Gevi GrindMaster review - this takes out the Niche-killer!
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- Опубліковано 20 лис 2023
- A early pre-release version review of the new Gevi GrindMaster 64mm variable speed grinder
UPDATE: I just learned that the RPM adjustment knob/power switch will be made out of metal with a gum resin coating and filling in the production version, for a much more premium feel. While due to health and safety regulations, it's not possible to change the material of the grind adjustment knob, its tolerances will be improved in the production version, along with better contrast for the markings and a coating added for a better tactile feel.
Royalty free music by David Cutter from Pixabay
Great review. Thanks for the video. After watching this I am definitely considering it. Looking forward to more videos from you.
Thanks for the review!
A few important points that are mentioned in the video:
1. Pre-breaker allows you to grind light roasts at low RPM without the danger of not having enough motor power.
2. Low RPM - more clarity, high RPM - more body. As expected. The 500-1500 range is much better than 800-1400 in TimeMore 078s (the lower end is much more important!).
By the way, you can already buy bellows on the site, which will reduce retention to virtually zero.
When my 078s arrives, I will definitely sell it unopened.
thanks for the summary Michael! I did go a little long but lots to cover
I accidentally clicked away from i video i meant to watch. I'm not interested in this type of product but was superficially curious what it was. I ended up watching it for 12 minutes! Congratulations on a thorough review of this product! I'm considering completing the video (but later) .
Amazing compliment! Thanks very much! Still lots to learn...
UPDATE: I just learned that the RPM adjustment knob/power switch will be more solid and have a metal cover in the production version, for a much more premium feel. While due to health and safety regulations, it's not possible to change the material of the grind adjustment knob, its tolerances will be improved in the production version, along with better contrast for the markings for a better tactile feel.
Also the warranty has been extended to 2 years and doesn't get invalidated if the user chooses to swap their own burrs, provided that damage has not been the result of improper burr installation.
Video showing the improvements commented on in the video here: ua-cam.com/video/3RF5UHM02qA/v-deo.htmlsi=zY0qSi059jVOcdYG
I like the look
write-up:
In using the pre-production alpha version of the Gevi Grindmaster for the last couple of weeks (which I purchased at a discount), I think I have enough to form an opinion on. Being a 64mm vertically mounted flat burr grinder, with stepless precision adjustment, variable speed on the 400w brushless DC motor, and active static reduction, it certainly seems impressive, especially considering its price point. I've had a chance to use it for mostly espresso but also the occasional pour over while comparing it to my daily Turin DF83.
If this grinder looks familiar, it's because it was previously released in other markets from the same manufacturer as the Barsetto BAG E6. However, the Gevi Grindmaster will have some notable changes, as Gevi has been listening to user feedback and making changes prior to its release. Initially announced as having 65 steps of adjustment with a very narrow range of only about 7 steps for espresso, it has since been updated to a stepless design with 1mm thread pitch where each marking represented a 10 micron change. Further feedback has seen them announce the release version as having tighter tolerances on the dial and magnetic sheath with less free movement, and more importantly, a .5mm thread pitch, where every marking representing 5 microns of burr movement - that's Zerno Z1 precision!
First and foremost, in terms of looks, while beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I think it's an absolutely beautiful grinder. While it breaks away from the common vertically standing design and is somewhat similar to the Timemore Sculptor and Zerno Z1, I think I prefer it as it has an offset base which provides a logical and convenient placement right up front for the combination on switch / grind speed adjustment knob and grind speed display. While on this pre-production version, the display is behind a smoked plastic panel, the production version will apparently be a clear one. In terms of its tactile feel, its mostly made of machined aluminum and feels quite substantial, with only a few other plastic surfaces which are worth mentioning - namely the grind adjustment knob, the on switch/grind speed adjustment knob, back cover, and optional scale. That said, as again, I have a pre-production version, there will be a few changes - namely, the power/RPM adjustment knob is being replaced with a metal one with less play from tighter tolerances, and the grind adjustment knob, while staying plastic is also having its tolerances and those of the burr retainer ring decorative shroud, improved for less play. While all of these haven't bothered me all that much in the current iteration, they are certainly welcome improvements as will enhance the tactile of the grinder to better reflect how much of a premium product it really is.
Moving onto its performance - it's a nice grinder, in fact, I would say very nice, especially given what it offers at its price point - vertically mounted burr set, stepless adjustment with 5 micron precision on every notch on the dial, being driven by a 400W brushless DC motor, auger with pre-breaker, variable speed with 100rpm increments between 500-1500rpm, active anti-static plasma generator, near zero retention, tool-less burr access, and a scale to boot! Show me another grinder at even twice its price that offers all of that! If it seems that Gevi has been picking and choosing from the best in the segments to integrate into its own offering, it's because it sort of has been. Its motor makes it one of the most powerful around at any price point. Though it's a slow start, in using a variety of beans in the last week and generally dumping them into the chute has never shown any inkling of hesitation from it, even at the lowest grind speed setting. In the unlikely event that a stall does happen, the motor detects it and will automatically reverse itself for 2 seconds to allow the burrs to clear themselves. Amazing!
