Excellent value, consistent and durable, but not without some issues.
Positive Product Points
Being able to grind beans for my wife's drip coffee into the hopper and then grind beans directly into my espresso portafilter is very, very convenient. I have been getting very good consistency in my grinds - a purist may want to pay more for a modest improvement in quality. Espresso grind is very good (again, not excellent) - but only if you perform the hack described elsewhere on this site. Have owned this machine for 6+ years and use it daily. So far, no problems. If you own a machine for a long time you appreciate being able to clean it easily to remove stale grounds and rancid oil. This one is easy to clean and maintain.
Negative Product Points
Having to hack the machine to adjust the fineness to get a decent espresso grind. Newer models may not have this problem. Over the years I have found static electricity is an intermittent issue and seems to be worse in the winter (possibly low indoor relative humidity) than any other time.
Detailed Commentary
I am a value-for-price buyer who likes to buy excellent (not necessarily the best) tools without having to pay alot for them. This grinder fulfills this requirement very well. Also, the convenience of being able to get ground coffee in a hopper for a drip machine and then easily adjust fineness to grind beans directly into an espresso portafilter is a huge plus for me, since this is an every day, first-thing-in-the-morning-event. I am hoping that in the later models the company has eliminated the need to hack the grinder to produce a decent espresso grind. The hack is not difficult but requires a very gentle touch (otherwise, if you break a part, you might as well throw away the machine and get a new one).
If you want to spend a lot more money because getting that last bit of performance is very important - look elsewhere. I love good coffee but refuse to spend that much more money on myself.
Whenever I read reviews of equipment I always look for someone who's owned something for a while and who has had experience with other, similar products. I have been grinding my beans since 1971, first by hand and then using a burr grinder from the old Salton (English) consumer appliance company. That one lasted 28 years (longer than the company) and went through about one ton of beans before I had to replace it with a Krups burr grinder (total junk). I threw that away and bought the Solis.
Buying Experience
Good - but so long ago it's hard to remember any details.
