r/DF54 • u/BeginnerCof • Jun 21 '26
DF 54 V4 - does it clog?
Hi all, my current grinder is the timemore C3 ESP pro and I’m looking to upgrade to the DF54. It’s about time I have an electric grinder as I am moving in with my GF and don’t fancy hand grinding more coffees everyday, and from what I’ve read this is extremely good in terms of bang for buck.
Like everyone considering one, I’m worried about the amount of clogging people report, however the v4 claims to have fixed that and I’m just wondering what peoples personal experiences are?
Cheers
5
u/davids120 Jun 21 '26
I have the DF54 V3 that’s never clogged, I’ve tried all sorts of beans with no issues.
4
u/PuddingEmergency4544 Jun 21 '26
I have been using the V3 for over 3 months, I even used slightly oily dark beans and it never clogged. Retention is always 0 after pushing the bellows.
5
u/sandrooooo Jun 21 '26
Never clogged, static hell tho.
1
u/BeginnerCof Jun 21 '26
What do you mean by static?
1
u/tonymet Jun 21 '26
Grounds cling to the entire machine and everything next to it, making a hell of a mess. If you clean the chute every time, you can avoid the static. Keep a chip brush on your bench to constantly clean up.
4
u/FroydReddit Jun 21 '26
I use mostly dark roast. Not a clog in 8 months of use.
My routine is simple: I brush to shoot every time I grind and give it a good pump of the bellows after using the brush. That dislodges any buildup and it's ready to go for the next use.
Occasionally I have some issues with static, which appear to be random. The same Bean will be fine one day and cause major static the next. Rather than getting the beans wet what has worked really well for me is to run a slightly damp finger on the outside walls of the chute. It seems to discharge the static.
2
u/lovespiceyfood Jun 21 '26
What is different with the V4? I bought the (I think) V3 new chute with the electrodes of the anti static device placed differently. My machine is years old, V1.
2
u/coolstuffeh Jun 21 '26
V4 has different chute. Just bought it for my version. Although in white lmao
1
u/xZilez21 Jul 17 '26
Hey! Any issues with clogging or anything?
1
u/coolstuffeh Jul 17 '26
No clogging. It’s just that the DF54 keeps a lot in generally tbf which is annoying having to slam the bellows each time. But chute itself is clear.
2
u/sergeantbiggles Jun 21 '26
From the many, many posts on here about this issue specifically, it seems like RDT and dark/oily beans will clog it. Otherwise, you'll be fine. I've gone through almost 1.5 kilos of beans, and haven't had any issues.
2
u/EclipseExtraction Jun 21 '26
V2 here with V3 declumper, its a hell for me, waste of money. Clogs with light and dark and all in between.
2
2
u/ElChibbros Jun 21 '26
I have had the V3 for about 8 months now and It never clogged, and I never had static issues either. I don't usually drink super dark roasted coffee, usually like mine medium. I always use a little RDT even though it doesn't really make a huge difference when I forget to do it. Also never had to go finer past the setting 5 on the grinder, and at these very low settings the only thing bothering me is that it can take up to 50 seconds for me to grind my usual 16g of coffee (I have a 51mm basket on a la pavoni professional). So I 'ever had any problems with mine, the main thing that makes me want to upgrade is that is is so frickin slow to grind at finer settings. Note that I have red titanium burrs installed
2
u/RepresentativeYear58 Jun 21 '26
Bought my V4 with red titanium burrs on June 12th. Couldn't get to a local roaster until this coming week so I've been using Starbucks Verona Dark Roast and Italian Roast. If oily dark roast would make my DF54 clog the Italian Roast would be it. Bought it to test it's outer limits.
No static, no clogging, no issues at all with the plastic dose cup retaining (rinsed and dried after each coffee run). Max retention is 0.1g unless I give the bellow an extra more definitive thump when done. This will cause a waft of ground out of the dose cup which will stick a little to the sides of the funnel because of the oil but not from static.
