Prima Tamper - A tamper with an Angle

Koffee_Kosmo · November 2012

Came across this a little product while ago but with work and such I forgot to post it

The reason I was interested initially is because I actualy had that same idea a few years back
At the time I had an injured wrist when I fractured my scaphoid bone

Here is the link of the story and a video on its use - http://www.dearcoffeeiloveyou.com/prima-tamp/

KK

Brett H · November 2012

Interesting idea. I think that the price is fair given what quality tampers cost but I wouldn't be convinced without trying.

derrilex · November 2012

Geez those Barista's are nancies. Oooh my joints flare up if rains or if its hot, oh my back and shoulders, the pain, the pain. Reminds me of Dr.Smith from lost in space :rofl:

danh · November 2012

derrilex:

my joints flare up if [it] rains or if its hot

My wife, who appears in the video, is under the age of 25 and has severe arthritis. When a person has "flare ups," it's typically because they have some type of arthritic condition. Laugh all you want, it's an absurdly debilitating disease. Please have the decency to refrain from commenting on topics to which you are unfamiliar. Also, consider the fact that you are mocking your own market. If you're going to dis on someone, the very, very least you could do is leave your Tamper Stands out of it. More people than you realize read these forums.

UNM · November 2012

Welcome to crema danh. I confess I am sceptical about the value of this angled tamper. I have always found a regular tamper works well as long as the bench is at a suitable height. True I do not suffer rheumatoid arthritis, but I am unconvinced angling the handle will help when vertical downward force on the puck is required. Also the angled handle would prevent my finishing polish by rotating the tamper. Care to expand upon the design philosophy and usability?

Ronin · November 2012

I'm in the same camp as UNM The pressure is still on the wrist and the same angle regardless of the tamper or handle. My opinion is correct height tamp station, correct posture and a tamp handle that suits your hand (angled or not) is important with any repetition of movement. A handle that goes to the center of your palm can reduce stress on the carpels and transfer it more evenly to the forearm. Correct posture is paramount, 99% of people do not realize this I am not discounting the fact that it may help some

beanflying · November 2012

I spent quite a bit of time with my father over the last few years looking at alternate handles and and making tweaking holding devices of all sorts due to some major ongoing hand issues. Amaloid build up in all the joints of the hands topped off with Arthritis and having had Carpel tunnels done on both wrists (one of them twice). To a fair degree this means he was unable to fully close his hands. I would doubt very much if he could have even gripped this narrow handle let alone use it. The resulting uneven pressure on the base would almost certainly have resulted in a poor tamp. The best result my Dad could get was with a low smaller handled but heavy base conventional tamper which worked in a reasonable fashion. In the end the best solution for him or people in a similar situation would still generally be a fully Auto :doh: or one of the press style tampers but the space taken up on the kitchen bench would be a pain for sure. If this angled Tamper works for some then great but it shouldn't be seen as a panacea for all people with health issues.

Bottom Line · November 2012

After pounding out coffee after coffee at events my back and neck used to get sore. I generally do the shots and the wife does the milk. The issue was the angle of my back when tamping. No issue if you are only doing a few coffees but many.... Problem - my shoulders were not parallel to the bench. Fix was to angle the group handle so the filter basket was no longer parallel to bench but my shoulders were. Won't work with a tamp stand, I use the edge of the bench to put the base of the group handle on (not the spouts).

Ronin · November 2012

on 1354231149:

The issue was the angle of my back when tamping. No issue if you are only doing a few coffees but many.... Problem - my shoulders were not parallel to the bench. Fix was to angle the group handle so the filter basket was no longer parallel to bench but my shoulders were. Won't work with a tamp stand, I use the edge of the bench to put the base of the group handle on (not the spouts).

Glad you realized it was posture related BL, so many things are

shape_shifter · November 2012

I'm wondering how it would go for people with small hands. What I find with other tampers is that even with a smaller than normal handle it's still too long to comfortably fit in my hand. The angle might change the ease at which I can tamp as the handle isn't sticking straight into the palm of my hand.

