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Permalink Reply by Jesse Bladyka on October 21, 2009 at 7:01pm

We've got three Ninos, in use for about 6 mos. They run on 220v, and we had to have some adaptation done so we could plug them in. Elektra just re-engineered the chute, since this is the first production run, they're still working out some kinks. The grinder had been clogging up somewhat at the point where the coffee exits the burr housing into the chute. We're waiting our new parts and expecting the minor issue to be solved. I haven't spent much time on a Robur, and the one I've used had a dosing chamber (why are people still using these?). The grind is excellent on the Nino, a 20 gram dose takes just under 4 seconds to grind and when they were new, pre-clogging issues, we were seeing a variance of around .1 grams over several shots. Distribution is excellent, the only thing I would change would be to add a grind on demand, as it stands, you can grind a single dose or a double dose, but you can't add a just a scosch more coffee if you need it. I'll let you know when we get the new parts in. They are considerably smaller in physical size than the Roburs, even though the specs are almost identical. Aesthetics matter too, not as much as grind quality, but I think they are very tastefully designed. Full disclosure: I work for a company that distributes Elektra machines and has a long, friendly history with the company. I won't say the Nino has no faults, but I'll say before the issue popped up, and once they fix it, it's the best grinder I've ever used.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Shipley on October 21, 2009 at 8:34pm

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

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Permalink Reply by Jesse Bladyka on October 22, 2009 at 6:26am

We haven't seen any electronic issues, of course, I've had no problems with the electronics on their machines either. What specifically is crappy about the electronics that you've experienced? We had to replace the circuit board on our 3grp Belle Epoque, but she's five, maybe six years old, heavily used and I didn't think anything of it more than routine maintenance. Anyway, it sounds like you've had a poor experience, I'd like to hear more about it.

Jason Shipley said:

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Tellez on October 22, 2009 at 7:04am

We have an Elektra modern thats about six years old. THe thing is a work horse, We too have had to replace the circuit boards once, but this is understandable when were pulling as many shots as we do out of it. I think Elektra's are fantastic machines, very traditional and dependable. They may not be the "it" machines like synesso or la Marzocco, but I stand by the company whole-heartedly. As for the nino, I've used it on several occasions for various trade shows as a guest barista, and I had no problems with them. They are a machine, but there are bigger, and I too saw some clumping issues, but that was almost a year ago, and if they've fixed the issue, then I don't see any reason not to endorse it as a quality grinder.

Jesse Bladyka said:

We haven't seen any electronic issues, of course, I've had no problems with the electronics on their machines either. What specifically is crappy about the electronics that you've experienced? We had to replace the circuit board on our 3grp Belle Epoque, but she's five, maybe six years old, heavily used and I didn't think anything of it more than routine maintenance. Anyway, it sounds like you've had a poor experience, I'd like to hear more about it.

Jason Shipley said:

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Shipley on October 22, 2009 at 8:28am

We have an Elektra Modern 3 group that is no longer in service after a short 1 year we had replaced all 3 touch panels once and 2 twice none were covered by warranty we were told there is no warranty on electrical components. We all love what we own and I will say that the Elektra when working properly is a superb machine, but I would never buy one for a cafe again.

Chris Tellez said:

We have an Elektra modern thats about six years old. THe thing is a work horse, We too have had to replace the circuit boards once, but this is understandable when were pulling as many shots as we do out of it. I think Elektra's are fantastic machines, very traditional and dependable. They may not be the "it" machines like synesso or la Marzocco, but I stand by the company whole-heartedly. As for the nino, I've used it on several occasions for various trade shows as a guest barista, and I had no problems with them. They are a machine, but there are bigger, and I too saw some clumping issues, but that was almost a year ago, and if they've fixed the issue, then I don't see any reason not to endorse it as a quality grinder.

Jesse Bladyka said:

We haven't seen any electronic issues, of course, I've had no problems with the electronics on their machines either. What specifically is crappy about the electronics that you've experienced? We had to replace the circuit board on our 3grp Belle Epoque, but she's five, maybe six years old, heavily used and I didn't think anything of it more than routine maintenance. Anyway, it sounds like you've had a poor experience, I'd like to hear more about it.