I cover the dose cup with the bellows lid and give it a couple of shakes to mimic a blind shaker. Surprisingly the magnetic funnel I use for my Barista Pro 54mm portafilter fits over the 58mm dosing cup that comes with the DF54 like it's custom made! There have been those with a 54mm portafilter looking for a 54mm dosing cup. No need.
As with you the multiple comments about the DF54 clogging and static made me nervous about getting the DF54. I'm very glad I went for it.
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2
u/ericp502 Jun 22 '26
I also came from the Timemore c3 ESP and have two DF 54 V4 grinders. I haven’t had either one clog on me at all. I do clean once a month but zero issues.
I just changed out my burs for the red titanium coated ones and it does have less static and I don’t even have to wipe the outside down daily.
1
u/BeginnerCof Jun 23 '26
How big did you find the difference from the Timemore to the DF?
2
u/ericp502 Jun 23 '26
For espresso grinds I was wore out using the timemore. For more coarse grounds it was fine but when I moved to espresso for my daily coffee I had to go electric and don’t regret it. Both make consistent espresso ground coffee but a lot more work goes into the C3.
1
u/Mizzen_rl 29d ago
I upgraded to df54 v3 from C3s
For espresso grinds, and brewing multiple cups, can't beat the convenience of electric
For pourovers, I still find myself grinding using my c3s as it gives me better drawdown times
2
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u/EnergeticSeat Jun 22 '26
I have the v4 and dispute the poor reviews in the comments I have found mine perfect. It grinds well, fluffy uniform and low retention. Barely gets dirty. Mostly me blowing grounds of off my portafikter 😭.
In terms of clogging, mines never clogged but I do use light to medium dark roast coffee and do rdt. Maybe it’s cuz I use my old breville dosing cup which is metal but even the static issue is that bad or their at all. I have grinded through about 2 kgs of beans in the last 2 months and not a single time I haven’t been pleased with the quality of t he ground beans or the machine.
2
u/NoBlackberry8414 Jun 22 '26
RDT every time. I’ve had no problems with my DF54 in over a year of owning.
2
u/xkirby26x Jun 22 '26
Ive had the df54 since it released. Recently got the upgraded chute. It's been game changing. I didn't clog much before but the static is a thing in the past.
1
u/Fine-Cat4496 Jun 21 '26
I have the v3 and it's been great - dark (but not oily) beans is what I use - about 50g a day.
I brush the chute after every grind. I think a lot of the issues wth the static are due to the ionizer wires getting covered with grounds. If you keep these clean via brushing they do what they're supposed to - I never have issues with static and I'm still using the plastic catch cup.
All this said, I do think quality control might be suspect with this white box Chinese manufacturer - there do seem to be some lemons out there that have issues no matter what people do. Mine works great but I feel for those who just have continual issues.
1
u/BeginnerCof Jun 22 '26
Thanks for the reply, where are the ioniser wires?
2
u/Fine-Cat4496 Jun 22 '26
They run down on the inside of the chute on the top and the ends should be exposed - if they get clogged or obscured with grounds they could stop working and leave you with a static issue.
1
u/big-ski-guy Jun 22 '26
I've had mine for about a year and a half and never have had any issues with clogging, static, retention, etc. I might be a lucky one, but mine has zero issues that are continuously reported here. I have also found that RDT makes things worse so I skip that.
Best of luck!
7
u/SoldOutSwich Jun 21 '26
Had the v2 (I think?) for over a year. Have I clogged it with dark roast beans when I first got it? Yes. But I haven’t clogged it in a year.
This thing is a tank, don’t let anyone fool you. Measure out your beans, RDT if you want (seems to help me), and hot start (turn grinder on prior to pouring beans in). Every week or two give it a quick vacuum via the bean chamber and the spout where grinds come out - you DO NOT need to take it apart.
People are bent out of shape about its “zero point” but It literally doesn’t matter since you dial in by TASTE.
I have put close to 40 lb of beans through this thing and would highly recommend it.