Turkish roaster recommendation (Toper, Ozturk)

[slick]

Hey Guys! My first post on the board and I need experienced opinion on a new 5kg roaster.
I am located in Europe and am currently looking at few of the Turkish manufacturers (Probat, Giesen, Joper are all out of my scope and budget).
I am now deciding between Toper and Ozturk and it will be great if someone can share experience, especially with both.
They look similar on paper, but the price difference is significant, which makes me wonder why. If someone has experience with both, is it worth the difference?

P.S. I did search the forum and while there are opinions on both, I couldn't find direct comparison, which is what I'm hoping for.

Thanks

 

[topher]

I used Toper for about 6 years. I had a 120 kilo, 10 kilo and a 2.5 kilo. I have switched back to Ambex. They are similar but the problem I had with the Toper was customer service. At that point in time there wasn't really any support in the US. I am not sure if this has changed. If I had an issue I had to contact Toper via instant messenger and that was hit or miss. I basically converted the motors over to American motors and then never had any issues...oh other than having to pull the drum off the 120 because the back collar broke.
http://www.coffeeforums.com/forum/coffee-roasters/7163-pulled-drum.html
If you have any other questions hit me up @ topherroaster@gmail.com

 

[Bradleysteenkamp]

Hello, we owned two Ozturk roasters. Our business (Horsham Coffee Roaster) now uses a 3kg and 25kg Joper and these are superb machines. The Ozturk roasters were absolutely fine (had a 15kg and 10kg) but the big issue for us was support. If you are good at figuring things out yourself you'd be fine with a Turkish machine. Great way to get started too.

 

[slick]

Thanks, Guys! Happy to hear you had good results with this machines. The communication with Ozturk seems to be hit and miss as you say, but Toper are quite prompt to answer any questions.
@Bradleysteenkamp- I often enjoy your coffee and your story is the main reason to look at Ozturk as an option (and to hope that one day will replace it with a 25kg Joper

Cheers

 

[NorthSouth]

I found Toper support (from USA) was great BEFORE buying a roaster.
After the purchase, getting answers to questions became more difficult.
IMHO, support is a very important aspect of any roaster.

 

[edtbjon]

There are a few more turkish roaster builders too. (Check Faceb**k for e.g. RoasterRoaster. There are more appearing when I surf on the CoffeeRoasters group, but apart from seeing the pictures I have no opinion at all about them and I cannot tell you anything about build or roast quality.)
Else I'd probably go for a North roaster. (The ones sold by MillCityRoasters in the US.) I live in Sweden and have had contact with "Mr. Tim" from the North factory in China. Gogle it and send an inquiry about prices etc. shipped to your location. The reason for recommending the North roasters is that they have a very much alive forum for their smaller roasters, where you can find lots of answers to most or all of the "silly" questions. From what I've read the North roasters are very well built and are very reliable. There's also MillCityRoasters who seem to be a very reliable service providor. (If you go that route, maybe you can inquire about some kind of support deal with MillCity... That is what I'd do if buying a North roaster from China.)

 

[MillCityRoasters]

There are a few more turkish roaster builders too. (Check Faceb**k for e.g. RoasterRoaster. There are more appearing when I surf on the CoffeeRoasters group, but apart from seeing the pictures I have no opinion at all about them and I cannot tell you anything about build or roast quality.)
Else I'd probably go for a North roaster. (The ones sold by MillCityRoasters in the US.) I live in Sweden and have had contact with "Mr. Tim" from the North factory in China. Gogle it and send an inquiry about prices etc. shipped to your location. The reason for recommending the North roasters is that they have a very much alive forum for their smaller roasters, where you can find lots of answers to most or all of the "silly" questions. From what I've read the North roasters are very well built and are very reliable. There's also MillCityRoasters who seem to be a very reliable service providor. (If you go that route, maybe you can inquire about some kind of support deal with MillCity... That is what I'd do if buying a North roaster from China.)

We renewed and revised our partnership with North last spring. North now builds exclusively for Mill City Roasters and Mill City is in charge of all sales, service, warranty, and training worldwide.

 

[expat]

If you're in the U.S. and want more info about Ozturk sales and service you should contact Duane Bast at Adirondak Roasters in NY. Helluva of a nice guy and very helpful. Invited me to come from Ireland to the U.S. and spent a whole day with me even tho' there wasn't any $ in it for him. He's a member of this forum so you could probably PM him, otherwise lookup Adirondak on the web. I'm a 10kg Ozturk user and going on 6 years of service and thousands and thousands of roasts it has been a great machine. Value for money for sure.

 

[edtbjon]

We renewed and revised our partnership with North last spring. North now builds exclusively for Mill City Roasters and Mill City is in charge of all sales, service, warranty, and training worldwide.

Well, it was more than a "homogenisation" of the price list on the North website then.

 

[slick]

The information I receive is that both Toper and Ozturk have double wall drums. Do you guys know if this is really the case or this is a misunderstanding?

Also, how easy it is to replace the OEM parts like motors, electronics, etc. with aftermarket ones?

 

[empeg9000]

If you're in the U.S. and want more info about Ozturk sales and service you should contact Duane Bast at Adirondak Roasters in NY. Helluva of a nice guy and very helpful. Invited me to come from Ireland to the U.S. and spent a whole day with me even tho' there wasn't any $ in it for him. He's a member of this forum so you could probably PM him, otherwise lookup Adirondak on the web. I'm a 10kg Ozturk user and going on 6 years of service and thousands and thousands of roasts it has been a great machine. Value for money for sure.

I second expat's comments. Dwane is a great guy. great customer service. Here is his website: Adirondack Coffee Roasters (518) 324-2633
The Ozturk is a great roaster for the money. I am sure Dwane can answer better than myself but I don't think the drum is dual wall.

 

[expat]

I don't think either roaster is dual wall. As far as working on the Ozturk, and I have not had to do anything major or any motor replacements, but I have found it to be simple and straight forward. And if I had to do a motor replacement they are easy enough to get to. :images: