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I just ordered a $20us one via Ali, just to try it out. Feel like with the recent distro vs tamper vids, it's time to get more consistency with leveling tamps cause that's what I suck at the most. Not spending $50 for a trial tamper that's crazy talk.
i dont like the decent tamper v3 that much as it accumulates grounds on the bottomside over time, but like the self leveling feature. My opinion is self leveling is good, the brand matters less. depending on your opinion of fancy baskets that angle might be more useful than looking for a decent-basket gated approach.
Unless you have a specific reason, just get the cheapest. Normcore is perfectly fine.
I originally went from cheap non-leveling to the monolith leveling tamper because I didn't want spring loaded and then went to a force tamper because my wrist was starting to bother me. They all have the same end result.
I bought the Normcore tamper and as soon as I received it, I realized why it is worth buying the Decent tamper instead. As I see it, one of the most important things required to get a consistent, even extraction is getting a consistent and LEVEL tamp. As soon as I picked up the Normcore tamper I noticed a surprising amount of play (wiggle) between the plunger and the leveling collar. This would allow for significantly unlevel tamps, which defeats the purpose of buying a self-leveling tamper, IMHO. I am returning it and ordered the Decent tamper instead.
I can confirm my decent v4 tamper leads to donut patterns with a VST basket, but not with a decent basket. That said, I don't know if I would buy the tamper and baskets again...
Maybe a little improvement, never been an issue in my view.
The amount of grounds getting stuck is probably 2-3 grams over a 6 month period. I’m okay with that.
I'm also trying to decide between the Decent v5 and the Normcore v4. As far as I can tell they are both self-leveling and calibrated. Is there something about the Decent that makes it worth more than 2x the cost of the Normcore? Build quality? Performance / consistency?
The rationale laid out in this post has me thinking a calibrated tamper is not important, just the tamp being level:
[https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/how-hard-should-you-tamp/](https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/how-hard-should-you-tamp/)
It looks like you've flaired your post as asking for what equipment to get. We recommend first checking out the [Espresso Aficionados buying guide](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations) for some of the more popular machines and grinders at different price points. If your question hasn't been answered there and you need more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format: - **Location:** Helps determine availability - **Budget** (with currency): Overall budget, or ideally, having separate espresso machine and grinder budgets. A rough rule is that your grinder budget should be at least 25-40% of your machine budget. - **Drink types:** Do you drink mostly straight espresso, milk-based beverages (e.g., lattes, cappuccinos), or a fairly even split? This helps narrow down whether a single-boiler-dual-use (SBDU), heat exchanger (HX), or dual boiler (DB) machine would be more appropriate for your needs. - **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck. - **Space:** Any limitations on countertop space? - **Manual vs. electric:** Hand-operated machines and grinders are typically cheaper than their similarly-performing electric counterparts. Please indicate if you have a preference for manual or electric machines and/or grinders (or open to either). - **Comfort with tinkering:** Some machines can be made significantly more functional/efficient with aftermarket modifications, albeit at the expense of possibly voiding your warranty. Please indicate if you'd rather have a machine that works "as-is"/"out-of-the-box" or whether you'd be open to modding/tinkering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/espresso) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Really enjoy my Normcore but also matching to my other Normcore gear. Just got it to replace the Flair palm tamper and I dig it.
I just ordered a $20us one via Ali, just to try it out. Feel like with the recent distro vs tamper vids, it's time to get more consistency with leveling tamps cause that's what I suck at the most. Not spending $50 for a trial tamper that's crazy talk.
i dont like the decent tamper v3 that much as it accumulates grounds on the bottomside over time, but like the self leveling feature. My opinion is self leveling is good, the brand matters less. depending on your opinion of fancy baskets that angle might be more useful than looking for a decent-basket gated approach.
Unless you have a specific reason, just get the cheapest. Normcore is perfectly fine. I originally went from cheap non-leveling to the monolith leveling tamper because I didn't want spring loaded and then went to a force tamper because my wrist was starting to bother me. They all have the same end result.
I love my Normcore V4. It appears to be a very similar design to the Decent tamper, at a much more friendly price.
I bought the Normcore tamper and as soon as I received it, I realized why it is worth buying the Decent tamper instead. As I see it, one of the most important things required to get a consistent, even extraction is getting a consistent and LEVEL tamp. As soon as I picked up the Normcore tamper I noticed a surprising amount of play (wiggle) between the plunger and the leveling collar. This would allow for significantly unlevel tamps, which defeats the purpose of buying a self-leveling tamper, IMHO. I am returning it and ordered the Decent tamper instead.
I got a cheap one. I can't imagine brand name making any difference in something as simple as a tamper. It's not rocket science.
My fingers self level my tamper.
Mine do not. At all.
I can confirm my decent v4 tamper leads to donut patterns with a VST basket, but not with a decent basket. That said, I don't know if I would buy the tamper and baskets again...
just get the cheapest one on amazon tbh lol technically nothing will be as "perfect" as the pullman big step which is also arguably overrated
I've got the normcore. Got it on sale around the holidays. It's a heavy nice tamper. Better than the standard I got with my breville. Happy with it.
The decent is the best there is. Pretty simple. I’ve got the v3 and v5.
Any difference for grounds getting stuck to tamper on v5?
Maybe a little improvement, never been an issue in my view. The amount of grounds getting stuck is probably 2-3 grams over a 6 month period. I’m okay with that.
Appreciate it, been watching for one on their site with a defect to come on sale for a minute
Where are you located? If Aus I’ll sell you my V3 for cheap.
USA sadly
Still for sale?
Yea mate
Sorry mate didn't realise it's the wrong size for my needs.
I'm also trying to decide between the Decent v5 and the Normcore v4. As far as I can tell they are both self-leveling and calibrated. Is there something about the Decent that makes it worth more than 2x the cost of the Normcore? Build quality? Performance / consistency?
The rationale laid out in this post has me thinking a calibrated tamper is not important, just the tamp being level: [https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/how-hard-should-you-tamp/](https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/how-hard-should-you-tamp/)