Bottom Line · November 2012

on 1354231663:

Glad you realised it was posture related BL, so many things are

Very true, so many/most things are.. but not all and not for all. Like Danh, my wife has arthritis. She got when she was only 14. Fortunately she has found a drug that has stop the arthritis (but not reversed). Before she couldn't lift 5kg but now can lift up to 40kg. 3-5 days a year the arthritis flared up were she couldn't really get out of bed. I changed a lot of things around the house like converting door knobs to levers, bigger easier light switches,etc. Also kept all moving parts lubed and freely moving. Things that "jolted" in their movement caused her pain when she operated them. I can see why Danh responded the way he did (rightly or wrongly.... if you wish to judge?). You don't really understand what these things are like until you deal with or see it day in day out. I guess the point I am trying to make is that not all tools are suited to all people. I don't think this tamper will be for me but if it helps or suits someone then I am all for it.

derrilex · November 2012

on 1354221058:

derrilex: My wife, who appears in the video, is under the age of 25 and has severe arthritis. When a person has "flare ups," it's typically because they have some type of arthritic condition. Laugh all you want, it's an absurdly debilitating disease. Please have the decency to refrain from commenting on topics to which you are unfamiliar. Also, consider the fact that you are mocking your own market. If you're going to dis on someone, the very, very least you could do is leave your Tamper Stands out of it. More people than you realize read these forums.

Settle down tiger. It was a joke. If you cant take a joke you are in the wrong place

danh · December 2012

Welcome to crema danh. I confess I am sceptical about the value of this angled tamper. I have always found a regular tamper works well as long as the bench is at a suitable height.

Thanks UNM! I see your point. I would say that having appropriate bench height is quite challenging, not because there is not an ideal height, but because the height of a Barista is different (some times drastically so) in comparison to another. Again, I'm no expert, but I see the adjustable feature as beneficial for variant heights. Just a thought, take it or leave it from someone who knows about this stuff vicariously and superficially!

beanflying · December 2012

Bench ergonomics are an interesting one. Most machines would be better higher than the bench best for tamping. In my case differences between me and the Staff are 12+" so it is a compromise on that front. On Tamper handles similar variations in diameters/heights are important so using one that suits the user or even BYO if your in a commercial setting makes a lot of sense.

primacoffee · December 2012

Glad y'all are talking about this! We're crazy about this tamper and think/hope that you'll come to appreciate it too. Check out this infographic, which should answer some of your questions and explain the actual purpose of the tamper. Our blog says a bit more: Yes, but we'd prefer you say it here

(edited: Brett H) <img src="http://prima-coffee.com/sites/default/files/media/prima-tamp-infographic/prima-tamp-infographic-full.jpg"; alt="Infographic: The Benefits of the Prima Tamp by Prima Coffee Equipment" title="Centered force, Grabbable handle, Natural Form, and a Comfortable Grip make the Prima Tamp unique" width="800" height="1535" />

Koffee_Kosmo · December 2012

A question with the side by side comparison photo Not all people cradle the normal tamper in that way My holding / tamping style differs to the photo where I push the top of the tamper with the palm of the hand and use my fingers as a guide So my wrist to arm line is pretty much the same as the prima tamper KK

UNM · December 2012

My scepticism remains. Not to say it is useless, just that I am not convinced of its value. If I could actually use one, that would help me to check if it worked for me. While there are some things I will happily buy online sight unseen, this ain't one of them. So to the good folks at prima tampers, you may wish to consider local Aussie stockists of your products, such as some of the crema sponsors. Or even send one over for evaluation and review by one or more of our members. Although I would be happy to, at a couple coffees a day, I am probably not the best candidate to really give one a workout. Could suggest someone though.

