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A Modernist Coffee Grinder Designed with Obsessive Attention to UX

The Wirsh Geimori GU Series

By Rain Noe - November 20

in UX | Crowdfunding | Food

As a (lapsed) industrial designer, this object is fascinating to me, in the same way certain EDC objects are. This Geimori GU Series coffee grinder, by a Chinese startup called Wirsh, has been designed with both modernist looks and an obsessive attention to UX.

Targeted at true coffee nerds, the machine promises to grind beans with repeatable precision and accuracy, without scattering any of the grinds during the transfer process, and is easy to clean. Take a look at its operation:

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It comes in two variants, the GU64 and the GU78, with the numbers referring to the diameter fo the grinder. Running $300 and $600, respectively, they've been successfully Kickstarted with nearly $150K in pledges at press time, with 7 days left to pledge.

Part of me does miss the early days of Kickstarter, when individual design entrepreneurs were trying to get their stuff out there. This project follows the pattern we've seen from a lot of (presumably deep-pocketed, possibly state-backed?) Chinese manufacturers, which is to first flood the Western influencer market with free samples, having them build up buzz with their YouTube channels, then kicking off the campaign. Seems to work every time.

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Comments

Tim Rutledge

29 days ago

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There are many grinders out there with far better UX design. For example, the grind settings on the front are meaningless and unintuitive - a higher number means a coarser grind, why not have a pictorial description or just the particle size. The speed adjustment would be hard to reach out the back. Other features have been around for a long time on other grinders - the anti-static feature and the 'thwacker' to get the last bits out. Check out the Fellow Ode.

The concept of the integrated lid/water sprayer is novel but I wonder about the effects of spraying directly into the grinder rather than just spritzing the beans... rust...

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David Beck

a month ago

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What percentage of the consumer population only wants a single shot? Why not direct into a portafilter? Misses the mark for me to switch grinders, but I wonder who else they are leaving off the table.

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Alan Nomoto

a month ago

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Nice design & functionality like ease of changing the burrs. Many of these offerings can be disappointing when you pick up the finished product to find it some flimsy plastic. I have to chuckle that they go to great lengths to hide the origins of this Chinese product. Not a hint. You'd think it came from Germany or Denmark. Not a fan if that.

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