Jason Shipley said:

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

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Permalink Reply by Jesse Bladyka on October 22, 2009 at 9:26am

I can understand how this would turn you off of Elektras, what are you using now? How do you find it?

ps Go Primo!

Jason Shipley said:

We have an Elektra Modern 3 group that is no longer in service after a short 1 year we had replaced all 3 touch panels once and 2 twice none were covered by warranty we were told there is no warranty on electrical components. We all love what we own and I will say that the Elektra when working properly is a superb machine, but I would never buy one for a cafe again.

Chris Tellez said:

We have an Elektra modern thats about six years old. THe thing is a work horse, We too have had to replace the circuit boards once, but this is understandable when were pulling as many shots as we do out of it. I think Elektra's are fantastic machines, very traditional and dependable. They may not be the "it" machines like synesso or la Marzocco, but I stand by the company whole-heartedly. As for the nino, I've used it on several occasions for various trade shows as a guest barista, and I had no problems with them. They are a machine, but there are bigger, and I too saw some clumping issues, but that was almost a year ago, and if they've fixed the issue, then I don't see any reason not to endorse it as a quality grinder.

Jesse Bladyka said:

We haven't seen any electronic issues, of course, I've had no problems with the electronics on their machines either. What specifically is crappy about the electronics that you've experienced? We had to replace the circuit board on our 3grp Belle Epoque, but she's five, maybe six years old, heavily used and I didn't think anything of it more than routine maintenance. Anyway, it sounds like you've had a poor experience, I'd like to hear more about it.

Jason Shipley said:

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Shipley on October 22, 2009 at 6:21pm

We have a Simonelli Aurelia Plus that we absolutely love, a GS3 for our lab and a couple of lineas in wholesale accounts. And yes I love my Primo! We're shopping now for what we will use in our next shop. I am infatuated with the Jet Steam machines but have yet to see one in person and more importantly taste the coffee from it.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Birkett on October 22, 2009 at 9:30pm

Thanks Jesse, I'd never heard of the clogging issue before. I guess it is still a pretty new product. I'd read about the lack of pulse grinding before, and it seems like it would be pretty annoying not to be able to touch up a slightly underdosed basket. If the consistency is as good as you say, it's probably not a big deal, though.

There is some talk about Elektra making a minor Nino announcement at the trade show they're attending starting today. I wonder if they are addressing any of the minor issues. They still adamantly deny they will ever produce a lower voltage model, due to space constraints inside the case. Having to run a dedicated line or use a big transformer is a definite turn-off, but the Nino seems like the most innovative doserless design around right now.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Benis on November 11, 2009 at 4:49am

I've had a Nino for around 6 months, used in a domestic/office setting so not high volume by any means. The grind is fluffy and neat but not entirely clump free. The clumps disappear with a very light tamp (I am not a heavy tamper) and the pours are solid and consistent, with the usual late blonding you would expect of a good, large conical burr machine. There is very little grind retention in the bur carriers and chute - much less than a Robur. Dosing accuracy between shots is good and the worm screw infinite adjustment works well though I personally prefer the Mazzer's. Taste profile is sweet and well-delineated. I have not compared to a Robur for example, but home baristas whose opinions I respect find no discernible difference in flavour profile. A Robur might run cooler in a very busy cafe.

The only time I had a clogging issue on mine was when running through several kg of stale beans to season the burrs. This was entirely my fault, since the Nino was grinding so fas in the container I was using that the grounds backed up all the way top the top of the chute. It has worked faultlessly after I disassembled the chute and cleaned it out.

I believe a purge grind/top-up function will be available in the very near future.

It's certainly a brilliant grinder for a demanding home barista.

Hope that helps

Mike

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Permalink Reply by Troy on June 6, 2012 at 2:49am

I know this post is almost three years old, but we've just purchased a used Nino for our busy cafe.

I'm experiencing the clogging issue's that were mentioned and wonder how this was resolved, our machine is only around a year old.

