Chocolate Tempering Machines

[mrose]

Used machine on Ebay for $900.

Revolation X

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

I know all of you who own the 3210 really seem to like it, and since I don’t have one--and have never used it--I can’t really comment on it. I do own a Rev2--which I bought when I first started working with chocolate--to ‘get my feet wet’ and it served me well. But I outgrew it very quickly. And, it had some design features I didn’t really like--which its bigger sibling shared--so while I considered the 3210, I ultimately decided against it.

If you can bear, I’ll quickly and quietly make my pitch for the Mol d’Art, and then not hijack this thread any further. And I don’t really offer many of these comparisons in opposition to the 3210 specifically (although some are)…just a different perspective on a different way to go.

One of the things I like best about this machine is I can dump my molds directly back into the unit as I work. I do not have to dump my molds onto a separate work surface then scrape the chocolate back into the tempering unit. For me, I see two advantages. First, it’s much more time efficient, which is incredibly important when you’re talking volume. And second, I don’t worry about the potential of the chocolate having cooled off too much to risk throwing my chocolate out of temper.

I also like that I am in complete control of every aspect of the tempering process, from temperature, to amount of seed, to agitation. Yes, it is more work, but well tempered chocolate is as much about the look and feel of your chocolate as anything else. Every day is different, and as we all know chocolate behaves differently every day. One of my biggest complaints about my Rev2 is what it calls ‘tempered chocolate’ is not what I would call well tempered chocolate on many occasions. I like the control I get with the Mol d’Art. And the heating elements in the Mol d’Art are unbelievable. They respond on a dime, are incredibly even and react in very small increments.

I can also dip my chocolates directly into the unit without having to remove chocolate to a separate bowl. (I will remove chocolate if what I’m dipping is likely to leave ‘residue’ in my chocolate.) Again, this is time saving, but I also don’t have to be concerned about keeping a side bowl of chocolate in temper.

I can store my chocolate directly in the pan (unless it’s going to be for long periods of time), the Mol d’Art is completely silent (something I treasure, particularly after the incredible noise factor of the Rev2), and it’s very cost effective.

Just my $.02.

[Kerry Beal]

I also have a mol d'art, the 6 kg size. I don't often use it because I usually do much smaller batches than it holds. But at easter time for the 36 inch bunny you need a bit more chocolate than you can temper in a 8 cup pyrex.

It is a beautiful melter. As WTG noted it is perfectly quiet, heats up and cools down quickly and accurately.

The ability to dump the molds directly was why I bought this size rather than the 3 kg.

I did test out a great little soup kettle that the folks at my local restaurant supply told me that the company was making claims that it could hold low temperatures well. They brought me one in and I played with it for a couple of weeks. It held a single temperature beautifully once you adjusted the dial and marked it, however if you changed the temperature it cut out. So it turned out to be useless for tempering. If you just wanted to hold chocolate at a set low temp before tabling it though, it would be perfect at a cost of around $300 Cdn as I recall. After that I blew the extra bucks on the mol d'art.

Bought it from Qzina.

[choux]

I just got my 6kg Mol d'Art this week and I am totally loving it. No more bain marie for me! One question I have though, why does the thermostat go down to 5* C? If I turn it there does it cool the chocolate? What is it for?

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

I just got my 6kg Mol d'Art this week and I am totally loving it. No more bain marie for me! One question I have though, why does the thermostat go down to 5* C? If I turn it there does it cool the chocolate? What is it for?

←

Good question choux. I've never really turned the unit below working temperature.

[stscam]

How much do the Mol d'Art machines cost? I found a 50kg on their website, but no mention of a small melter/temperer with a wheel. What's the best source for them?

Or are we all talking about the melting pans? Now I'm confused.

Cheers,

Steve

Edited June 24, 2006 by stscam (log)

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

How much do the Mol d'Art machines cost? I found a 50kg on their website, but no mention of a small melter/temperer with a wheel. What's the best source for them?

Or are we all talking about the melting pans? Now I'm confused.

Cheers,

Steve

←

Steve,

The 6kg units (along with the 3, 12 and 24kg units) are not 'tempering' units with a wheel. They are melters where you hand seed and hand agitate your chocolate in order to temper it. This means that you must continue to agitate your chocolate and adjust the temperature as you work to keep it in temper, so it is a bit more work than a tempering unit with a wheel. For those that like the Mol d'Art, this is no big deal. You're working anyway, so stirring your chocolate is something you're naturally going to do.

They cost about $675 and you can purchase them from Qzina or from Technobake for about the same price (although S/H may be different...I don't know). I bought my 6kg unit from Qzina and happened to luck into a deal. They had a "used" unit (used once) so I got a $100 discount.

