Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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119 of 123 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Looking Quality Grinder, March 31, 2007
I have used three grinders in the past 5 years, one blade and two wheel burr grinders, all broke or were dusty and noisy. This is the first conical wheel grinder I have owned and I cannot compare it to its comparable competitor, the Capresso, and I have only used it a dozen times or so, However, I am impressed by its quality, it is beautifully made and the huge reduction in noise was most welcome. The big plus...I set the timer, press start and walk away, no holding lids down, no coffee flying around etc. Just for the reduction in noise, its quality and the fire and forget operation makes it a 5. It grinds coffee very consistently and the grind is adjusted easily. Is it perfect? No. Two items I noticed. It has a 30 second timer...I need more time so I set it for 20 seconds and do two grinds...not an issue but for me, but wanted to tell you. Second, the ground coffee compartment is shaped in a manner that has insets so its not as easy to clean out and I have to empty the coffee carefully. Still I recommend this and am impressed. It is quality!I will provide a six month review to see if this maintains its operation.
After six months my initial views remain the same, a very fine grinder!
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74 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still happy after three months, September 8, 2007
I bought this grinder as a replacement for a previous burr grinder that was dying a slow, painful death. I now wish that I had put the poor old grinder out of its misery much earlier! This Breville unit is a vast improvement over every grinder I've used before.
For starters, it generates less than 50% of the noise I've heard from competing grinders. I have no idea why that should be, I just accept it and move on! The grounds are dispensed very neatly. There is no need to wipe up the surrounding countertop once the cycle is complete - all of the grounds arrive neatly in the little plastic receptacle.
When I first started researching burr grinders, I was intrigued by the concept of 'static reducing' technology. Given that grounds clinging to both the machine parts and the receptical can create a real mess, I was wondering if this magical technology was really effective. To my surprise, at least with this machine, the answer is 'yes'. I can flip the lid on the grounds receptical and tip the coffee into my machine with almost nothing left behind as a result of static cling - even if the grinder has just finished its work (which is when the static tends to be most bothersome).
The quality of the grind is fantastic. The output is uniform and the coarseness can be adjusted within a range that is probably far wider than I will ever explore. The finest setting produces grounds that are perfect, in my book, for even the fussiest espresso drinker.
The stylish-looking machine seems to be well-built, with high grade materials used throughout. I don't quite agree with some of the previous reviewers who feel the plastic is a bit flimsy. After over 3 months in service, I have not had any problems or concerns with the plastic.
The only downside I see is the small size of the hopper. Perhaps I am just accustomed to a large capacity hopper, but this device doesn't seem to me to hold the promised half-pound of coffee. I have to refill it twice a week. My last grinder required servicing less often than once a week. Still, I suppose filling it more often keeps the beans even fresher!
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54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
great grinder!, May 21, 2007
my initial order from amazon was DOA. the power button will not depress. obviously it needs power to grind...
i contacted breville directly as they are nearby in torrance, ca. since amazon was out of stock on a replacement unit, i thought breville may have been able to help me trouble shoot the unit and save me the hassle of the return process. low and behold breville customer service is exceptional! they instantly emailed me a prepaid fed-ex return label and RMA and i had a new unit in 3 days! no questions asked! they even sprung for fed-ex saturday delivery! so bear that in mind if you get a defective unit.
so the grinder- truly excellent. especially for pump espresso...
well built, sturdy and nice looking in stainless steel. solid feel not a cheap plasticy feeling here.
no static. make sure you wash the grinds container before first use.
not too loud. actually alot quieter than our old blade grinder.
the grind. i got this because we recently purchased a "REAL" espresso machine- a gaggia carezza espresso machine and i usually do lattes on the weekend. i am a huge fan of fresh beans and love to grind before brewing (the way it should be done). however the gaggia is a little finicky on the grind. our blade grinder could not produce an even grind and i don't like buying preground. so i invested in this grinder. perfect grind! nice crema. i found with the carezza the best setting with the breville is JUST past the espresso setting 2 or 3 clicks toward the turkish. this provides a perfect even grind for the gaggia machine. haven't tried it out for our cuisinart drip maker yet but, i'm sure if it can satisfy the gaggia it'll rock the cuisinart.
the taste- fantastic. make sure you use a quality bean. for espresso i prefer the vesuvio blend and the dancing goats blend from batdorf and bronson. these also (especally the dancng goats blend) double very nicely for a drip cup of coffee too. you can order from them online and they do not roast your beans until the day your order ships. i suspect soon i will be getting my own roaster and start home roasting...
the cons- really only 1 (or 2). the timer. i haven't figured it out yet. it seems like it is too short of a grind time even set to max (30 seconds). so if you want to grind for say 8 cups you have to run it at 30 seconds twice. which leads to the user manual, which may be outdated becauses it states the timer is set to read in cups. which it is not, it is in seconds. of course that's sort of trivial as you can bypass the timer by just holding in the grind button. but if you want to set and forget it it may be a slight hassle. but more fiddling with it may lead to a clearer understanding of the timer- though it is not rocket science.
overall i update my review to a 4 star after receiving the initial defective unit. the fact that breville customer service is so great lends peace of mind to a purchase. i only deduct one star for the timer.
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