# Brew Grinder recomendation



## Soniclife (Mar 6, 2018)

(1st post from delurk, so I'll start with some waffle)

I've been 'a bit interested in coffee' for a while now, after a trip to Italy many years ago sparked my interest. Back home attempting to get good results with whatever coffee kit I had at the time and supermarket grinds didn't produce good results, which lead me to alt.coffee, which was the main (only?) real online coffee resource back then. Discovered the joys of decent fresh coffee from Hill and Valley (one of the first UK coffee webshops?), then to home roasting, first with a popcorn maker, then with the Gene café, before I ultimately decided I could not match the results of commercial roasters when I gave up home roasting. I still have the Gene, I intend to do the mods to it and dabble with home roasting a bit in the future, when the mode takes me. I feel that these days I've forgotten almost everything I used to know about coffee, and I haven't been keeping up with any of the forums.

I mainly drink brewed coffee, espresso is only an occasional thing for me, but I've just made the best one I've had in ages as I type this.

My main grinder for the last 10 years has been a Mahlkoenig Vario (ceramic burrs), it's needed fixing multiple times in it's life, it died again on Christmas eve, it's probably just the belt, but I've not taken it apart yet to investigate.

I registered for this site a few years ago when I was looking for a better hand grinder, bought a feld 2, which I've been happy with, it's so much better than the porlex it replaced, those things are hateful to use.

As it goes I had started looking a few weeks ago to see if there were any brew focused grinders on the market I might want, I was also considering the steel burrs for the Vario, but would rather keep it as is for espresso, which it's very good at, as is the Feld2. I much prefer the Vario for brewed over the Feld, to me the Feld emphasise the roast flavour, making everything taste darker than it is, no idea why.

The Wilfa Uniform and the Fellow Ode both seem to be designed for me, brew focused, single dose (I never used the hopper on the Vario) and compact. If the Wilfa had been in stock at the good price it was a few weeks ago, and the timing had been better I would probably just have bought one, it looks to tick all my boxes, but as it's mainly out of stock I'm taking the time to ensure it's the best choice for me. The Ode looks like a grinder that's not really quite ready for market, the humming noise, that it might not grind fine enough, and a few other issues give me a lot of pause, I've discounted it for now unless someone wants to try and convince me otherwise, or there is a dealer with a really great returns policy.

Is there anything else to consider, or should I just buy the uniform?


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

@Soniclife yeah just buy the Uniform....i think i saw it at £220 somewhere (non-scales stainless-version (less static iirc))....*brew* wise this thing beat everyone's favourite Niche in a JH test 😵


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## Soniclife (Mar 6, 2018)

Rumpelstiltskin said:


> @Soniclife yeah just buy the Uniform....i think i saw it at £220 somewhere (non-scales stainless-version (less static iirc))....*brew* wise this thing beat everyone's favourite Niche in a JH test 😵


 They were that price a month or so ago, they are out of stock most places currently, the odd place has them for closer to 300 currently.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

The Wilfa is good value and works perfectly well. It's a little tinny in construction & does a little 'twist' when powered up, not a big deal.

I have that and a Niche, there is very little difference between them for brewed, other than the Wilfa being stepped & Niche covering the espresso range.


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## Soniclife (Mar 6, 2018)

Does anyone have a good guess when the Uniform might be back in stock?


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## BlackCatCoffee (Apr 11, 2017)

I would thoroughly recommend the Uniform too. The problem is there appears to be some sort of supplier delay with them. We were expecting them in November but still nothing. If you can find one in stock though I would say grab it.


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## Soniclife (Mar 6, 2018)

@BlackCatCoffee Whenever it is they do arrive, do you expect them to be a similar price to what you were selling them for?


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## Soniclife (Mar 6, 2018)

As Uniforms seem unobtanium currently the penny finally dropped that I should just fix the Vario, it turned out the top of the motor spindle had sheared off. I managed to fix it as the pulley grub screw was lower down than where it broke, and a bit of supper glue to hopefully stop it ever moving. It's been working for a week now, so it might be OK, if it fails again it will need a new motor and pulley. I really do seem to prefer the taste from the Vario over the Feld, I hope it keeps going.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

Soniclife said:


> ...the pulley *grub screw *was lower down than where it broke, and a bit of supper glue to hopefully stop it ever moving...


 In my electronics toolbox's (i have quite a few) i have in each one a bottle of "*Nail Varnish*" :classic_blush: :classic_blush: (various mates have raised their eyebrows when looking in said toolbox's)....the reason i have this stuff is for certain jobs like "locking" *grub-screws*/tiny-nut-bolts/some-coils/other"....a quick-snap/jerk and it'll give way so ok for semi-permanent locking (where applicable).

Before anyone asks; i prefer red :classic_tongue:


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## Soniclife (Mar 6, 2018)

Rumpelstiltskin said:


> Before anyone asks; i prefer red :classic_tongue:


 Makes you look slimmer?

I had used thread locker as per the video introductions when I put a new pulley on it a few years ago, I'm not convinced that stuff really did much though. I've undone some other screws I've used it on and didn't notice much trouble doing so. There is a ready supply of nail goop in the house so I might try that next time.


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