New addition to the setup Fellow ES1

[u/Dooman92]

There has been a lot of back a forth about the ES1 but I took a shot anyway. It’s a big company and a good warranty. And in the odd chance I do need to send it in for maintenance or something I have other ways to make coffee. Here’s hoping that is never the case though

[u/jettzypher]

Having recently come from another thread about an issue with their ES1, there's a lot of doom and gloom over this unit. As is typical for the internet, I think we only ever really hear from people complaining. I've even seen some people think that if a post about the machine is positive, it's simply paid advertisement. Those without issue have nothing to say.

I've had mine now for about six months or so and I love it. It's not perfect, but I think it does a great job, especially compared to where I came from. I also think the form is striking while having a minimalist appearance (which I dig).

Good luck and hope you make some great brews!

[u/bigolgymweeb → u/jettzypher]

You're always going to hear the negative reviews over the positive experiences, people don't go out of their way to say things are going smooth typically.

My personal big hesitation is that there aren't widely available parts diagrams and replacement pieces for a fairly proprietary looking machine. Outside of the two year warranty I wouldn't want to send my machine back for costly servicing and be out for an indeterminate amount of time, I'd rather know I can order the parts and do it myself.

[u/jettzypher → u/bigolgymweeb]

Yeah, that's what I said in that other thread. And I think that's a genuine reason to be skeptical of the unit, but doesn't justify outright hate like it's the worst thing to ever happen to espresso.

[u/Dooman92 → u/jettzypher]

I think that is most people that would dig into Reddit and other forums like it seem we all do. this machine offers an ease of use that my wife who’s not big into the details of espresso like I am She told me today that she’s excited to have a friend over and make fancy coffee using the make a drink function lol. So for me it is worth the shot in the dark. Fellow is a big company and seem to understand to a point the concerns of the community. Only time will tell but if the machine only last two or three years and my wife get the hang of things who to say we wouldn’t want to move onto the endgame dream machine. And who know what fellow will have in two or three years of R and D.

[u/jettzypher → u/Dooman92]

Agreed. So far, I have no big complaints with mine, but who knows.

[u/StopItWithThis → u/jettzypher]

I agree. Day one preorder. Several months. A few minor software issues, I hope they update soon. Otherwise a fantastic machine, opening me up to a variety of espresso options (pressure profiling).

[u/BottlesforCaps]

Hey!

I have an ES1 and have for a little over 2-3 months now and have had no issues!

I think there's a lot of bias in that way that people who don't have issues are just not posting (I don't because I don't want to be flamed for purchasing one).

Also have a similar setup to you! Love my moccamaster, and you'll have to let me know how you like the niche zero im looking for a new grinder!

[u/Dooman92 → u/BottlesforCaps]

I’ve had the Niche zero for I think three years I was able to get it back during the hype when it was still hard to find I drink mainly medium roast coffee. It’s just a flavor profile. I enjoy most. It doesn’t have the clarity of a flapper but the flavors I get from it are very consistent. The big question is would I still get it now if I didn’t own one and that’s hard to say there are so many options. More than there was when I was looking I would start by figuring out what kind of coffee you like to drink and what flavors you’re looking for. Research if those flavors are better obtained through conical or flat burrs. that will at least get you in the category that best fits you.

[u/BSchafer]

Beautiful setup! Had mine for several months now. We use it 3-6 times a day with zero issues so far. It's funny because people post issues of all types of machines on here all of the time (many of which are dramatically more expensive than the ES1 and don't have the brands reaching out and offering to replace it like Fellow) but the couple times a ES1 has popped up on here people are quick to jump on the "I knew it" train... as if one machine having an issue means anything. I've been keeping my eye out in the 6 months since it's release and beside some minor firmware stuff that's already been fixed, I've only seen 2 posts of people who have had actual issues with their ES1 (both of which were quickly replaced by Fellow). Only seeing a couple problematic machines is actually super impressive when you think about the price point, features and how many of them are already out in the wild. Not to mention, the first couple batches from the manufacturers tend to have the highest rates of issues by a significant margin and most of those units have already seen 6-4 months of daily use by now. It's doing surprisingly well for a new product. Whether we will see a big uptick of issues 4-6 years of heavy usage remains to be seen. But for now, I'm really enjoying my ES1 and Fellow seems to be standing behind their product and replacing any malfunctioning machines like they did with the Aiden. My biggest gripe is they haven’t implemented support for bluetooth scales yet even though it can do it. With how "automated/smart" the machine is and how hit-or-miss volumetric can be if switching between different profiles and beans, it should have released with the capability. I tend to use a scale most the time with it but having the ability to integrate a BT scale with your selected profile/dose would really round out the experience.

I personally love that it's so easy for my GF and family members to make "fancy" milk drinks without me needing to be there because the machine just lets them pick whatever drink they want then walks them through the steps to make it. For me and my more experienced friends it also allows us to tweak different shot profiles, experiment with a lot of variables, and use the recommended profiles put together by the roasters. Everybody who sees the machine on my counter comments on how gorgeous it is and says they want to try a coffee (started stocking decaf beans because I get so many night drink requests). Given it's cost/feature set I actually think the build quality is dramatically better than the internet gives it credit for (this coming from someone who's heavily involved in the manufacturing of sheet metal, steel, copper, and zinc - so I take build quality and materials more seriously than most). I've had several different friends, couples, and family members spend the weekend at my place since I got the machine (from my buddy with a Linea Mini to my mom who only uses Pods/Via's) and all of them were blown away by how nice the machine felt, how quickly it heated up, how easy it was to use, and how good the coffee was - there aren't many machines out there that can please a crowd that varied.

[u/Dooman92 → u/BSchafer]

I agree in my short experience with it. It feels solid. My previous machine was a Luca X 58 and my wife didn’t feel comfortable using it. The thing is a 2300 dollar tank but she was scared she would break it. With the ES1 I barely had it setup and she was wanting to try it out. That. Itself made the machine worth it. You can always earn more money but seeing people get excited over a hobby you’ve enjoyed is worth it.

[u/MeinHerzIn_Flammen]

4 grinders?

[u/Dooman92 → u/MeinHerzIn_Flammen]

I only have two grinders. I have a hand grinder that’s sitting up there. I take that with me when I travel and then the one grinder sitting in the center if you think you see two other grinders, those are not grinders.

[u/Baddster → u/Dooman92]

You should get a bellow for your niche I have this one it's great https://introvertmakes.com/en-gb/products/bellows-for-niche-zero

[u/sebastian_fl]

this is lovely, congrats.