However let's also not forget the contributions of the auger and pre-breaker that it has. Besides helping it not stall out in controlling the feed rate of the beans regardless of whether or not you hot-start, the pre-breaker also helps with uniformity of the resulting grind. More uniformity = more clarity and ability to pick out the flavor notes indicated on the bag, provided obviously that all other factors have been accounted for. Coffee actually has more flavour notes than wine, and it's certainly more concentrated, so every little factor matters! Take every little bit to get the best out of the cup you can get! Speaking of nuances, the grinder includes what Gevi calls the Omni burrset which have a titanium and obsidian coating resulting in its dark grey color. In looking at them, they seem, very similar to the Turin DF64V DLC (diamond like coating) burrs. Small changes can potentially make a big difference however. While I haven't had a chance to compare to their other SSP burr offerings, I found the Omni burrs to generally produce a similar slightly blended profile, though with a little more acidity and clarity than a similarly dialled in espresso with DF83. Speaking of different burrs, Gevi does indeed offer the option of fitting the Grindmaster with various SSP burr offerings such as HU (high uniformity), MP (multi-purpose), or Cast Lab Sweet. What's really interesting is that it's actually a bit cheaper to get them optioned and fitted by Gevi, as opposed to ordering them from SSP themselves! The rub is that, while accessing and changing the burrs is quite easy, Gevi states that doing so yourself will void the factory warranty (which has recently been changed to a 2yr one!), at least at the moment. Really hoping this changes since the no tool burr access and built in fail-safe to ensure that they can only be mounted one way, make this a no-brainer for me, we shall have to wait and see.
Speaking of options, you can also option to include a scale with a magnetically attached dosing cup (a bigger not magnetic one is included if not optioning the scale) designed to fit 51mm, 54mm, and the ever so popular 58mm portafilters. While slightly slow in its response time, lacking a timer, and having a proprietary charge cord, it will also be updated in the production version to be more responsive, use a standard USB C plug, and a 100cm charging cord. Unfortunately while a timer still won't be included for those whose machines don't have a shot timer (though many do), it's simply an additional option that is welcome if you don't already have a scale. If you already have one, perhaps it's not necessary, but also really depends on how you approach your workflow. The point is you have options which makes this a very unique offering in the grinder space. Alternatively, as the dosing chute is open, you can also slow feed out of the bag and grind by weight as a result. Not my preferred method but you certainly can. Alternatively, direct dosing into the portafilter is another option as well. Given that the built in active anti-static plasma generator, effectively kills all remnants of static, it's very easy to direct-dose into a portafilter without needing to worry about grounds spraying everywhere. While no portafilter stand is included, nor offered at the moment, the newest trend of flat sitting bottomless portafilter would certainly be advantageous here, though I'm certain that at least several of the existing tamp stands/portafilter holders in the market today would likely work in this application. Heck, even the right thickness silicone tamper holder could probably be used to make your existing bottomless portafilters sit flat, but I digress. The point is, the grounds are loose, fluffy, and don't spray anywhere than where they need to, and that's a really good thing.
For retention, in the 2 weeks I have used it, I found on average about .2-.3g of retention and cleaned out a total of .5g of grounds after taking the burrs out. That's barely anything and a result that could potentially be even closer to zero if a bellows were to be offered. Hoping Gevi continues to iterate and get the hint, especially since I'm not really crazy about the cone shaped dosing cup to be honest. If anything, using the more traditional straight one that comes with the Barsetto BAG E6, would be easier and due to the not having to taper the scale, may allow a little more room to perhaps add that shot timer at some point afterall. Wink wink, nudge nudge... but at least they made the dosing cup seperate from the scale and pleasantly attach itself with a magnet. More coffee things should have magnets in my opinion!
Last but not least (or maybe actually so), let's talk about noise. While not quite as near silent as the Lagom P64 and Turin DF64V run, it's quiet nonetheless, and isn't loud nor high pitched when grinding either. While the sound certainly changes depending on the RPM, at no point I would say that it's unpleasant. It's also possible that should a bellows ever be offered, it may further muffle the noise which the open 40g chute, with a nice and very effective anti-popcorn disc, simply cannot. UPDATE: it seems that a 3d printed chute and bellows is now for sale on the Gevi website.
All this to say, this is an amazing grinder for the money, especially at the current Indiegogo pre-sale price. Gevi has done their homework and combined the best features of the best grinders without anything extra (except maybe the scale... maybe) to really be truly deserving of the Grindmaster name! Looking forward to seeing what the production version brings.
Ok with the metal adjustment Knob this will be very nice
looks like they kept the grind adjustment dial plastic and only added a metal cover to the power/variable speed knob. It's honestly not a deal breaker though. It's easier to adjust grind on it than many other grinders. Absolutely zero static with no RDT is the killer app though.
@@imstigma The dial should be made from metal now with plastic coating (safety reasons)
How does Gevi ensure correct alignment of the burrs? If one were to swap stock burrs with SSP would the alignement be maintained?
All flat burr grinders should be taken through a burr alignment process when swapping where you can take a dry erase marker, mark around the burr, and check for a clean sweep. If not, change the burr orientation first of all, and if still not aligned, shim with foil strips. Lots of videos on this for other grinders.
Alternatively, when ordering, you can specify SSP's where they will install and ensure alignment for you. Easy to swap yourself obviously and they changed their policy in that doing so no longer invalidates your warranty, but in case not done correctly, they indicated that any issues arising from incorrect installation, won't be covered.
I'm sorry but I just have to say that I find the black frames between shots in your video to be really jarring. Perhaps just transition from shot to shot?
thanks for the feedback. Still learning and will keep that in mind for the next video
Don't watch this is a waste of your time
Sorry you feel that way. Tried to be comprehensive in going through it for those new to more upscale grinders and those unsure if this is a worthwhile purchase. I'm new to making these videos so if there's something you could suggest for the next comparison video I'm putting together between it, the Zerno Z1, and Lagom P64, let me know.