[tmgrobyn]

I have the ACMC machine and have used it for five seasons now. I like it, it's simple to use and as long as you pay attention to your volume used and keep it loaded it can run all day keeping chocolate tempered and dipping whatever you need.

I use a blend of Peter's Newport (10 lbers) and Scharffenberger (1 oz).

[Desiderio]

I have been looking at the Moldart metling units, the 6 kn seams the best option, I like the fact that is rectangular shaped so I can turn my molds in it .

I have seen them in different sites and ebay , wich has the lowest price,any suggestions?

Thank you

[Kerry Beal]

Vanessa,

I bought mine from Qzina, can't recall right now what I paid, but there was no shipping cost attached because I picked it up. It would be worth checking their price.

I have been looking at the Moldart metling units, the 6 kn  seams the best option, I like the fact that is rectangular shaped so I can turn my molds in it .

I have seen them in different sites and ebay , wich has the lowest price,any suggestions?

Thank you

←

Edited July 19, 2006 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Desiderio]

Vanessa,

I bought mine from Qzina, can't recall right now what I paid, but there was no shipping cost  attached because I picked it up.  It would be worth checking their price.

I have been looking at the Moldart metling units, the 6 kn  seams the best option, I like the fact that is rectangular shaped so I can turn my molds in it .

I have seen them in different sites and ebay , wich has the lowest price,any suggestions?

Thank you

←

←

Great , thank you Kerry.

[ChristopherMichael]

Ok. After waiting 2 months for Chocovision to get in a refurbished X3210 machine, which was suppose to be in two weeks after my inquiry, it never came in. So I ended up biting the bullet and ordered a new one. But unfortionately after paying for the machine they informed me they didn't have any in stock and it would be 3 weeks before I get one. This blows my mind that a manufacturer doesn't stock the product they manufacture. Anyway, long story short, I cancelled my order. Sorry for my rant.

Anyway, I'm going to buy a melter from Mol D'Art. My questions for you all is has anyone ever bought from them? They don't take credit cards, so I have to wire the money. Are they easy to deal with? Please let me know any experiences, because I want to place my order in the next couple days.

Thanks in advace.

[aguynamedrobert]

This might not help you any but here is my opinion....

Chocovision is a horrible company. I used 2 of their tempering machines in a chocolate shop I worked in and they both broke multiple times. I only hear bad things about that company and I can only say the same. They are not well built at all. So you probably actually got off lucky that they are disorganized as well.

-Robert

www.chocolateguild.com

[mrose]

I agree that they should have their machines in stock. \

I have used the X3210 machine for over a year and have been very satisfied with it. Everytime I have dealt with customer service they have been extremely helpful.

[jturn00]

I have two machines. A small rev 2 and a x3210. I use them mostly as a hobbyist but have had no problems. I bought my machines from select appliance which was cheaper than chocovision (and no tax as I it was being bought from another state).

[Art]

I too have a Chocovision X-series that I regularly use. I've been very happy with it. It tempers consistantly and accurately. Of course, there are a few quirks that you have to work out to find what works best for you.

This is always the case BTW as each brand is going to be different and more than likely, each individual machine is going to be slightly different since electronic temperature controls are extremely hard to manufacture accurately. What most people don't know is that most electronic temperature controls have an accuracy of +/- several degrees and if you want more accurate then it costs big $$$ even wholesale. Generally however, the temperature curve is repeatable so once a machine is dialed in and you know how it behaves, then you are set. (I don't know either way the accuracy of the temperature probe in ChocoVision's machines but I do know what settings give me the best temper and that is good enough for me.)

I've found ChocoVisions customer service to be more than satisfactory. I'm sorry Robert didn't have a good experience with them, I can only speak for my experience and that it has been very good.

-Art

[ChristopherMichael]

Thanks everyone for their posts. I was actually looking for experiences with Mol D'Art, because I have decided against Chocovision due to their lack of progress getting me a machine. I did talk to Mol D'Art today and they're shipping my machines DHL and I will get them in 3 days from Belgium, which I would get weeks before Chocovision. It blows my mind that a company in Belgium can get me a product weeks before a company in the USA can. I'm also getting molds from them cheaper and faster than Tomric can get them, which are the exact same mold. Anyway, thanks again everyone for their post.

[cocoa-lulu]

Well, I could post a rant a mile long about the Chocovision RevX. But Chocvision is in possession of my machine, In fact it has been sent back and forth to the company six times since July. If I stand any chance of ever seeing my machine by December 25th, I should probably watch what I say.

