Compak Grinders now Rebadged as Wega . . . Deals to be had!

[Warrior372]

In May Wega finalized a deal with Compak allowing them to purchase and rebadge their grinders to sell them under the Wega brand name. They started selling these grinders in late May / early June at a very impressive introductory price. Since then, all of the online vendors have increased their pricing to be consistent with Compak's online pricing for the comparable grinder.

Now for the awesome part. There is a contact at Wega who is selling the grinders at a discount compared to retail prices. I can only speak to the pricing of the Wega 6.8 Conical, which is the Compak K10, as that is what I inquired about and purchased. The current going rate for a Wega 6.8 or Compak K10 is $1,350 and up depending on the site you look at.

If anyone is interested in getting the contact info feel free to PM me. Please only email me if you are serious, because I would hate to ruin this for future interested parties based on a few 'pseudo-interested' people 'wasting' this guy's time.

[LJCoffeeGuy]

I purchased one and received it a week ago, but purchased it from RoastE.com who had it for $795.  RoastE.com has since raised the price back to $1347.

This is an impressive grinder.  My wife is happier since it is quieter than the super jolly it just replaced.....although she isn't happy that it is a bit bigger.  Note:  I had to remove the right side panel of my la spaz s1 to get it and the wega in the same coffee cubby.

Like Warrior said, only contact the Wega guy if you are serious about buying one - don't screw around trying to get an even better deal as you will ruin the deal.   Expect to pay around $800-ish.  If you ain't got the scratch, leave it alone (doesn't just apply to $$ - ha!)

[peter]

My wife is happier since it is quieter than the super jolly it just replaced.....although she isn't happy that it is a bit bigger. 

I have Compak's mini hopper on my K10, which does look out of proportion to the body of the grinder, but does diminish some of the 'oversized for kitchen' look.

[dickcoffee]

I think I'd like one of these.  Now, I am using a Fiorenzato Pietro T-80 for espresso.  I think it works fine.  But I can only compare it to my Gaggia MDF which I now use for drip and French Press.
I have some questions about the Wega or Compak though.  In some of the discussions of this grinder (and others) I see references to pop corning. I don't get it.  In my T-80, I have a sliding door at the bottom of the hopper.  Doesn't the door, when closed, control the pop corning?  I see other discussions suggesting the need to keep several pounds of beans in the hopper to control the pop corning, yet with the door it seems to me that would not be necessary.  This seems to be one of those cases where I don't know what I don't know.  In my T-80, I typically make 2 double shots in a row - 1 for her and 1 for me.  So, I put the beans for one shot down into the grind chamber, close the door, put another dose of beans into the hopper and I'm off.  Is this type procedure not useable on the Wega or K10?  Isn't there such a door in the hopper? 
Another question that relates to this 1st:  Is the lid of the hopper not removable?  That seems bizarre to me yet I have read something that suggests it to be true.
Thanks for the help.  I suspect I'm just being paranoid, but until a year ago I was using a $20 blade grinder and thought I was doing quite well.  Now, I'm planning a 3rd grinder to go with  my Mini Vivaldi, I've pretty much taken over the kitchen, the garage is full of roasting equipment and the back room is full of green beans.  I just want to be sure I know what I'm getting.

[Warrior372]

I have not received my grinder yet, so I can not verify it the Wega 6.8 has this slide on it. I can imagine that if it does not then there probably is a little 'popcorn' effect. That would just be a feature of the hopper though, so if you find one of another brand that fits in the Wega that does have a slide you solved your problem.

I think I am just either going to purchase the mini hopper for the grinder or I will likely remove the hopper and just put one double worth of beans into the grinder at a time resting a proper diameter tamper on top of them to eliminate 'popcorning'.

If you are serious about wanting to buy one and would like the contact info send me a PM.

[hankua]

Any ideas what the other flat burr grinders are going for? I've got a friend who's opening a cafe in September and getting a GB5 with a possible paddle group on one side. His only grinder is a SJ.
Thanks!

[Warrior372]

If you were opening a coffee shop, you would likely only want conical grinders for espresso. The Wega 6.8 is capable of doing 35lbs per hour, so if a shop was running 2-3 of them they should be good. One or two for normal espresso (depending on how busy they will be) and one for decaf. Having a backup is always a nice thing too.

I will email Tom and see if he can send me prices for their entire line.

Check to see if your friend would be interested and then it might just be best if your friend gives him a call. There may be a deeper discount if he is buying several.

[peter]

I have some questions about the Wega or Compak though.  In some of the discussions of this grinder (and others) I see references to pop corning. I don't get it.  In my T-80, I have a sliding door at the bottom of the hopper.  Doesn't the door, when closed, control the pop corning?  I see other discussions suggesting the need to keep several pounds of beans in the hopper to control the pop corning, yet with the door it seems to me that would not be necessary.  This seems to be one of those cases where I don't know what I don't know.  In my T-80, I typically make 2 double shots in a row - 1 for her and 1 for me.  So, I put the beans for one shot down into the grind chamber, close the door, put another dose of beans into the hopper and I'm off.  Is this type procedure not useable on the Wega or K10?  Isn't there such a door in the hopper? 
Another question that relates to this 1st:  Is the lid of the hopper not removable?  That seems bizarre to me yet I have read something that suggests it to be true.
Thanks for the help.  I suspect I'm just being paranoid, but until a year ago I was using a $20 blade grinder and thought I was doing quite well.  Now, I'm planning a 3rd grinder to go with  my Mini Vivaldi, I've pretty much taken over the kitchen, the garage is full of roasting equipment and the back room is full of green beans.  I just want to be sure I know what I'm getting.

My understanding of the popcorn issue is not that beans are apt to fly out of the hopper, but some uber-geeks are concerned that without the constant weight/pressure of beans in the hopper, the popcorning beans will not grind as evenly.  Another concern is for those grinders that are timed (Vario, etc.) to give a certain dose, the popcorn effect screws up the end weight.

The Compak mini hopper has both a lid and sliding gate at the bottom.  I never close the bottom slider, and for single-dose grinding I don't think it needs to be closed.

I am biased toward large conicals, so you can take it with a grain of salt, but IMHO the Wega would be a wise choice at the low price.

[hankua]

Thanks Warrior:
They are conflicted with the grinder choices, and all the other things going on with a build-out. Did I mention they're going to have 5 taps.
I've offered to sell them my major and mini, which then would all be color matched but dosered. They want to go doserless but the upgrade cost is very high. So my latest idea for them is to save some money in the beginning with the mini, SJ, and Major; then after the cafe opens see which grinder choice makes the most sense. They don't get the conical thing just yet.

[dickcoffee]

Thanks Peter,
That's the kind of information I was looking for.  I plan to cogitate on the matter over the weekend and then I think I'll go for it.  Imagine - 3 grinders and a $2000 espresso machine, all springing from a steam operated Braun espresso maker that broke just a little over a year ago.  It's a good thing I gave up golf.  This is far more satisfying and far less frustrating.
Dick

[peter]

Imagine - 3 grinders and a $2000 espresso machine, all springing from a steam operated Braun espresso maker that broke just a little over a year ago.  It's a good thing I gave up golf.  This is far more satisfying and far less frustrating.
Dick

Be the puck.