Thank you Susan,
It takes so many turns because you tilt the grinder.  That was a trick I used when I was doing forced child labour - grinding for Turkish coffee for my parents and guest.
I rebuilt Cremina 83 two weeks ago, and got Pharos to make a perfect pair. But still I kept convenience setup Vario and Brewtus. 
Pharos outperforms Vario every time. 
Cremina is still hit and miss, few heavenly shots, then one sour, burnt, then heaven...
I enjoy the lever ride very much.
Cheers,
Miroslav

[jano]

There is no way that I can grind with it on the counter top;  I do have to pull out the stool and put it in my lap;  and it takes about 50+ turns to do my 16 grams for the SAMA.

50 turns?  Wow.. I need 24-30 for 18g headed to the mypressi twist; grind is about 1/4 turn from "0".  I recall in the vids OE said coarser grinds need more turns.  Maybe the burrs just need a so-called break in *shrug*

[SJM]

Thank you Susan,
It takes so many turns because you tilt the grinder.
Cheers,
Miroslav

Ah ha!!!!  I wondered if tilting it had an adverse effect.
I will work on finding a way to do it on a flat surface.
(I'm not really handy enough to fabricate a jig like the one you made....)

Susan

[smico]

On the other hand, if you are not in a hurry, that way grinding is as easy as you need it to be. 
I was doing that as a kid because I simply couldn't turn the handle.  By tilting you control amount of coffee between the burs.
Docking station works very well, thank you.

[expy98]

Sorry Miroslav, I bought the mod kit because a friend wanted to see it before deciding to buy it himself. 
I suppose I "took one for the team" :-).  But that was before RDT (aka 2 drops of water) and admittedly
at times and depending on the beans (like Bali) it can make quite a mess dumping out the grind.

But now with RDT, it's just short of miraculous and really you should not need the mod kit for dumping.
But the mod kit is still very useful for other reasons (like no more taking grinder apart to clean) and
perhaps no more burr re-alignments.

I also didn't understand why it took Susan 50 turns to grind a dose neither but I'd assumed grinding on
the counter.  I've tried holding it and could not turn the handle.  But if your grind is less fluffy than
the MD50, my guess is it's too coarse.  Also when grinding w/ fewer beans in the burrs, perhaps
it's same as popcorning and you get a coarser grind. 

I have not heard from Voodoo on handles yet, altho he did say maybe a couple of weeks (and it's
been a couple of weeks). 

[SJM]

I just played with the adjustment a bit....made it finer (1/4 turn from zero) ....and it still took more than 45 turns....even done flat on the counter (with my whole arm wrapped around it to try to keep it steady)....for 16 grams.

I'm finished playing with it for tonight but tomorrow I should be able to mess with it.
I have not even tried adding the drop of water to the beans, but....tomorrow....

Susan

[SJM]

Just to tell you all that I am totally captivated by the Pharos and that as far as I am concerned absolutely no modifications at all are necessary. 

What I did have to do to the Pharos was to use double-sided tape to attach the counter pad (which came with it) to the grinder itself.  That's it.

When I grind I put the grinder (with counter pad attached) on top of a thin piece of that non-slip stuff you can buy for lining drawers or for putting under rugs, and ....voila. 

The only thing that made grinding hard was keeping the Pharos steady;  the grinding itself isn't hard at all.

The MD-50 makes a great door stop.....

Susan

[SJM]

You did get the longer handle, though didn't you Susan?  Have you tried it out yet?

Got it.
Installed it.
Didn't need it.
It's still "on", but I may well remove it;  it almost gets in the way....

Susan