Compak r-120

Remi Andre Bjørnstad

Hi. Posting here instead of contacting Londinium directly as there might be others who have the same questions.
I'm interested in buying a r120 grinder as I also do a lot of brewed coffee and have been intrigued by it ever since it came out.

My first choice would be to buy from Reiss but it's not listed in the store and I remember reading a post he wrote a few months ago explaining the lineup of Compak grinders and that he wanted to see how their new PK/PKR models compare to current ones before deciding on which to carry.

Have checked and there's no retailers selling them in my country, the distributor only sells to businesses it seems.
Actually I cannot find a retailer that sells Compak grinders in any of the nordic countries. Found several in other european countries
but none that sells the r120. Guess the size and cost of it makes it sell in too low volumes to be worth it.
I also contacted Compak at [email protected] asking for distributor information more than a week ago but no reply so far.

So I'm wondering if there is any news on the new lineup of grinders from Compak and when they arrive, how they compare etc.?
Meanwhile, would it be possible to order the r-120 from Londinium?
I of course understand if they don't do one off orders to single customers.
If not possible, anyone know of a european distributor/webstore that carries it?

Reiss Gunson

hi remi

we could order an R120 for you (which allows you to choose any colour you like for i think GBP70 premium - outside of the standard colours), but it is i think a 5 week lead time - we do not have them in stock

the only reason i have removed them from our webpage is i have zero visibility as to when the PKR/PKE/PKF series of grinders are likely to be released by Compak and i dont not want to put myself into a situation where i sell an R120 to someone and the next month the PKR comes out and they say you must have known the new model was coming out; you pulled a fast one on me

so until we get a clear declaration from Compak i have decided to step back from the R120 as it could arrive next week or next year

kind regards

reiss.

Remi Andre Bjørnstad

Thank you for quick positive reply Reiss. Makes sense to not offer it in the webstore when there's a new model coming around the corner. Then I will just decide on a colour before sending you an e-mail with a request for an order. Some weeks lead time will give me time to sell a grinder and clear counter space (and I promise not to complain when the pkr comes out

Best

Remi

Frans Goddijn

I'm very happy with my R120... BUT I must add that I took time and tools to remove the mechanism at the bottom that rattles the long metal 'beard' which I also removed, plus I disconnected the little 'mixer' motor that turns a probe like metal arm inside the chute. These two modifications silenced the nagging whine of the small motor and the alarming rattle of the 'beard' which one would need when frequently filling bags of grinds. Now it's a rather silent grinder.

I only use it if I really want to study a certain roast, and I always grind a handful immediately after a roast to test for color using the Tonino device (also in the Londinium webshop I believe).

But for every day home use it's pure overkill.

Remi Andre Bjørnstad

Hi Frans and thanks for helpful info. I remember reading your blog-post about this grinder where you also described removing these parts to disable the bag-shaker and the mechanism on top that cleans the chute to reduce noise. Those and the size/weight were reasons why I didn't consider it. But since then I haven't reacted to the noise being overly loud the few times I heard it used, there's a local cafe that has had one for a couple of years.

It definitely is massive in cost,size and weight and will seem totally over the top for most people, just like any high end equipment at home will for anyone not into the hobby. If I buy one I will use it every day and as often as possible, I think pure overkill would be to have one and not use it