64mm Flat Burr Grinder - Which One Would You Buy?

[EricBNC]

If you had a choice between a Wega Max 6.4, Ceado E7, Mazzer Super Jolly, or La Pavoni Zip - All three are 64mm (or very close) flat burr doser espresso grinders - which one would you get, or would none of the above be your choice?

[mp]

If money is not an object and height consideration is not an issue then I would go for the Mazzer.

It holds its value well and is a standard that most others are measured against.

 

[peter]

I'd think about several things;

Are any of them made by whose name is on them, or are they re-badged?

How many amps does the motor draw, and what is the RPM?

Which should have the best resale?

Which one will make Mrs. NC the least angry?   

[EricBNC]

I'd think about several things;

Are any of them made by whose name is on them, or are they re-badged?

Good points to consider, Peter - thanks.

These would be new and badges are as labeled in the thread.

How many amps does the motor draw, and what is the RPM?

Wega      = 250 watts
Ceado     = 400 watts
Mazzer    = 350 watts
LaPavoni = 250 watts

Which should have the best resale?

I am guessing the Mazzer would hold it's value even though the Ceado and La Pavoni are slightly pricier new. Entry price is lowest for the Wega.

Which one will make Mrs. NC the least angry?   

Since her space and finances won't be affected I can expect many stern, questioning looks - so business as usual...

[Tex]

Do any of the 64(ish) mm flat burr grinders fail to grind evenly, fall apart faster than others, make life more difficult for the barista, etc?

Mazzer, Rancilio, Rosita Bisani, Obel-Bregant, Macap, Compak, et al; who cares as long as they work correctly?

[mp]

Another thing you may want to check out also is the cost and availability of replacement burrs.

That was the first thing I checked out when I bought my La Cimbali Junior.

 

[EricBNC]

The Mazzer is the only one I've heard a lot about, so answering know based on online reputation I'd go with the Mazzer, a Mini if I had the choice otherwise the Super Jolly and take off the hopper to single-dose.

Mazzer is the most known name for me - the Ceado gets a nice write up on H-B - more power, easier to remove upper burr for cleaning, more quiet, and easier to adjust. I just do not know anything about the brand.

Do any of the 64(ish) mm flat burr grinders fail to grind evenly, fall apart faster than others, make life more difficult for the barista, etc?

Mazzer, Rancilio, Rosita Bisani, Obel-Bregant, Macap, Compak, et al; who cares as long as they work correctly?

I care because I may be choosing from one of these on the list very soon.  I would be happy with the brands you mention but those are not on the table for me at this time.

[Tex]

Another thing you may want to check out also is the cost and availability of replacement burrs.

That was the first thing I checked out when I bought my La Cimbali Junior.

 

Yeah Mike, the difference between $29 & $79 is vast when amortized over the six years the home barista could expect a set of burrs to last.

[Tex]

The Mazzer is the only one I've heard a lot about, so answering know based on online reputation I'd go with the Mazzer, a Mini if I had the choice otherwise the Super Jolly and take off the hopper to single-dose.

Mazzer is the most known name for me - the Ceado gets a nice write up on H-B - more power, easier to remove upper burr for cleaning, more quiet, and easier to adjust. I just do not know anything about the brand.

Do any of the 64(ish) mm flat burr grinders fail to grind evenly, fall apart faster than others, make life more difficult for the barista, etc?

Mazzer, Rancilio, Rosita Bisani, Obel-Bregant, Macap, Compak, et al; who cares as long as they work correctly?

I care because I may be choosing from one of these on the list very soon.  I would be happy with the brands you mention but those are not on the table for me at this time.

You need to do your homework better Eric - 3 of the 4 you listed were included in my list.

[ScareYourPassenger]

Another thing you may want to check out also is the cost and availability of replacement burrs.

That was the first thing I checked out when I bought my La Cimbali Junior.

 

Sadly, I didn't look into that on my Cimbali max hybrid. Those burrs are $200!

[EricBNC]

The Mazzer is the only one I've heard a lot about, so answering know based on online reputation I'd go with the Mazzer, a Mini if I had the choice otherwise the Super Jolly and take off the hopper to single-dose.

Mazzer is the most known name for me - the Ceado gets a nice write up on H-B - more power, easier to remove upper burr for cleaning, more quiet, and easier to adjust. I just do not know anything about the brand.

Do any of the 64(ish) mm flat burr grinders fail to grind evenly, fall apart faster than others, make life more difficult for the barista, etc?

Mazzer, Rancilio, Rosita Bisani, Obel-Bregant, Macap, Compak, et al; who cares as long as they work correctly?