Let us know how you like the Mold 'd art.

[escry]

Wybaux praises Mol D'Art in his book "Fine Chocolates Great Experience" and in his recent demonstration attended by Kerry Beal: see post #11 of this recent eGullet thread.

[choux]

I have a mol d'art but I bought it from Qzina, so I don't have any advice about buying from them directly. I do love my melter, it holds temper for a long time. I have the 6kg one. You will have to experiment with it, I find my thermostat is a little picky. To hold chocolate, I leave it at 34-35, any hotter and it seems to be way too hot, and any lower and it gets cold fast. I'm trying to say that mine has a narrow point where I find it workable, and the temp is higher than what I thought it would be. I think every thermostat will have its own sweet spot and you'll have to find yours.

[Trishiad]

While I understand that you are looking for feedback on the moldart, one can't say bad things about a company and not expect to hear the opions of others. Some of us have a good relationship with Chocovision and might feel the need to defend them here.

I have 3 of their machines. I give them a good workout. Sometimes, they break. Customer service has always been outstanding for me. Ian and his team are super nice and always fix me up quickly. they even do things for free long after warranties have expired.

That said, the Moldart machine is completely different and may suit you even better. It's important to find the companies that meet your needs. Once you have found them, it's nice to be loyal.

Shayna at Tomric is pretty great too. For me, cheaper is not always the answer.

[David J.]

I have a mol d'art but I bought it from Qzina, so I don't have any advice about buying from them directly. I do love my melter, it holds temper for a long time. I have the 6kg one. You will have to experiment with it, I find my thermostat is a little picky. To hold chocolate, I leave it at 34-35, any hotter and it seems to be way too hot, and any lower and it gets cold fast. I'm trying to say that mine has a narrow point where I find it workable, and the temp is higher than what I thought it would be. I think every thermostat will have its own sweet spot and you'll have to find yours.

←

Jean-Pierre Wybauw used the 12kg melters at the three day advanced chocolate class I took in Chicago last week (full trip report to follow in a couple days). He stated that you need to learn where the thermostat should be set for each individual melter as they will all be a bit different, and not to worry if it appears to be "off" what it should be.

He tweaked the thermostat in half degree increments to dial in the proper setting for each of the melters, saying that he turns it just until the heating light comes on and checks the result.

Additionally you need to stir it occasionally as chocolate is a good insulator and the top will cool off with the bottom of the pan still at the set temperature. He stated that the chocolate will slowly thicken anyway if left at the "proper" temperature because the crystals will propogate. He occasionally hit it with a heat gun to melt out some of the excess crystals. He said you could also raise the temp by a half degree at a time to keep the excess crystals in check, or add untempered melted chocolate.

Using this method he kept three melters in temper for the seven hour day with very little work. The initial tempering via the seeding method went very quickly as well. All that has convinced me to go the Mol D'art melter route myself. I have a Chocovision Rev2 which works fine, but is far too small for the kind of work I would like to do. My next problem is to determine how many melters I need...

[alanamoana]

...My next problem is to determine how many melters I need...

←

why, you need one for each kind of chocolate you're tempering!

they're a bit expensive. may be off topic, but i'm wondering if you can get good used melters...

[ChristopherMichael]

Shayna at Tomric is pretty great too.  For me, cheaper is not always the answer.

←

I haven't said anything negative about Tomric. I was just stating that I'm going to buy some molds from Mol D'Art, which is the supplier for Tomric's european molds, and the positive aspect is that they're cheaper and much, much more quicker. I know that there are a lot of people here that don't mind waiting for merchandise, weeks at a time, but I'm the opposite. In my opinion, if you sell a product you should always supply them in a timely manner and if you cannot, then you have no business being in business. If a customer came into my store and wanted to buy merchandise and I didn't stock what they wanted, they would go elsewhere and I would be out of business. So if that's the case, why should I tolerate a supplier taking their time getting me what I want. I'm ranting again, so I need to stop. Anyway, nothing against Tomric per se. I would buy somethings from them, but I would never wait 2-3 weeks for others when I can get them in a matter of days, not weeks and the added bonus, cheaper. Again, sorry for my rant.

[ChristopherMichael]

...My next problem is to determine how many melters I need...

←

why, you need one for each kind of chocolate you're tempering!

they're a bit expensive. may be off topic, but i'm wondering if you can get good used melters...

←

They're actually not that bad if you buy them directly from Mol D'Art. Its costing me 600 euro, which is $769 US, for both a 3kg and a 6kg melter, plus shipping, about $150.