ARO Slow Feeder™ (v2) | Wiederaufladbarer Kaffeebohnen-Dosierer mit variabler Geschwindigkeit

Update: Nate saw my early review and fixed everything. Extraordinary after sale service. The new adapter is much shorter than the original and the v2 version addressed all my other issues. Very well done.

Original review: Only had it a couple of days but it stalled on the second cup. Pain in the .. to clear with beans in it. Could have been bad batteries. We'll see. The adapter for my DF83V sits on top of the 2.5" feed funnel so the whole thing is really high. Hopefully they come up with an adapter to replace the funnel instead of sitting on top of it.

The device works, it needs some improvement which as per my understanding ARO espresso is working on a pro version of the slow feeder.
I have purchased the slow feeder with multiple adapters for my 2 grinders, one part initially didn’t fit for some reason.
I have contacted ARO and they were very Patient , Nate followed up with me to resolve my issues, and they have replaced my adapter and the O-Ring with no charge although by shipping 2 items separately to Australia, the adapter now fits perfectly ! And I am happy with the product and the costumer service .
The bellow could be a tad larger so it fits snug into the slow feeder and the magnets could be a bit stronger, but these are just quality of life notes, the product works great.

Where to start... I didn't realize 3D printing could be this intricate or finely detailed. If a CNC machine and a 3D printer had offspring this would be it! For my first step into automated slow feeding I did not intend to spend what would purchase a decent grinder. This looked promising. Was curious about the possibilities of acquiring one for my Olympia Express Moca SD. Took some accurate micrometer measurements with photos and emailed them to Nate on a Tuesday afternoon. Response within a couple of hours. Said he would make 3 prototype adapters of slightly different diameter to determine what would be a good fit. Told me he should have them created and ready to ship by the end of the week. He actually dropped them off to be shipped the next day, had them 3 days later! The first adapter I tried fit like a glove. It thunked firmly in place on the hopper. Since the Moca SD hopper has multiple functions for actuating the grinder, replacing the hopper with a slow feeder isn't really feasible, so it goes on top. The Moca SD has a small footprint, but it is kind of tall. Mine is sitting on top of a knockbox drawer, so even taller. I leave the adapter on the grinder, the slow feeder sitting next to it. I use the slow feeder as a dosing cup on my scale, then click it in place on the hopper and grind away. I've always been reluctant to use RDT unless it's really necessary. With this setup I'm not, and experiencing either no retention or occasionally 0.1g (I think all grinders have some retention, but I think an exchange is happening- a very small amount of grinds are expelled when using the bellows). I'm not enamored with the portafilter fork on the Moca SD. I fabricated a small shelf that allows me to rest a bottomless portafilter or a blind shaker on it. With a dosing funnel on the portafilter, the obviously slow feeding allows me to move the portafilter around and evenly (mostly) distribute the coffee in the basket, so the time invested during grinding cuts down in some puck prep later. After the dose is in the basket I remove the slow feeder from the adapter and place it where it will sit until the next use, at the same time verifying that I turned off the slow feeder. I'm now dialing in settings, speeds and times with different coffees and baskets. Some gadgets and techniques added to your workflow end up having questionable or no positive benefit. The first shot I pulled was clearly different than without, with the shot revealing some new flavors and characteristics (good ones in my opinion!). I don't have a sophisticated palate, I just know what I like. I would like to improve that, but I'm the only one that has to be pleased with my results. I'm 72 and not really interested in becoming an "influencer". However, when someone provides exceptional service and what I consider to be a good product with value that is beneficial to me, I think they deserve credit for it. Everyone has their own opinions regarding coffee and coffee equipment. This is one of mine :-).

I am very happy with the device. Even though it is 3D printed, it is well made. The most important thing is the result in the cup, and it is excellent. The best coffee I have ever had.

I’ve been looking at a lot of reviews on the capability of a slow feeder and what it does to improve your grind size consistency, and I’m pretty convinced this is a major improvement to my workflow, it takes a little extra time to get your grinds through it at a slower pace, however, the consistency and fluffiness of the grinds are incredible. I don’t have much channeling due to this and puck prep.

The ARO Espresso Slow Feeder is a mandatory upgrade and a total game changer. It completely eliminates the "popcorn effect" that leads to muddy-tasting shots, resulting in a much cleaner and more consistent espresso every time.

I used to manual-feed beans to get this result, but this unit automates the process perfectly. I’m getting 10x better flavor with zero hassle. Excellent build quality and the customer support is top-tier (they handled an adapter issue for me immediately). Don't overthink it—this is the best move for your espresso setup. This unit can make even a modest grinder deliver maximum flavor without breaking the bank.

Works great, sleek design.

I use a Weber EG-1 and as much as I hate swapping out the funnel of the original with something else, the slow feeder was a game changer.

The EG-1 is already amazing, but even so, the slow feeder makes a difference. The ARO slow feeder has a sleek design and the color fits the EG-1 perfectly.

A few mild cons which would never stop me from buying ofc.

1. Some times there are a few stragglers, 1 or 2 beans that won't go down without a small push, I feel this happens because of RDT and the materials used. This means I just have to make sure to remove the bellow to check for any and put it back on.

It seems the adapter that does perfectly fit the Weber EG-1. I will attach an image but it doesn't fully convey the feeling in real life. The product works well, but it doesn't seem to sit flush.