I care because I may be choosing from one of these on the list very soon.  I would be happy with the brands you mention but those are not on the table for me at this time.

You need to do your homework better Eric - 3 of the 4 you listed were included in my list.

My wording not great in my response and I did see that you mentioned Mazzer and Obel (the Zip).

I hear the Wega and the Compak are twins but the Compak has a worm drive adjustment and Wega uses a friction plate - I wonder what other changes there might be since the wattage varies depending where I look.  The appeal of Wega is that they are very close by over in Greensboro, but mazzer parts are only a click away and are available from multiple sources.

Burr prices are similar for these three and I have no idea what the Ceado burrs sell for or what level of support I could expect if Wholelattelove decides the line isn't worth handling.

[Tex]

The Mazzer is the only one I've heard a lot about, so answering know based on online reputation I'd go with the Mazzer, a Mini if I had the choice otherwise the Super Jolly and take off the hopper to single-dose.

Mazzer is the most known name for me - the Ceado gets a nice write up on H-B - more power, easier to remove upper burr for cleaning, more quiet, and easier to adjust. I just do not know anything about the brand.

Do any of the 64(ish) mm flat burr grinders fail to grind evenly, fall apart faster than others, make life more difficult for the barista, etc?

Mazzer, Rancilio, Rosita Bisani, Obel-Bregant, Macap, Compak, et al; who cares as long as they work correctly?

I care because I may be choosing from one of these on the list very soon.  I would be happy with the brands you mention but those are not on the table for me at this time.

You need to do your homework better Eric - 3 of the 4 you listed were included in my list.

My wording not great in my response and I did see that you mentioned Mazzer and Obel (the Zip).

I hear the Wega and the Compak are twins but the Compak has a worm drive adjustment and Wega uses a friction plate - I wonder what other changes there might be since the wattage varies depending where I look.  The appeal of Wega is that they are very close by over in Greensboro, but mazzer parts are only a click away and are available from multiple sources.

Burr prices are similar for these three and I have no idea what the Ceado burrs sell for or what level of support I could expect if Wholelattelove decides the line isn't worth handling.

Not sure, but I'd bet it's the same situation when Rio & Astoria sold rebadged Super Jolly grinders, and listed specs that varied from Mazzer's, when the only thing that changed was the labels. 

I've read the Caedo reviews too, but I'd hate to spend that much for a grinder with only one source for support. As for the reviews themselves - well, everyone knows what I think about forums that review products of vendors who buy advertising space on the forum.

[Warrior372]

Here are the stats on each:

Wega 6.4 - $620 RoastE
- 190 Watts
- 1100 RPM

Ceado C7 - $699.99 WholeLatteLove
- 400 Watt
- 1400 RPM

Mazzer Super Jolly - $671 1st-Line
- 350 Watts
- 1600 RPM

Quamar M80 - 63mm - $499 1st-Line
- 330 Watt
- 1600 RPM

Quamar M80E Electronic Doser- 63mm - $399 - Stat Wise it is much better than the Mazzer E, has bigger burrs and costs $300+ less.
- 330 Watts
- 1600 RPM

The Wega's are overstock from Compak. The Wega 6.8 Conical I got new in July has a manufacture date of something like 2009. They are the older Compak body style grinders. The 6.4 is very underpowered for this price range though, so I would pass on it. The Ceado grinders are stepless, very powerful, extremely quiet and easy to maintain. The stepless feature is very handy for fine tuning espresso grinding! Both the Ceado and the Mazzer obviously command the highest price too. I would avoid the Pavoni, unless you get one used. You can easily find them on craigslist for around $100. I think the best bang for your buck is in the Quamar grinders. People in the US are not very familiar with them, but they are very popular in Australia. For that price I would personally go with the Ceado C7 or the Quamar M80E Electric Doser.

I would not go into purchasing a product this expensive with the thought of future resale value. If that is the mentality, why not just get the grinder you would trade one of these for in the future and call it a day? With that said, you would not have a problem selling any off the mentioned grinders in the future either.

Here is a video comparing the noise of a Ceado, Quamar and Mazzer grinding.

Grinder Sound Check

[hankua]

New, Mazzer the price difference is not that much. Used, whatever you get a great deal on and fits on your counter. The nice thing about buying used is you can switch out grinders and try out different ones.

[mp]

Another thing you may want to check out also is the cost and availability of replacement burrs.

That was the first thing I checked out when I bought my La Cimbali Junior.

 

Sadly, I didn't look into that on my Cimbali max hybrid. Those burrs are $200!

Doesn't the Max Hybrid have conical burrs?

... I just looked it up ... looks like you have a conical burr and a flat burr.  You must get some really nice grounds.