Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder with Bin

Bought this unit 5 yrs ago and it stopped working Oct 2022. Took it apart thinking it was a switch but volt meter indicated switches were fine. Called customer service to see if I was missing something and they said it was most likely the motor and it should have lasted longer. Even thought it was out of warranty by 4 yrs they offered to send me a new motor no charge if I could replace it myself. Received the motor and installed it and now it works fine. It’s a good grinder, not the easiest to clean and a bit loud but it’s only for about 30 seconds (the time it takes to grind enough for two cups of French press). I’m impressed with the customer service.

I love my grinder and use it everyday. The one thing that drives me nuts is the static that builds up while grinding which then causes some of the grounds to scatter all over the counter every time you open the bin to take out the grounds that have been ground. I have noticed that the plastic has been changed to clear from the cloudy color I have and it seems this has rectified the issue. I purchased one of these for my sister and so I have personally used the one with the clear plastic as well. Is there a way to change out the plastic bin and funnel top?

This grinder is a ripoff! I know it's been a while since I bought it, but I have used it very little and just can't keep one running. I just thought people deserve to know so here's the story:I purchased this first one from Amazon in 2014 used and when it quit working after a few weeks, I assumed it was do to it being used and not poor design. I ordered new parts from Baratza, the manufacturer, foolishly thinking I could make it like new again. This seemed like a good plan because it worked very well when it was running and it is the right size for my needs. Oh, how wrong I was. After waiting for a week to get the parts, I installed them and got it running, but it never worked right again after that, largely because the instruction videos on their website were almost useless. I believe their plan was to get me so invested in the idea of getting it running that I would eventually send it to them for repairs, but their pricing was so high that buying a new grinder seemed like the better option.Still thinking that it might be a good product, I doubled down on my stupidity and decided to purchase a brand new one directly from Baratza; bad idea. I used it a couple of times, but then ending up quitting coffee for a long while so I only used a little until recently. In the last couple of months, I have used it maybe 4 times. At first it worked perfectly, but after what can't be more than eight times in total, this hardly used nearly new coffee grinder clogged up. There were no instructions in the manual to unclog it other than to use some "magic" tablets that I do not have. No other method of unclogging it was provided so I guess if you don't have the tablets or if you do and they fail to work, Baratza expects you to send it in for their expensive repairs. This seems like another unscrupulous method of getting me to pay them more money to keep it running.Having just purchased 2 lbs. of gourmet beans and having no ground coffee in the house for the morning, I was not willing to give up yet. I spent over an hour and a half picking at the hole between the grinding bin and the hopper with whatever tool I could fine until I finally removed all visible signs of clog. With the clog removed and the hopper path clear, I was sure that my grinder was as good as new so I confidently started grinding again. The grinder produced about two tablespoons of perfect espresso-grind coffee before clogging again.At this point, I suppose that I am expected to send it in to them for repairs, but that's not going to happen. I can't imagine what they are thinking in selling me a grinder that works for a few days at best, then needs repairs that may take weeks to have done and cost more than the thing did new. I really don't want to give this company any more of my money and I hope after reading this, you won't either. Please save yourself a lot of money and trouble by staying away from this product and this company.

Update:So, my motor died out at 2.5 years. Customer service is BEYOND helpful. After talking to them, the first day the opened, she had my trouble shoot it and deemed my motor was dead. I was shipped a new motor and there is a video online that shows how to do it. All you need is a torx screwdriver (looks like a hex for a head), a flathead and a wrench. It took me all of 30 minutes to not only replace the motor, but to upgrade the burrs as well!This is a wonderful entry level grinder, and the customer service pushes it over the top! I'd recommend the grinder to anyone!!!

This worked great from 2016 when I bought it until 2022, when it would not turn on when I turned the switch. Eventually after I hit it on the side or bumped it down on the counter it would become responsive again. Now it won't work even with coaxing. I don't have the patience to chase down the company or take it apart and try to fix it, and I did use it daily for coffee for 2 or 3 people for six years, but it seems like this should last longer than that, so it is disappointing. The small wire brush for cleaning it is easily lost.

Would be five stars, but this seems like a rather silly way for the product to end up failing. I was expecting one of the plastic (nylon?) pieces to go first, but NOPE. A damn wing on the wingnut fell off. What do I mean it "fell off"? Well, as far as I know, it literally just fell off (presumably from the mild centrifugal forces) and into the burrs during use.I've had the unit for years and don't have any other complaints, but spending the time digging out the mangled and wedged wing was a bitter experience. If you got the unit used or have had it a while, you might want to consider replacing the nut.To my knowledge, the unit was not tampered with or had significant undue force applied to the wings. However, I'm not sure it matters as I'm guessing something other than a wingnut could have been used to avoid the problem entirely.Aside from that, grind quality seems good and is suitable for espresso. Hope they lose the wingnut in the near future.

I have been using this for four years and it works as good as new. It produces a good grind and is quieter than the previous brands that I had before.

For all coffee lovers & grinders - for its price, this is a phenomenal burr grinder. Only once in the year + that I've had it, did it crap out on me, but after cleaning it out, it works as well as ever! Seriously though, I use this DAILY. I'm quite impressed