It’s great having the parts available to repair an older machine, and even better having responsive and knowledgeable tech service providers and instructional videos to help with the diagnostics and installation of those parts.

I *really* appreciate that Gene Cafe stocks parts and helps you diagnose and fix problems. So few companies stock parts, maybe hoping you’ll just buy a new product. I’m even more impressed that they stock heating elements for their older roasters.
The videos to install the new roaster were just what I needed. One tip: it’s easy to damage the small plastic motor gear. If I had it to do over, I might’ve purchased a new one when I bought the heating element.

My heater was not getting to temperature anymore after years of roasting. Replaced the heater and back to new performance

My roaster was bought in 2008 and was unable to get over 400. The video was great for seeing how to change the heating element. Now it roasts like new.

I've been regularly using my Gene Cafe for over 9 years. I roast about 100 batches a year and it's worked perfectly. Recently, it couldn't reach my preferred roasting temperature of 438 degrees. Fortunately, I had just completed a batch that would keep me drinking my fresh roasted coffee for about three weeks. I contacted Gene Cafe support and they diagnosed the problem as a heater failure. Right they were! I immediately ordered a new one. It arrived promptly and I installed it pronto. It now works perfectly. Gene Cafe is a great company to business with. The CBR-101 is the best roaster on the market and my "coffee life" would not be the same without it!

One suggestion. When dismantling the unit I would strongly recommend that you keep track of the precise original location of any screws you remove - which are many. There are about 15 screws you need to remove in the process. All but 2 of them are the same gauge and type but of several different lengths. I was of the mindset that "Oh, I can remember where they go...". Long story short I couldn't. So, there was a little more time consumed than necessary in finding which screw went where.