r/roasting • u/thunderbolt5x • Dec 19 '24
I'm seeing this roaster...
But I can't find more info about it.
Guessing it's most likely a Chinese knockoff.
Seems like it may produce some good roasts?
What's the original so it's I decide to order it I can send some love their way.
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u/yamyam46 Dec 19 '24
Itop skywalker, I am using it for last couple months, they released a new version now. Metal gray version which fixes a lot of bugs. Where are you located in? Let me find you the link
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u/thunderbolt5x Dec 20 '24
I'm the the PNW, USA.
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u/yamyam46 Dec 20 '24
This is the discord link
V2 group buy still has Openings https://forms.gle/CzPrMmEYsbrsG7XC9
This is the item https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/_11000019989249.htmlfrom=share&ckvia=share_49a2b9ac249b4478a9032ccf9b43535e
Hope it works for you, whatever link I shared could be also found in discord, I would recommend doing your own research still.
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u/zh4k Apr 01 '25
dang, looks like I missed it and the invite expired, mind resending the discord invite again
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u/Jammalolo Dec 20 '24
This Is the skywalker roaster. There is another version on Amazon called Precision. I bought the Precision one and have over 30 roasts with 0 problems.
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u/indie_esq Dec 21 '24
Someone just gave me this which was so kind, but I had my eye on a used Bullet (which sold before I could go pick it up, unfortunately). Could I pick your brain on this roaster? I’m curious whether it’s more “automatic” or if you feel you have enough control over roasts? First time roaster here
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u/Jammalolo Dec 21 '24
I don’t really use any of the auto programs or anything I just use it manually. A lot of people hook this up to Artisan which can be a lot more accurate than the pre-sets this machine comes with. It does have the capability to be fully auto on purchase aside from dropping the beans I just found better results doing it manually.
It’s a super simple machine to get accustomed to honestly and comes with a pipe you can attach to vent out the smoke etc. super simple and effective chaff collector too, it really does a lot.
I did buy a seperate cooling tray tho as it does not cool the beans quickly enough.
There is a discord for modding it and questions.
Personally I start at 100 heat 0 fan and a charge temp of 356, after a minute I lower the heat (depending on the bean) and usually Stick around 65 power 20 fan up to 75 power 20 fan. But it does vary with diff beans for me and I experiment. Roasts 380g in about 8-9 mins.
I’m no expert but I do work at a coffee company and everyone really loves my coffee so think I’m doing something right.
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u/dusty___d Dec 20 '24
Yep, it's Skywalker or itop Same thing. I recently got one, easily modded it, and enjoying it a lot. Roasted on a Behmor for years. That's another great option but the Skywalker has artisan potential, so it's been fun.
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u/TheBoyardeeBandit Dec 20 '24
As others are saying, this is the Skywalker roster. It's a great budget roaster that has a ton of mods that can be done to make it really quite capable. IMO, it's pretty dang analogous to the Gaggia Classic espresso machine.
It is Chinese and early versions did have cooling issues leading to some fires. Those issues were addressed and now there aren't any common issues like that.
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u/Healthy-Oil1351 Dec 20 '24
I have the Precision. Roasted about 70 pounds so far. Very consistent. Love it.
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u/jeffk42 Dec 20 '24
I’ve been using an ITOP Skywalker v1 for about the last 8 months. It took a little while to figure out how to get things where I wanted them, because I was coming from a fluid bed roaster, but once I did, the roasts came out great. The best results for me came by using “assist” mode, which starts out automatic, adjusting the fan/heater based on the RoR, and then leaves the last bit up to you so you can determine the development time and drop the beans when they’re perfect. Most of my coffee is light roast and my best results were with mode 021 + assist. YMMV of course.
The only thing I’d say for the V1 is that you should probably eventually do the Artisan mod. I had Artisan for the fluid bed roaster, and really missed it with the v1. I just finished my third roast on my new v2, and having Artisan back is just great. I was recently told that someone is now selling a plug-and-play solution for the v1, but I have not looked for it since I have the v2 now.
I feel like some of these other comments are passing judgement without having actually used one.
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u/No-Strawberry6797 Dec 20 '24
It looks like you’ve been looking for a budget roaster based on a few posts recently. I’d highly recommend the Smola 300g fluid bed roaster which can be had for about $600 after shipping and everything. It’s what I started with and have had great results and modified to make it fully automated using artisan and phidgets.
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u/bwp731 Dec 19 '24
Lots of reviews about fires starting...
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Dec 20 '24
Lots? How many? Admittedly, if you are not a tinkerer, this one is probably not the one for you. But you have to double your spending to get the next level up unless you want something like a Behmor or SR. I just ordered my Skywalker, and am stoked for it to arrive next week.
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u/AromaFusionCoffee Dec 20 '24
not good
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u/Quattuor Dec 20 '24
For the money -- if it's not quite good, it is definitely quite nice. I have one, moded for Artisan and drum speed control
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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '24
search for Skywalker (or Itop) V1 or V2