Advice needed: Toper 5k v USRC 5k

[pgalabi]

I am just about to purchase a commercial roaster, and I may have an opportunity to buy either a 06 Toper 5k or and 08 USRC 5k.

Any pros or cons to either? or are they both good roasters?

Thanks for the help and advice

 

[Jayzoll]

I am just about to purchase a commercial roaster, and I may have an opportunity to buy either a 06 Toper 5k or and 08 USRC 5k.

Any pros or cons to either? or are they both good roasters?

Thanks for the help and advice

my father and i have been fortunate to roast on a usrc 5k since 2012. we have been very lucky in that we are still running with all original parts from day 1. the support is great, ive used it for 'enhancements/modifications'

it is hard for me to give pros and cons without knowing a little more about your intended use.

i have a few questions regarding your goals. how much coffee do you plan to roast weekly? what type of flavor profile are you trying to achieve? what is your hopeful planned batch size/production expectations? what does the design of your exhaust to system (to outside) look like?

are you able to find out what type of barrel your unit has (single walled stainless, single walled carbon/mild steel, or double mild.). does the unit have variable speed air fan and/or damper? what type of establishment is it coming from? how much use, type of roasting, etc?

id like to think we roast pretty good light coffee, but that came with a little work and fine tuning to get what we want. then again, i typically customize just about everything i own after some use. i am not saying it is a bad machine because it is well made from good material. its just how i roll no matter what i have.




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[solock]

How savvy are with the mechanics/electricals/components of a industrial machine?

Answering that question will help you answer the suitability of these roasters.

USRC has the real benefit of being US based support and have a decent reputation of supporting after the sale for parts and service.

The Toper is a solid roaster, and well built but you will be on your own more or less for support and service.

While they are the "same" as far as heat, fan, motor, controls etc, in that they all have the same things, you will need to understand the basics of switching, relays, fans, drive belts and motors, igniters and valves and regulators, with the toper you will need to source the items domestically based on what information you have available by reading the codes on the parts, or sizing and replacing with domestic parts that you are able to get.

I'm saying this as the owner of a Toper 10K of a vintage a bit older than the '05 you are mentioning. I bought my 10K 3rd owner and had to do a fair amount of work in regards to belt replacement, bearing sourcing and replacement, switch replacement, igniter and valve replacement (an upgrade really) a fan motor replacement and general cleaning.

The manual for the toper is nearly useless, but I understand the systems based on experience, and while it was a bit of a challenge I did all the work and have a great running roaster.

The speed of a response from Toper is nearly glacial, and I imagine if I were getting parts at that pace that it would have a huge impact on business.
Luckily between grainger and internet sources Ive never had that issue with my Toper.


No complaints on either roaster that Ive ever heard of but the support from usrc has the potential of being better simply being us based.

 

[pgalabi]

Thank you for your help and advice

 

[Jayzoll]

between the two listed, i only speak to hands on experience with usrc.

pros - customer support is great! direct drive drum and fans, no belts to change. simple to keep grease on the bearings and really easy keeping the machine clean. the burner burns clean, suitable btu, plenty airflow through the drum (ours is a variable speed fan and easily adjustable), and the cooling fan offers plenty of airflow to cool beans in under 4min. roast control and consistency is excellent when batch size is optimized to your preferred profile.

cons - really been happy with the unit. if you would say our modifications are cons, which i wouldnt because i customize everything i own after awhile. 1. batch size, to be expected with EVERY manufacturer. yes, even those who recently market their machines can do full batches with complete control. each person may have an opinion on this depending on how they roast. debatable even among industry experts. 2. drum wall. to be expected with nearly every other manufacturer in this category. single walled drum (we later upgraded to double walled to have ability to charge much higher.) i was told by another roaster who owns a topher 5k it also contains a single walled drum. a lot of people roast excellent coffee with single walled drum roasters. 3. the original bean/environmental probes were 6mm diameter, we later swapped them for 3mm. really dont see any change in shape of curve, but the numbers are slightly different indicating more responsiveness - again, the patterns are the same.

send me a PM if you would like to sample some coffee from our machine. also, if you do go usrc and need some initial direction on profiles, i would be willing to share some information.

in either case, i would hook up with artisan software. (why did i wait so long??).

i am not affiliated with usrc, just a satisfied customer.


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[wmark]

USRC's are tanks. I like them because they are built such that the machine is easy to disassemble and replace parts should it be necessary. parts used are common, available everywhere and inexpensive.