Normcore 58.5mm Coffee Tamper V4.1 with Click Sound Feedback, Espresso Barista Hand Tamper, Spring Loaded Tamper With Flat Base, Anodized Aluminum Handle, Compatible with 58mm Espresso Machine, Silver

I was not thrilled to pay $50+ for a tamper. But it is the quality you'd expect from this brand. The tamper is ergonomic, self-levels as advertised (fits over your portafilter, so it's always the same angle as your portafilter), made of high quality materials (aluminum and stainless steel), and feels nice to use (feels solid and heavy). Additionally, this version does click when depressed to the full weight of the spring, so you get a consistent tamp. It also comes with a little silicon cup to rest the tamper on so it doesn't just sit directly on your counter. It also does fit correctly on the 51mm Delonghi portafilters (with unpressurized basket) - pretty tight tolerance, doesn't leave a little wall of coffee grounds on the side of the basket.Honestly, although this was very expensive, I think it is worth the money. There is no reason to cheap out - this WILL work well. It is extremely consistent. You'll use it every day. My puck prep was much improved.

I am new to the world of espresso and was having issues dialing in my "pull". I tried this for the first time today and it worked great! My shot of espresso was perfect on my Breville Bambino Plus

The media could not be loaded. This tamper is well worth it, as it simplifies one of the most difficult parts of the process and will make your shots extremely consistent. The best part about this tamper is the fact that it is self leveling. The consistent force via the "click" is a plus but nowhere near as important as the self leveling aspect. My tamps come out perfectly level and with the same headspace every time.The tamper is large, heavy, and well built. And comfortable to use even with the heaviest spring. I switched to the heaviest spring immediately. For those who aren't mechanically inclined I'd recommend just use the 25lb spring. There is going to be little difference between 25-30lbs. A consistent tamp is much more important and this delivers regardless of the spring strength

This is a great little spring loaded tamper from Normcore. It lets you know you've reached the desired level of pressure in two ways: it bottoms out, and makes a clicking sound. I do have two other Normcore V4.1 tampers, and one of the nice features to these are that the base plates are compatible, so you can swap them out between tampers. These tampers come with a wide range of options in materials, and it's nice to see that they've added auditory feedback to the feature set with this model.I'm on the fence as to whether the clicking feature Normcore has added to the V4.1 design actually enhances the experience, or takes away from it. Unfortunately, the clicking sound is a little less "satisfying" than I had hoped. It's just not a very pleasing sound, and is rather scratchy. Now this might sound a bit silly, but I do have one other click feedback tamper, from MHW-3BOMBER, which has a really awesome click noise that is so satisfying, I find myself fighting the urge to tamp twice. So, that was a bit disappointing. Another issue is that I feel that whatever changes they've needed to make to add the click feedback to the V4.1 design, makes the tactile action much less "smooth" and rather gritty. Since the sound isn't pleasant, and the tactile feedback alone worked perfectly well, and possibly even better beforehand, I don't see a logical or aesthetic reason to prefer this to silence. For now, I could take the click feedback, or leave it. This is my entirely subjective opinion, and I understand others might feel differently. I'd definitely be interested in testing it out again in V4.2 to see if it has improved.The combination of materials and options chosen for this particular tamper make for an exceptionally sturdy tool, that is likely to last you a very long time. The baseplate is made from uncoated stainless steel, which I like because there isn't a coating to worry about scratching. I do find that coffee grinds stick to it more easily than the PVD-coated plates that Normcore offers, but that was to be expected. Although I prefer ripple bases for aesthetic and functional purposes, flat base plates are less susceptible to damage, which means you can be a little less careful where to set this down for storage. The black-enamelled, matte-finished, stainless steel handle is quite robust, well-balanced, and immune to water damage. Although I love the look of the hardwood handles, I've already found that one of the others I own has begun to crack near the base after only a month. (despite extreme care and being kept far from water - could it be from pressure? it is hard to know...)However, you may find that you get different results with the different surfaces, and it's nice to have options. As with all of Normcore's V4.1 tampers, many of the parts are interchangeable, and you can mix and match to come up with the combinations you most prefer. I will definitely enjoy swapping these out and testing out all the possibilities. That said, if I could only have one tamper, I would probably lean towards something similar to this setup. It's low fuss, less worry. That said, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Normcore V4.1 tampers. They are all quite good, and are consistently ranked as some of the best spring-loaded tampers on the market.In sum, this is a super solid tamper that will help you pull consistently excellent shots, similar to the functioning you will get with all the other Normcore V4.1 tampers. You really can't go wrong with it, and I'd highly recommend it for anyone looking to upgrade to a spring-loaded tamper if you absolutely must have auditory feedback on your spring loaded tamper. However, I'd also recommend looking into the other tampers in this excellent line.

Nicely made tamper. Fits well and looks good. My only complaint is that it feels like the handle is all wood, so it's pretty light. It'd be nice to have a metal core, with a wood cover, resulting in better heft and hand feel.