# 58.5 mm leveller options



## Hopebrewer (Nov 9, 2020)

Hi everyone,

I am considering to buy a leveller. I read that some people use it alone without a tamper and I would like to give it a go. I am an absolute newbie and it seems a way of getting consistent distribution.

Finding a 58 mm leveller is an straightforward task but as far as I know, the ideal size is 58.5 to not get coffee lines around the basket's edge. Popular options like "Asso Coffee the jack coffee leveller" and the "OCD" models are a bit on the pricey side (💷).

Is someone aware of a reasonably priced 58.5 mm leveller? I did search the forum but I couldn't find much info (maybe I missed it? Tamping seems more popular maybe)

I appreciate your time, thanks!


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## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

Hopebrewer said:


> Is someone aware of a reasonably priced 58.5 mm leveller?


 This is a popular brand on the forum. Great quality:

https://blackcatcoffee.co.uk/collections/tampers/products/copy-of-motta-coffee-leveling-tool-58mm-red


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## Hopebrewer (Nov 9, 2020)

Thanks @CocoLoco !! Do you know if the depth can be adjusted? It seems you can but I didn't find much info about it.


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## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

Hopebrewer said:


> Thanks @CocoLoco !! Do you know if the depth can be adjusted? It seems you can but I didn't find much info about it.


 Yes it can be. I actually had the 54mm version about 5 months ago. The minimum this Motta goes is about 7.3/7.5mm which is fine for most people it seemed, it just wasn't enough for some coffees in a 54mm portafilter. When I used a coffee that was very large in the pf and say 19g of it, 7mm was too much. I've since bought a 54mm one that goes much lower, same with my palm tamper.


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## Hopebrewer (Nov 9, 2020)

Thanks! I may give it a go


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## arty11 (Mar 9, 2015)

I have the 58.5mm Motta distribution tool and it works perfectly. It's plenty adjustable, in fact I almost have it at it's minimum as I put 18g in a 17g basket.

I was in the same boat as you... couldn't justify so much on an OCD/Saint Anthony Industries leveller. I went with the motta for a quarter or the price... and you know what, it's brilliant. Incredibly well made, really can't imagine the quality getting any/much better and it works a treat! Can't recommend it enough... Go for it.

Good luck!


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## arty11 (Mar 9, 2015)

BTW... you will still need the tamper though!

The leveller/distributor is just for that... Spreading the grounds evenly and flat. You will still need to push the grounds down firmly with a tamper.


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## ZiggyMarley (Jan 9, 2019)

CocoLoco said:


> This is a popular brand on the forum. Great quality:
> 
> https://blackcatcoffee.co.uk/collections/tampers/products/copy-of-motta-coffee-leveling-tool-58mm-red


 couldn't resist the urge to see what the leveller fuss was all about, just ordered one


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## JA92 (Apr 7, 2020)

I'm in the same boat with levellers. Can't seem to justify the price of a Asso Jack or OCD 

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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

JA92 said:


> Can't seem to justify the price of....OCD


 Me neither...i'm still waiting for anyone to justify the mahooooosive price difference between an OCD3 and a Motta for example....and by justify i mean "be able to tell the difference in a blind taste test"


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## JA92 (Apr 7, 2020)

Rumpelstiltskin said:


> Me neither...i'm still waiting for anyone to justify the mahooooosive price difference between an OCD3 and a Motta for example....and by justify i mean "be able to tell the difference in a blind taste test"


This is exactly what I've been trying to find out too 

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## MrOrk (Apr 17, 2018)

I've had a motta leveller for about a month now. My shots have definitely improved in consistency by taste and look (naked portafilter)

It adjusts with ease and has a nice weight to it. The only thing I've noticed is coffee grounds do build up between the two parts. The gap between the base and top, I can only imagine the tolerance is a little baggy maybe? Not to much of a problem, just needs cleaning every now and then. Just a slight concern all of the dose isn't making it into the basket (18g vst)


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## JA92 (Apr 7, 2020)

MrOrk said:


> I've had a motta leveller for about a month now. My shots have definitely improved in consistency by taste and look (naked portafilter)
> It adjusts with ease and has a nice weight to it. The only thing I've noticed is coffee grounds do build up between the two parts. The gap between the base and top, I can only imagine the tolerance is a little baggy maybe? Not to much of a problem, just needs cleaning every now and then. Just a slight concern all of the dose isn't making it into the basket (18g vst)


Thanks for the insight MrOrk. I've watched videos with the same issue happening with the more expensive brands of levellers.

It's good to hear that your shot taste and consistency has improved since using. For the price of the Motta leveller it certainly seems more enticing than the other two I've mentioned...

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## BlackCatCoffee (Apr 11, 2017)

As a retailer even I am a bit confused about how the super premium ones vary. Perhaps it comes down the amount of hand finishing or materials or something rather than the actual performance?

We offer one from Peakabrew that is really lovely in the hand and nice to use. It has a real heft to it. It is more than the Motta but still only about half the price of some.


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## JA92 (Apr 7, 2020)

BlackCatCoffee said:


> As a retailer even I am a bit confused about how the super premium ones vary. Perhaps it comes down the amount of hand finishing or materials or something rather than the actual performance?
> We offer one from Peakabrew that is really lovely in the hand and nice to use. It has a real heft to it. It is more than the Motta but still only about half the price of some.


I've had the Motta in my basket on your website throughout the day alongside some coffee beans. Just waiting to pull the trigger after hearing some opinions .

The peakabrew looks a good leveller, only thing I'm not keen on is the colour.