Brett H · December 2012

Spot on UMN! It looks like a step in the right direction for people with mobility/strength issues and would be so much cheaper than a tamper-stand. Accessibility assistance is a noble thing so keep up the good work Prima!

askthecoffeeguy · December 2012

I'd be happy to demonstrate / bench test it at my cafe We're doing 5 or 6kg of coffee per day during the week and double that on the weekend - which is a fair amount of use for a residential cafe And I always have four or five tampers on site so that I can vary my usage so as to minimise the likelihood of RSI At my last cafe we were doing 1000 coffees per day and I developed a ganglia on my wrist the size of half a golf ball - directly attributable I think to my coffee routine at the time It took a long time to fix my wrist (which I think I've mentioned in previous discussions) but I also did as a consequence a lot of research into how I could vary my coffee making routine so as to have minimal impact upon my body, whilst at the same time producing the best possible extraction, without compromising quality control So I'm pretty well versed in the ergonomics of coffee making, and my routine is very stripped back, but I think most who've tried my coffee would agree that the end result is justified and good! Anyway - I'm happy to put my hand up to be a guinea pig, is all I'm saying I'm also with KK in saying that my tamper action is a more straight up and down movement, with pressure applied to the top, as opposed to the side, of the tamper handle Cheers, aCg

primacoffee · December 2012

Great thoughts, folks. We'd love to send tampers over but for now let's just use our imagination.

We chose that particular tamping technique for the side-by-side because we believe that it's the most effective. It can be difficult to explain, but hear us out. When force is applied to the top of the handle

Kelsey · December 2012

on 1354801012:

Great thoughts, folks. We'd love to send tampers over but for now let's just use our imagination.

Brace yourselves, the snark is coming.

It makes sense on the face of it, but I've found that 'common sense' and observable, repeatable scientific fact are frequently at odds! I suspect you might find it a hard row to convince some of our community without a direct and impartial review from use in a busy cafe or without a decent study. These are a bunch of guys and girls who weigh their doses after all! As someone has already suggested, perhaps when you're ready to start selling it might be worth approaching one of our sponsors as stockists? We can then either get them to do a review or one of our members can give it a whirl in their establishments. It's a truly interesting concept and the diagram made its core concept look sound.

UNM · December 2012

indeed Kelsey. I used my imagination already. I imagine it won't do anything for me, but will happily reevaluate if I get a chance to use one. I haven't really thought about my tamping technique for ages (like I don't really focus on breathing or walking), but will pay attention when preparing this mornings shots.

RichardM · December 2012

Out of interest, what bench height do most cafes use? Images of straight up and down/high elbow just make me think my bench is too high in my kitchen, or I'm just too short. To twist my arm to be straight up and down puts immense pressure on my shoulder in a very awkward way.

Kelsey · December 2012

on 1354826258:

indeed Kelsey. I used my imagination already. I imagine it won't do anything for me, but will happily reevaluate if I get a chance to use one. I haven't really thought about my tamping technique for ages (like I don't really focus on breathing or walking), but will pay attention when preparing this mornings shots.

I did exactly that this morning and can confirm that I have a severe case of InternetDiagnosisItis. Anything I read about online I contract. I could swear I felt the tell-tale twinge of RSI as I made one of my many (3 - 5) coffees a day.

UNM · December 2012

on 1354826348:

Out of interest, what bench height do most cafes use? Images of straight up and down/high elbow just make me think my bench is too high in my kitchen, or I'm just too short. To twist my arm to be straight up and down puts immense pressure on my shoulder in a very awkward way.

/*inserts tongue in cheek */ You are too short. Platform shoes required. I have a useful hinge part way up my arm. I call it 'elbow'. This allows me to maintain correct posture when tamping. /* extracts tongue */ Checked my tamping. Ball of tamper handle in palm of hand. Thumb more or less vertical with top of thumb resting on top edge of tamper base. Index finger crooked slightly and lined up at opposite side of tamper base. Pressure applied with palm of hand. Fingers used to test for level.

Kelsey · December 2012

That's pretty much the way I do it also.

Brett H · December 2012

I actually had the bench at the back of my kitchen installed at the correct height for tamping and espresso machine usability. I'm not hardcore enough yet to weigh my shots :P Welcome to Australia Primacoffee... We judge the product on its merits and not its brand or on-paper promises.

frame

Howdy, Stranger!

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Prima Tamper - A tamper with an Angle

Comments

foot

Policies

Social

frame

Howdy, Stranger!

Howdy, Stranger!

Quick Links

Categories

In this Discussion

Prima Tamper - A tamper with an Angle

Comments

foot

Policies

Social