I’ll be honest — when I first heard about the Comandante Red Clicks, I thought it was one of those accessories that sounds more exciting on paper than it actually is. A different axle and a new grind dial. Forty bucks. Really?
Then I installed them. And I haven’t looked back.
I’ve been using the Comandante Red Clicks on my C40 MK4 every single day — for filter on the V60 and Origami, and for espresso on the Sage Dual Boiler. This article is everything I know: what the Red Clicks actually do, why they matter, how they’ve changed my grind for both brew methods, and whether they’re worth it for you.
1. What Are the Comandante Red Clicks?
The Comandante Red Clicks (also written as “Red Clix”) are an aftermarket upgrade kit for the Comandante C40. The kit consists of two parts: a new stepped axle and a new grind adjustment dial. Together, they replace the stock adjustment mechanism inside the grinder.
The effect is simple and significant: the standard C40 has 12 clicks per full rotation of the grind dial. With the Red Clicks installed, you get 24 clicks per full rotation — exactly double.
This doesn’t change the range of grind sizes the C40 can produce. It changes the precision within that range. Every step you could take before, you can now split in half.
One click standard = two clicks Red. The interval between adjustment steps is cut in half.
2. Why the Standard Click Resolution Isn’t Always Enough
The C40 is extraordinary for filter coffee straight out of the box. For V60 and Origami, 12 clicks per rotation gives you enough range to work with. You’re operating in the 22–30 click zone, and a one-click adjustment moves you by a meaningful but manageable margin.
Espresso is a different story.
The standard C40 has an espresso range from roughly 7 to 12 clicks with around five usable settings. In that narrow window, a single click can swing your shot time by 5–10 seconds. There’s almost no room to split the difference between “slightly underextracted” and “just right.” You’re choosing between five positions and hoping one of them is exactly what this particular coffee needs.
I’ve had mornings where I knew I needed something between 9 and 10 clicks standard, and there was simply no way to get there. The Red Clicks exist precisely to fix that.
3. The Mechanics: What “Double the Clicks” Actually Means
With the standard axle, the adjustment dial advances the burrs by a fixed distance per click. The total range is ~35 clicks. With the Red Clicks axle, the same physical range is divided into twice as many steps:
- Standard click 9 = Red click 18
- Standard click 10 = Red click 20
- What was “between 9 and 10” is now Red click 19
With the Red Clix installed, the espresso range expands to 14–24 clicks with around 10 usable settings — double what you had before. For filter, your V60 sweet spot that used to be “23 clicks” becomes “46 Red clicks,” but you can now also explore 45 or 47 with meaningful precision.
4. My Personal Settings: Filter Coffee
I brew on V60 and Origami, and with the Red Clicks my starting points have shifted significantly:
| Brew Method | Standard Clicks | Red Clicks Equivalent | My Current Sweet Spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| V60 (light roast, washed) | 24 | 48 | 46–50 depending on bean |
| Origami (medium roast) | 26 | 52 | 50–54 |
| AeroPress (filter recipe) | 20 | 40 | 38–42 |
The key thing I’ve noticed: with Red Clicks, I can now chase a slightly finer setting than I used to. For light roast washed coffees on the V60, I often land at 44–46 Red clicks — territory I couldn’t reliably reach before because 22 standard was a hair too coarse and 23 standard was a hair too fine.
5. My Personal Settings: Espresso
This is where the Red Clicks really earn their price.
I pull espresso on a Sage Dual Boiler, grinding with the Comandante C40 MK4 for my manual single-dose workflow. For filter roasts used as espresso, the precision demands are brutal — you can be off by a fraction of a millimeter and your shot goes from 28 seconds to 45 seconds.
My espresso baseline with Red Clicks currently sits around 18–22 Red clicks depending on roast and origin. That corresponds to roughly 9–11 standard clicks — but now I can actually land on 19 or 21 if that’s what a specific coffee needs.
For anyone pulling espresso — especially light roasts — I’d call it close to mandatory.
6. Installation: What to Expect
The installation is easier than you’d think — under 3 minutes the first time, under 90 seconds once you’ve done it once:
- Remove the grinds catcher and set it aside.
- Unscrew the lower body — the adjustment section separates from the burr housing.
- Slide out the stock axle — no force required.
- Insert the Red Clicks axle in its place, making sure it seats correctly.
- Swap the adjustment dial — clicks into position just like the original.
- Reassemble and re-calibrate your zero point before counting up to your recipe.
7. Filter vs. Espresso: Which Benefits More?
For filter coffee, the benefit is refinement. More resolution in a grind range that already works well. If you obsessively dial in your V60 to within half a click, this was made for you.
For espresso, the benefit is transformative. The standard C40 gives you too few settings in the espresso range to reliably dial in a shot. With Red Clicks, the C40 becomes a genuinely serious espresso grinder in a way it simply isn’t without them.
My verdict: the upgrade pays for itself many times over on espresso alone.
8. Is It Worth It?
At roughly €40, the Red Clicks are one of the most cost-effective coffee upgrades I’ve made. No new grinder, no recalibration nightmare, no learning a completely new piece of equipment. Three minutes and you immediately get twice the precision from a grinder you already love.
For filter-only brewers: worth it if you like dialing in precisely. Not urgent if you’re happy with your current workflow.
For espresso brewers: buy it immediately. For anyone switching between filter and espresso (like me): the Red Clicks make the C40 genuinely excellent at both.
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9. Summary Table
| Feature | Standard C40 MK4 | C40 MK4 + Red Clicks |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks per rotation | 12 | 24 |
| Total click range | ~35–40 | ~70–80 |
| Espresso settings | ~5 | ~10 |
| Filter precision | Good | Excellent |
| Espresso precision | Limited | Strong |
| Installation time | — | ~3 min, no tools |
| Upgrade cost | — | ~€40–50 |
10. FAQ
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