Also if anybody is still using Nino's, how are they holding up?

Thus far I love the taste of the espresso, but I'm getting annoyed by the erratic doses, I can actually see the grinds compacting up and stopping mid chute. This means the dose's will be consecutively low or high until it clears itself.

Any help most appreciated, Troy.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on June 6, 2012 at 3:46am

Wow. Not sure how I missed this thread years ago, but nearly spit out my coffee when I read this.

For any that are curious, it is pretty reasonable to consider components like a switch or a relay to be a wear item. HOWEVER, on a "reliable" espresso machine, you should NOT need to replace the board. Boards can and should be robust components that work properly for many, many years (if not the life of the espresso machine), assuming nothing really weird.

There are quite a few manufacturers out there that are designing their boards to be robust and long-lived. It seems pretty silly for anyone to suggest that early failure of a $600-$1000 board ought to be considered "normal".

Sorry Troy, no feedback on the grinders.

Chris Tellez said:

We have an Elektra modern thats about six years old. THe thing is a work horse, We too have had to replace the circuit boards once, but this is understandable when were pulling as many shots as we do out of it. I think Elektra's are fantastic machines, very traditional and dependable. They may not be the "it" machines like synesso or la Marzocco, but I stand by the company whole-heartedly. As for the nino, I've used it on several occasions for various trade shows as a guest barista, and I had no problems with them. They are a machine, but there are bigger, and I too saw some clumping issues, but that was almost a year ago, and if they've fixed the issue, then I don't see any reason not to endorse it as a quality grinder.

Jesse Bladyka said:

We haven't seen any electronic issues, of course, I've had no problems with the electronics on their machines either. What specifically is crappy about the electronics that you've experienced? We had to replace the circuit board on our 3grp Belle Epoque, but she's five, maybe six years old, heavily used and I didn't think anything of it more than routine maintenance. Anyway, it sounds like you've had a poor experience, I'd like to hear more about it.

Jason Shipley said:

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

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Permalink Reply by Troy on June 8, 2012 at 4:14am

Hey Brady, I agree completely about the expected lifespan of an espresso machine's main componentry, it absolutely should give years of reliability and if it's failing well before that then there are definite quality issues.

I worked with, and then went on to personally own an Elektra Maxi many years ago and loved it, no problems with the electronics whatsover, just the usual maintenance repairs to valves, seals and the like.

Now where the heck are the Nino owners lurking?

Troy

Brady said:

Wow. Not sure how I missed this thread years ago, but nearly spit out my coffee when I read this.

For any that are curious, it is pretty reasonable to consider components like a switch or a relay to be a wear item. HOWEVER, on a "reliable" espresso machine, you should NOT need to replace the board. Boards can and should be robust components that work properly for many, many years (if not the life of the espresso machine), assuming nothing really weird.

There are quite a few manufacturers out there that are designing their boards to be robust and long-lived. It seems pretty silly for anyone to suggest that early failure of a $600-$1000 board ought to be considered "normal".

Sorry Troy, no feedback on the grinders.

Chris Tellez said:

We have an Elektra modern thats about six years old. THe thing is a work horse, We too have had to replace the circuit boards once, but this is understandable when were pulling as many shots as we do out of it. I think Elektra's are fantastic machines, very traditional and dependable. They may not be the "it" machines like synesso or la Marzocco, but I stand by the company whole-heartedly. As for the nino, I've used it on several occasions for various trade shows as a guest barista, and I had no problems with them. They are a machine, but there are bigger, and I too saw some clumping issues, but that was almost a year ago, and if they've fixed the issue, then I don't see any reason not to endorse it as a quality grinder.

Jesse Bladyka said:

We haven't seen any electronic issues, of course, I've had no problems with the electronics on their machines either. What specifically is crappy about the electronics that you've experienced? We had to replace the circuit board on our 3grp Belle Epoque, but she's five, maybe six years old, heavily used and I didn't think anything of it more than routine maintenance. Anyway, it sounds like you've had a poor experience, I'd like to hear more about it.

Jason Shipley said:

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

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