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## BlackCatCoffee (Apr 11, 2017)

JA92 said:


> I've had the Motta in my basket on your website throughout the day alongside some coffee beans. Just waiting to pull the trigger after hearing some opinions   .
> 
> The peakabrew looks a good leveller, only thing I'm not keen on is the colour.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 You'd be happy with either I am sure.

Funny you should mention the colour. The pictures on the site look hugely different to the colour in the flesh. It is more of an autumnal brown than burnt orange.


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## ZiggyMarley (Jan 9, 2019)

BlackCatCoffee said:


> As a retailer even I am a bit confused about how the super premium ones vary. Perhaps it comes down the amount of hand finishing or materials or something rather than the actual performance?
> 
> We offer one from Peakabrew that is really lovely in the hand and nice to use. It has a real heft to it. It is more than the Motta but still only about half the price of some.


 just bought the motta leveller from you


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## arty11 (Mar 9, 2015)

Rumpelstiltskin said:


> Me neither...i'm still waiting for anyone to justify the mahooooosive price difference between an OCD3 and a Motta for example....and by justify i mean "be able to tell the difference in a blind taste test"


 I'd be absolutely stunned if the levelling of the motta one differed (i.e was any worse) to an OCD or similar price.

The cost different must purely be the cost to manufacture/hand finishing etc.

The motta one is certainly no slouch in the finishing either... and levels grounds pre-tamp. Can't imagine a better taste with a better/more expensive one.

I'm 100% happy with mine. More than anything, it's just a matter of making things more consistent and less messy for me. It does both perfectly!


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

arty11 said:


> I'd be absolutely stunned if the levelling of the motta one differed (i.e was any worse) to an OCD or similar price.
> 
> The *cost different must purely be the cost to manufacture/hand finishing etc*.


 Maybe the very cheap Chinese copies and the non-stainless/polished etc. ones cost peanuts to manufacturer; whereas the Motta et al do incur more polishing/better quality materials/other and therefore are roughly twice the price of the garbage Chinese ones....but the OCD suddenly sky-rockets price-wise mmmmmm :classic_rolleyes:

No disrespect to any retailers/sellers meant but IMHO i think it's the badge/name (OCD3) that you're paying for; nothing else....YMMV.


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## Northern_Monkey (Sep 11, 2018)

@Hopebrewer - I found a £24 ish Chinese made chisel/wedge shaped distributor from Amazon to work better than the more regular OCD/Motta "turbine" shaped ones.

You may have a challenge using one for both grind and tamp, the LM fancy auto tamping Swift grinders need a brushed finish basket to stop the puck from spinning under the rotating tamping force/leveling.

I think the the difference between a 58.5 and 58.0mm one is going to be less critical if you use a tamper afterwards. With mine I use one side pressed firmly into the basket lip, which gets right into the edges nicely even with a 58mm.


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## cuprajake (Mar 30, 2020)

I dont tamp i just level


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## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

I've stopped using my Motta leveller as I found it was causing side channelling and spritzers. Not sure if mine is 58.5mm but definitely not a tight fit. Just a quick WDT in the basket and a couple of light taps is good enough.


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## arty11 (Mar 9, 2015)

Cuprajake said:


> I dont tamp i just level


 Really?!? How do you stop it from being a gusher? Is the basket so densely packed, or have you turned pressure down quite a bit from 9 bar/using a lever?

I definitely couldn't leave mine untamped and pull anything other than a gusher I wouldn't think. Interesting.


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## cuprajake (Mar 30, 2020)

so my leveller is set to the height that the grounds would be if i tamped.

i dose 17g into a ims basket, wdt and then spin. i get 35/40g out in 25/30s machine is 9bar as i set it to that


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## Ozzyjohn (May 31, 2020)

I have a cheap and cheerful Chinese leveller - it arrived in a small piece of bubble wrap stuffed into a battered looking cardboard box. It works just fine as far as I can tell.

I recently watched a video of someone unboxing an OCD leveller - it was extremely beautifully packaged - anyone who has ever unboxed an Apple product will be familiar with the sort of thing I'm talking about.

No doubt that receiving and opening an OCD leveller would be the superior experience - but I do doubt that day to day use would vary much between them.

Regards,
John


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## cuprajake (Mar 30, 2020)

just a lump of shaped metal end of the day...


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## Hopebrewer (Nov 9, 2020)

Interesting discussion! Thanks you all for your views!

I didn't realised that the Motta was back in stock! Chinese versions seem to be 58 mm which, as you said, it seems not to be ideal if you don't tamp afterwards.

Let's see how it works but I wanna try to use a leveller without tamping. Some of you seems to use it successfully. "Whole latte love" seems to suggest that it produces consistent results. After all, with so many variables to adjust, fixing one variable seems a good way to go.


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## moppy (Oct 12, 2020)

Hopebrewer said:


> Let's see how it works but I wanna try to use a leveller without tamping. Some of you seems to use it successfully. "Whole latte love" seems to suggest that it produces consistent results. After all, with so many variables to adjust, fixing one variable seems a good way to go.


 I'm basically following the same logic and bought a 58.5 Motta leveller and a kilo of Chocolate Point from Black Cat to get some basics down.

Will be interested to see how you get on with yours, I'll probably start a thread with my journey 😬


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## Hopebrewer (Nov 9, 2020)

moppy said:


> I'm basically following the same logic and bought a 58.5 Motta leveller and a kilo of Chocolate Point from Black Cat to get some basics down.
> 
> Will be interested to see how you get on with yours, I'll probably start a thread with my journey 😬


 Thanks! I will be out of home for about one months so I won't be able to give it a go soon. I will definitively follow your experience!!


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