WDT V3

As a beginner, I was looking for tools to help me pull better shots (just bought an Espresso machine for the first time). This WDT works great, feels premium, and has helped me with my portafilter prep. Do you need one this expensive? No. Is it well-designed and premium? Yes. I love it- it's easy to use and fits my machine's design perfectly. The Good: Instant Improvement: The 9 thin needles break up the tightest clumps easily, resulting in a perfectly fluffy bed of grounds. Reduced Channeling: Since using this, my bottomless portafilter shots are much cleaner with far less "spraying." High-End Build: The handle has a great weight and hand feel, matching our other premium kitchen gadgets perfectly. Protective Stand: The weighted base keeps the needles safe and off the counter when not in use. The Not-So-Good: Delicate Needles: Because they are only 0.3mm thin, they can bend if you’re too aggressive or drop the tool. I'll report back after a few months of use. Cost: It's expensive, and much cheaper ones will likely do just as good of a job. Pro Tips: Replacement Ready: The kit usually includes extra needles, which is a life-saver if one eventually gets bent during a hectic morning. Pair it with a dosing funnel and a weighted tamper!

Very nicely made WDT tool. The weight of the stand keeps the tool securely in place when not in use and is steady, and the tool fits easily into the stand. The needles are easy to insert, and there is no unscrewing or tightening of the tool necessary with the v3. I used it for the first time today, pulling multiple shots and distributing the grounds with the tool using the .25mm needles. Does an excellent job and feels very balanced and easy to hold. Totally necessary? Maybe not. But I did notice a difference in how my shots flowed. A bit more balanced.

This item is very high-quality. I am a huge fan of this brand. It has a good weight. The stand is magnetic. Normcore provide two different size needle and extras of each. Install was easy, and the item is great value for the price. Seems sturdy as well.

To be honest, the main reason I bought this despite already having a WDT tool is that it just looked awesome with its walnut handle, plus it had a nice price drop for Prime Days. I do have to say that setting it up was a bit of a pain... and then some. I think it's because the bottom bracket that the needles are supposed to just slot right into, at least on mine, seemed to be just a touch off center. So while most of the needles could be very easily inserted, two or three of the slots were close enough to the inner edge of the handle to where the needles had trouble going in smoothly. It took some patience to get them all in without bending them. Also, it wasn't the particular needles themselves. The same needles I was having trouble with slotted easily into the other positions, and the needles I'd already easily slotted into other spots had trouble going into the few problematic slots. All of the needles, including the ones that went in like butter, were held very securely once seated. If I could dock a quarter or half star for this, I would. I don't think it warrants docking a full star out of five, though, so I'm not going to do that. Just something I feel should be called out, and hopefully Normcore can address this for future buyers with a little bit more care in their manufacturing or QC process. When I placed my order, I was a little concerned that this WDT tool might not work well with the relatively small 45.5mm basket my Flair Pro 3 has, since it's obvious that the bulk of espresso tools out there are aimed at those with full sized 58mm baskets. However, it works perfectly. Near as I can measure, the diameter of the spread at the ends of the needles is 30mm. I do feel like this is a measurement that Normcore should state in the product description, to help buyers make a fully informed decision. Getting down to the tool in actual use, this actually worked wonders for my shots. I already had a retractable WDT tool that I felt did a decent job, so as already stated, the main reason for picking this one up was mostly for dressing up my espresso setup. But also partly to have something that does a better job of sitting solidly upright on my coffee work area, which my retractable WDT tool with its weighty but still too slim base really didn't do a great job at. So I was pleasantly surprised when, without changing my technique at all, the first shot I made using this Normcore WDT tool pulled considerably better than probably any of my shots had been pulling to date. I'd noticed a bit of channeling quite often in the past and just chalked it up to my beans, my grind, or my WDT or tamping technique. I've pulled three shots since unpacking and assembling this Normcore tool today, and my channeling problem has simply disappeared. This, BTW, was using beans from the exact same batch I'd used just before my new Normcore arrived, same grinder and same grind setting. And my shots definitely turned out looking AND tasting better with the Normcore. (Which is the main reason why I can't dock this a star for the difficulty in getting all the needles properly seated. Because here's what really matters, isn't it?) A couple final measurements for those who might care. I weighed the base and the WDT tool itself. The metal base is nice and hefty at 79.9g. It has a rubber-like pad on the bottom which does a great job at gripping whatever surfaces I set it on for testing -- wood, glass, and my veneered MDF coffee setup work surface. It also has a similar sleeve over the metal right at the top to help grip the docked WDT tool without scratching it. The WDT tool itself weighed in at 27.5g, after 9 of the 0.3mm needles were inserted. Totally recommend picking this WDT tool up!

This was for me an upgrade from their older version V2.1. The older version is truly an awesome WDT tool but had one major drawback: the needles were not fixed to the handle and at times they would get caught in the tiny holes of my portafilter basket and become detached from the rest of the handle (sometimes they break too but this is something to be expected). They are nearly impossible to find due to their tiny size. This newer V3 is advertised as having an unscrewable top/handle that allows you to fix the needles to the handle/body making it impossible for the needles to fall off the handle. However, the V3 WDT I have received from Normcore does not unscrew from the top and the needles can't be fixed to the handle, making the tool prone to the same issues as the older version. I should point out that I went for the walnut version of the V3 WDT tool and there's a chance that's the reason why you can't unscrew it from the top. This was truly disappointing to discover when I first received the tool. Despite all of this, it is still a top notch tool and I am keeping it, but if you want to save yourself $10 and still get a decent WDT, get the older V2.1 version that comes with 9 spare/replacement needles.

This tool has high quality craftsmanship and is well designed. It does an outstanding job of removing air pockets and clumps within the portafilter basket. Highly recommended by James Hoffmann on YouTube.

This WDT tool works great and has really improved my espresso shots. I was originally worried about the needles being too thick and just pushing the grounds around, but they are actually the perfect size for breaking up clumps without making a mess. The build quality is excellent, too. The base is heavy and solid, so it doesn't tip over on the counter, and the whole tool feels like a premium piece of kit. Simple, effective, and well-made.

Had the espresso machine. Then had to get the hand press. Still could not make a good cup. Until this showed up. It’s great! Works as described. Must have! If you are using a at home espresso machine! Thanks!!! Now I get perfectly shot every time.

Mix away.

رائع جدا

tres bon WDT c'est Normcore, pas déçu

Excelente todo, producto, tiempo de llegada calidad

Ci sono 915820104710 milioni di accessori per fare l’espresso… Il WDT a mio avviso è fondamentale, in tazza si sente un’enorme differenza quando lo si usa e quando non - provare per credere. Il fondello permette di appenderlo ad un magnete per tenere tutto in ordine, dopo mesi di utilizzo è ancora come nuovo