Capresso 454 or Presto coffee maker and grinder?

[stuuke]

I'm new to the forum and good coffee. I found some Capresso 454's on ebay for around $150. Most of the information I found was about the MT500. The 454 has a burr grinder built in but I'm not sure how the brewing compares to the MT. Has anyone used this machine?

Option number two would be to get a Presto which gets great reviews here and a separate grinder. I might be able to get this combination for under $125. I won't have the convenience but might get better overall results. The grinders I saw mentioned were the Bodum, Solis and Capresso burr grinders. Some of these get pretty pricey when you can get the 454 for $150. Are there any other grinders worth considering?

Slightly off topic but I came across coffeeam.com. Has anyone purchased coffee from there?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[DavesLT]

Capresso

I haven't tried the Presto, but I've owned a Capresso for over a year and I can tell you it has a LOT of design flaws. First, the grinder is good, but unfortunately the limited range of settings was poor. I had to disassemble the grinder in order to reset the factory settings to a good Meliita drip grind. This accomplished, I realised why they had the grinder set so coarse, the coffee jams in the exit chute if it's ground too finely!

As to the dispersion pattern of the brew head... lets just say a Mr. Coffee has a better pattern. All of the water goes straight down the center, so if you want a good extraction, you have to pull the pot from under it (at least the drip stop works) at first to saturate the grounds, then replace it, and then do it again halfway through.

Hope the Presto works better. -Dave