It took me 45 minutes to dial in a burr grinder I bought used

Picked up a used Baratza Encore off Facebook Marketplace for 60 bucks. Figured I'd just plug it in and grind some beans. Nope. The burrs were totally misaligned and I spent almost an hour taking it apart, cleaning out old coffee dust, and re-seating everything before it actually worked right. Has anyone else run into this with used gear or did I just get a lemon?

5 comments

5 Comments

daniel1405d ago

That "plastic carrier" comment from mary_west really spoke to me. I felt like a total idiot spending 45 minutes fussing with a grinder I probably should have just tested before buying. But hey, at least now I know more about burr alignment than I ever wanted to, so that's something.

mary_west1mo ago

Did you read that thing from Baratza about how the Encore's burr carrier can get knocked loose during shipping or just regular use? Happens more often than people think. I saw a forum post where a guy bought three used Encores, and two had the same alignment issue you described. The burrs actually sit on a plastic carrier that can shift if the grinder gets bumped hard. Mine was off by a few millimeters, made the grind super uneven. Took me about the same time as you to figure it out. Felt like a total idiot when I finally got it right, but it's been running smooth ever since.

miller.rowan1mo ago

i mean, i get where you're coming from @mary_west and i know a lot of people have had that issue, but i kinda see it differently. maybe it's just me but i've had my encore for like four years now and moved it around a ton without ever having the burr carrier shift. i almost wonder if some of those cases are people not seating the burr carrier right when they put it back together after cleaning or something. idk, the plastic thing is definitely not the most robust design but i feel like it takes a pretty serious knock to actually throw it out of alignment.

mia7001mo ago

Yeah that plastic carrier is a pain. I actually put a little piece of tape on mine after adjusting it just so I can tell if it shifts again without having to pull everything apart. Works as a quick visual check if you bump the grinder moving it around.

spencer7825d ago

Yeah that "took me 45 minutes" part hit home. I had the same thing with a used Virtuoso I bought. The burr carrier was totally crooked and I spent way longer than I should have just trying to get the grinds even. After a few tries and watching some tutorials, I finally got it seated right and it's been good since. But man, that plastic carrier is definitely a weak point.