Fluid bed vs. drum roasters for home

bamatex82

I've owned a iRoast2 (fluid bed roaster), Behmor1600, and a Gene Cafe. they are listed in chronological order. The iRoast2 produced a great flavor, but was too load and finicky. The Behmor1600 was easy but lost power over time, taking longer to roast after only a years use. The Gene Cafe does well, too, but it is, after 2 yrs, losing strength, too.

Of the 3, I always thought the iRoast2, when done right, produced a superior roast. The Gene Cafe I thought was a runner up.

So, I'm looking for a new roaster. Would prefer a fluid bed home roaster that can do 1 lb. I can't find anything without breaking the bank. Want something more durable than the Behmor1600 and the Gene Cafe. Fluid bed would be preferred, but drum is okay. Any suggestions?

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bamatex82

Btw, I've considered the Hottop, but it doesn't have the capacity I want.... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Brett_H

Mate, seriously consider the KKTO. I've a Behmor 1 and a Behmor Plus but the KKTO is my go-to for 500g and above.

LeroyC

A KKTO, Coretto or something similar are really your only budget options, but you have to be happy to take on a project obviously. A Coretto is probably the simplest and cheapest to build, and I believe you can get bread makers big enough to roast close to 1kg at a time. It sounds like what you really want is a Sonofresco, but you don’t want to pay that much. Unless you’re in North America I’d actually recommend a Behmor (the 220v version is superior to the 110v). The 1600+ is much improved over the old 1600, and not just in functionality either. I’m sure that if you cared for it as recommended you’d get good service from a Behmor. I’ve had my 1600+ for over two years and have done 200 roasts on it. I clean it religiously after every 5 roasts and keep it under a cover in the garage. I’ve had no issues and it’s working as well today (roasting as I type this) as it did the day I opened it. With the years of experience you already have I’m sure you’d get great results once you familiarise yourself with it again.

bamatex82

LeroyC wrote:

sounds like what you really want is a Sonofresco, but you don’t want to pay that much.

LOL, you are spot on! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

bamatex82

have you guys ever heard about the Huky roaster? Thoughts? http://www.thepeoplesroast.com/huky/ Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

bamatex82

LeroyC wrote:

Unless you’re in North America I’d actually recommend a Behmor (the 220v version is superior to the 110v). The 1600+ is much improved over the old 1600, and not just in functionality either.

I live in the USA, so not sure the 220v is an option. Let me look some more. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

LeroyC

bamatex82 wrote:

I live in the USA, so not sure the 220v is an option. Let me look some more. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Ah right, the 220v version won’t be an option for you then. I’m sure you’d still find a new 1600+ better than your previous experience, but it will depend a lot on a variety of things such as the consistency of your power supply and the environment you’ll be roasting in.

LeroyC

bamatex82 wrote:

have you guys ever heard about the Huky roaster? Thoughts? http://www.thepeoplesroast.com/huky/ Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

I don’t have any personal experience, but by all accounts it’s a great little roaster. Mr Lee provides very good service and lots of options for the roaster and it’s still one of the best value small drum roasters around. There is a Huky forum as well as lots of stuff on Reddit about it so I suggest you go have a read of those resources if you’re considering one.

askthecoffeeguy

It seems a steep price to pay for the Huky considering the domestic nature of its heat source and the fact that you 'provide your own' Ive got two behmor plus roasters at home and I can roast 1kg on them (by using them both to maximum capacity) without too much of a problem - and for me the quality of the roast, combined with the repeatability, and the ease of use, is a pretty winning combination any chance you could upgrade your power source using a transformer or similar to ensure a better heat supply? Best, Pat

bamatex82

askthe coffeeguy wrote:

It seems a steep price to pay for the Huky considering the domestic nature of its heat source and the fact that you 'provide your own' Ive got two behmor plus roasters at home and I can roast 1kg on them (by using them both to maximum capacity) without too much of a problem - and for me the quality of the roast, combined with the repeatability, and the ease of use, is a pretty winning combination any chance you could upgrade your power source using a transformer or similar to ensure a better heat supply? Best, Pat

What other roasters have you used? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

askthecoffeeguy

bamatex82 wrote:

What other roasters have you used? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Behmor, Gene Cafe, KKTO, Coretto, and ive probably done bout 20 or 30 commercial roasts!

Damian

askthe coffeeguy wrote:

Behmor, Gene Cafe, KKTO, Coretto, and ive probably done bout 20 or 30 commercial roasts!

You prefer the Behmor over the Gene? I'm interested in why

Brett_H

Damian wrote:

You prefer the Behmor over the Gene? I'm interested in why

I only used the Gene once or twice but that was enough. I personally found the roast size too small and I preferred the ease of use of the Behmor. I'd be interested also in Pat's take.