Bottom line, I highly recommend this product. I previously had the single dose hopper for my Eureka Specialita and it felt and looked amazing. Most likely all products by this company are good.

After reading about all the different slow feeders on the market, I decided to go with ARO, and I'm so glad I did. I reached out to see if they could make an adapter for the Lagom P100 (not one of the options at that time), and Nate reached out the next day to ask for the needed measurements. He then sent three adapters of different sizes to see which fit best. It's hard to imagine another company could provide better support. The slow feeder has worked exactly as expected, and unlike some 3D printed products I’ve ordered in the past from other companies, this one feels very sturdy and has an excellent surface finish. Soon after ordering, I saw that another company was planning to release a feeder made of metal and glass (for 3x the price of the ARO), but after using the ARO for a month, I definitely made the right choice—the quality is exceptional!

In general I run away form 3D printed stuff, but this product is well made and I stand corrected in my generalization. I love the use of the (powerful) magnets and the separations of the various components.
I use it with a FELLOW OPUS grinder and this slow feeder helps lowering its retention and probably improves the consistency of the grind size. I also use it for my filter coffee which is a bit time consuming for every day use :-) However, I do use the slow feeder adapter lid and the bellow, which I think is more discreet and efficient than the big bellow I was using prior.
I also like the idea that when I upgrade to a more expensive espresso grinder I will be able to contact the ARO team and get a lid for it.
I had contacted the team for an OPUS version which was not on their web selection list. A few days later I had it (coincidence they were getting a grinder to test). Great team support.

I think this mechanism of slow feeding beans will become the standard for grinders in the future, and this device has brought the consistency of the future while freeing me up for 1-2 minutes of time every time i pull a shot that I was spending hand feeding. It does exactly what it says it will do and I have yet to have any issues. I feel it is more than worth the money at this point, assuming it lasts me years.

If I had to nitpick, the magnets could be just a touch stronger so that the tower doesn't separate as easily.

Slow feeding gives a very noticeable improvement in particle size distribution. But who wants to stand over their grinder manually feeding beans one at a time (tried it -- no bueno). Slow feeding immediately shows in the cup with, along with other things, improved clarity. The build quality is surprisingly good. Even the included quick start pamphlet is surprisingly well-written. Nate also provides excellent customer support. My only niggle with the feeder is the fit of the bellows to the hopper is sloppy and could stand improvement.

Beans get stuck & needs batteries. At that price point it should have rechargable usb-c and better build quality. Im sure with more options and competition better brands will come out.

Updating my previous review to four stars because good customer support!

Works as supposed to and great support from the seller

Must have upgrade for Timemore 064S.

Good material and easy to use. The own problem is the vat for France i must pay 31 euros more....

I bought for my p64. It leaves 5-6 beans in the slow feeder and I have to manually flick them into position every shot. Rather annoying. In fact it bothered me so much i ended up just removing it from my grinder

For myself, my decisive criteria was that it should feed the grains at least as well as I do myself. It succeed into that and better. Yet it could do be greatly enhanced :
- stalling should not exist but it will happen with any beans if the ARO is set near or below "1". It is a known problem, part of your faq. Yet, since part of the advantage of the ARO is facilitating the prep, it should be "set and forget". Which lead to my next point...
- the lowest, non-staling setting, slightly above 1, is still too fast for my taste. It delivers 18 into less than a minute. I'd like slower speed, for Turkish coffee or even the finest espresso. I use a filter at the bottom of the basket, which accelerates the extraction quite a bit, and I use a blind shaker which accelerates it further as does slow feeding. In the end, I must grind quite fine if I hope that the puck will offer the needed resistance.
- I got the DF54/DF64 adaptor. On one hand, it necessitates that I remove the anti popcorning insert, with for consequence that it renders the cone shaped inlet of my grinder extremely dirty, instantly, rendering a perfectly low retention grinder not so much it. Your otherwise neat contraption becomes quite counter productive.
On the other hand , the adaptor has barely anything to cling onto, about 2 mm, maybe 2.5. That causes instability, which can only get worse with time. A simple solution would be to fit the adaptor around the inlet ; as such it could reach further, ensuring stability and restoring the popcorning protection. With the later in place, chances are also that the beans will be ground in a more controlled fashion.
I will not activate my satisfaction warranty. I hope that you'll repay my time with a better product some day.
Regards to all,
Jean Montambeault

I wanted to find a better method in feeding coffee beans into my Timemore Sculptor 064S. And the ARO slow feeder seemed like a great option. While I do love the results, there are just a little nitpicks that I have against it.

1. I wish there was an auto-off feature. The Timemore grinder automatically turns off after 60 seconds. And maybe I'm just use to the grinder shutting itself off, I assume that the slow-feeder will as well. Well ... it doesn't shut itself off. And I've already burned through 6 sets of AAA batteries within 2 weeks. So I would advise that if they ever update the product, include the auto-off feature.

2. Include instructions. Maybe it's easy for the maker of this product to know how to install it. And if a person is paying over $100+ for something, have some kind of instructions or manual. But I had to guess my way through the installation process.

Other than that, it does work exactly as expected. I enjoy using it. But as I said, I'm wondering if I need to go buy more AAA batteries.