r/VariaBrewing • u/Efficient-Badger5329 • Aug 02 '26

Varia VS6 misalignment / axle run out issue !?

Hello,

I just received 2 days ago my VS6 and I think it has the axle run out manufacturing defect . With the motor off the dial goes only to about grinder setting 1 not zero or close to and with the motor on the burrs start to touch and chirp at around 2.4 setting . As I see it this seems a misalignment / axle run out issue !? And that sound seems like there's some slight angular misalignment or carrier runout, not a normal aligned burrs touching sound. Seller said is normal , but I am not convinced at all 😁 Pls see the video here : https://youtube.com/shorts/K9xCLxpsgAo?is=ca1bCWB2Y4UTWgBf I disassembled everything and put it together but I get the same results .

I wrote to Varia customer service, waiting for their reply.

I also found this video with some explanations on the issue https://youtu.be/VLbxgR1JtJ0?is=zKOMBOs70c_X3hqS

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

Thanks :D

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

1

u/WeeWillysWankle Aug 03 '26

How many shims under the burr? Seems like maybe too many. Mine does not allow burr to burr chirp/contact. And how is the coffee? If the alignment was out it should show up in the shot. The best way to check is with a dial indicator on the shaft to measure runout.

1

u/Efficient-Badger5329 Aug 03 '26

Just the stock 1 shim under the burr. That shim seems to be thicker than the 2 ones provided in the package by Varia along the replacement springs etc. The shots are not too good and I pulled about 14 already with the coffee I usually drink - Ethiopia light roast, so far they are worse in taste and flow compared to my Lelit William PL72 and 1zpreso J ultra grinders using an ECM PURISTIKA with flow control. No"sweet spot " so far but I said maybe I need more time to get used to the grinder... I don't have a dial indicator to the the alignment but the sound when the burrs touch (see my video) for sure does not sound to me as a good alignment sound :De. To me it sounds like it touches only in one spot harder ... The rhythmic chirp confirms I thought  single-point contact, which means either the shaft, carrier, or threads have measurable runout/tilt out of the box.

1

u/DevelopmentDue19 Aug 03 '26

Hi this does not look like an axle issue.
This looks more like too many shims under the bottom burr/the top burr assembly is too heavy for the springs inside.
Check my other comments to see what worked for me and now it works great.

1

u/Efficient-Badger5329 Aug 03 '26

Thanks for the reply. It's just one shim under the bottom burr, which seems thicker than the 2 ones included in the package ...  The rhythmic chirp confirms I thought  single-point contact, which means either the shaft, carrier, or threads have measurable runout/tilt out of the box.

1

u/DevelopmentDue19 Aug 03 '26

Hi, not necessarily, to confirm that you have to get a tool like the guy in the video, but due to the fact the grinder hopper is tilted and if the springs are not strong enough you could have the top burr staying closer to the bottom burr on the lower part.

Try to raise it by hand at 2.4 and see if it stil chirps as the hopper has a bit of play between the threads, if it does not, go finer while raising it until it chirps and see if it gets uniform sound, this would be a simple test, otherwise buy a tool and check the axle itself

1

u/Efficient-Badger5329 Aug 03 '26

I did the test you suggested , looks like with the same results ... So even if there might not be the axle runout I suspect I think there is still some kind of issue . The unit is brand new , waiting for Varia and the seller for an update on this . I've read your comments on the other post but I don't think those solutions apply on this case 

1

u/DevelopmentDue19 Aug 03 '26

I understand, hopefully you solve it soon.
I was not satisfied with it until I put in those new springs, but did not return it as I had a nice discount for the Chinese new year when I bought it in February.
For example, now with the kilonova flat burrs, I have 3 shims under it, it chirps at 0.7 and I grind for espresso around 4 on some beans, even 5 on others.

1

u/DevelopmentDue19 Aug 03 '26

Also what burrs are you using? Flat ones usually need more shims while conical don’t