wide_palate Senior Member Joined: 3 Sep 2012 Posts: 6 Location: IN Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Sep 3, 2012, 3:31pm Subject: Looking for cheap manual grinders,what ones are good?
I'm looking for a manual conical burr grinder.I just use a drip,no espresso or press. bodum venice-Idk much about it. Hario Skerton,Kyocera CM-50-They are twins mostly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEah0PP_SWc Basically they are good for fine grind,but need a $10 kit for coarse.But then you're stuck with course if you use the kit. Hario MSS-1B Mini Mill Slim.Seems to adjust better but container is smaller & plastic. Click Here (www.amazon.com) I seen a few electrics in the $50 range,but read they are loud as a blender,simple burr,& can heatup beans while grinding.
oktyone Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2012 Posts: 26 Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Sep 3, 2012, 6:05pm Subject: Re: Looking for cheap manual grinders,what ones are good?
All three work best for drip, so you should be fine. Also consider the Hario Canister C, it's around 50$ i think, works just like a skerton, but has some nice design features and it's built a bit better.
wide_palate Senior Member Joined: 3 Sep 2012 Posts: 6 Location: IN Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Sep 3, 2012, 6:37pm Subject: Re: Looking for cheap manual grinders,what ones are good?
Click Here (fashionable-savings.com) Looks solid.I wonder if this store has good rep.I thought maybe the Hario Skerton & Kyocera CM-50 might grind to fine for drip,but also heard the grind would have to be turkish to clog in a drip.Does the Hario Canister C lose consistency as you adjust the burrs further away just like the Hario Skerton & Kyocera CM-50?
Posted Tue Sep 4, 2012, 10:23am Subject: Re: Looking for cheap manual grinders,what ones are good?
You could also purchase an old box mill off of ebay. That would suit your drip needs and they look awfully good on the counter. The camano hand grinder is another to keep your eye on as it is around $50 I believe.
emradguy Senior Member Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Posts: 1,693 Location: Houston Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Izzo Alex Duetto II Grinder: MacapM4T, Macap M4, OE Lido,... Drip: Espro press; Aeropress Roaster: internet
Posted Tue Sep 4, 2012, 12:39pm Subject: Re: Looking for cheap manual grinders,what ones are good?
If you're willing to drop $165, the OE Lido is really nice. I just picked one up last week and have been playing with it. I have nothing to compare it to, as it's my first hand grinder, but there are a lot of posts from experienced hand grinder users on HB.
oktyone Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2012 Posts: 26 Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Sep 4, 2012, 7:07pm Subject: Re: Looking for cheap manual grinders,what ones are good?
Yes the burr set up is almost the same as the Hario Skerton, i don't have one to compare it to, but it's probably the same parts, yes you do lose consistency as you coarsen the grind, a common issue with most hand grinders, but why would you need a coarse grind if you won't be doing any press? even so, the coarse grind is not THAT bad, you can still brew tasty french press cups with it, you'll probably have a bit more sludge, but not necessarily more bitterness or bad taste.
BTW having a grinder set specifically for a preferred grind size is not necessarily a bad thing, as you would if you decided to mod the Skerton, you'll find that constantly adjusting the coarseness is a pain in the ass, specially if you already had one nailed down to perfection and producing amazing cups.. If good coarse grinding is crucial, i sugest to try nailing down a good french Peugeot mill.
In my opinion 165$ is too much for a hand grinder, i respect a lot what OE has been doing, and he probably charges that for a reason, but for that price i'd rather buy a decent Baratza, hand grinding stops being fun after a while anyway, specially when in a hurry or making more than one cup.
emradguy Senior Member Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Posts: 1,693 Location: Houston Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Izzo Alex Duetto II Grinder: MacapM4T, Macap M4, OE Lido,... Drip: Espro press; Aeropress Roaster: internet
Posted Wed Sep 5, 2012, 8:10am Subject: Re: Looking for cheap manual grinders,what ones are good?
oktyone Said:
...i respect a lot what OE has been doing, and he probably charges that for a reason, but for that price i'd rather buy a decent Baratza, hand grinding stops being fun after a while anyway, specially when in a hurry or making more than one cup.
True. However, I'd rather have a hand grinder for travel, and the Lido is without a doubt much better quality than the entry level Baratzas. Also, regarding price of a hand grinder (not that I'd use it for travel, but the Pharos is reported to give you $1k+ electric grinder quality for $245 and a little elbow grease. Not saying I plan to buy one, but for someone who doesn't mind hand grinding regularly, it's a cheap way to get high end commercial quality grind.
jpender Senior Member Joined: 11 Jul 2011 Posts: 394 Location: California Expertise: I like coffee
Grinder: Kyocera CM-50 Vac Pot: S/S Moka Pot Drip: Aeropress
Posted Wed Sep 5, 2012, 8:47am Subject: Re: Looking for cheap manual grinders,what ones are good?
oktyone Said:
BTW having a grinder set specifically for a preferred grind size is not necessarily a bad thing, as you would if you decided to mod the Skerton, you'll find that constantly adjusting the coarseness is a pain in the ass, specially if you already had one nailed down to perfection and producing amazing cups.
Adjusting the Skerton is fairly easy as it has discrete settings and only about half a dozen are useful. You can either mark it or just back it out from fully engaged to find that setting you had "nailed down to perfection".
I recall reading the Orphan Espresso guy writing that it is possible to mod a Skerton so that you can get good results for both fine and coarse grinds; it's just that doing the mod well requires some skill and fiddling. And some Skertons are more flawed than others making it impossible.
jpender Senior Member Joined: 11 Jul 2011 Posts: 394 Location: California Expertise: I like coffee
Grinder: Kyocera CM-50 Vac Pot: S/S Moka Pot Drip: Aeropress
Posted Wed Sep 5, 2012, 8:54am Subject: Re: Looking for cheap manual grinders,what ones are good?
emradguy Said:
True. However, I'd rather have a hand grinder for travel, and the Lido is without a doubt much better quality than the entry level Baratzas. Also, regarding price of a hand grinder (not that I'd use it for travel, but the Pharos is reported to give you $1k+ electric grinder quality for $245 and a little elbow grease. Not saying I plan to buy one, but for someone who doesn't mind hand grinding regularly, it's a cheap way to get high end commercial quality grind.
Even with it's high price I've considered buying the LIDO because the quality appears to be excellent. But it's too big and too heavy for me to qualify as a travel grinder. Why did they make it so tall? I'm never going to grind 60 grams by hand.
It's too bad because all the other small hand grinders are a big compromise in one way or another. I've been thinking about getting one of the Porlex grinders. Can anyone comment on how well they do at coarse settings?
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