Easily available in UK - Great first grinder for serious espresso newbie. Good grind & sturdy. Good quality of grind for the price.
Negative Product Points
Grinder is very noisy and a little on the slow side. My dosing handle fell off after about 5 months!
Detailed Commentary
In the UK finding a good burr grinder for the home is difficult. I bought my MDF from Selfridges and I paid about £100 in August 2000. It is a good grinder that is perfect for someone embarking (as I was then) on the trail for excellent espresso based drinks.
Having watched barista's handling espresso grinders, I copied and was a little rough on my MDF's doser handle. It fell off or to be more acurate the plastic sheered making repair impossible. I have never replaced the doser unit and just rotate the fins inside now - it works fine.
Since then I have replaced my MDF with a Rocky which is a more robust, quieter and faster grinder. I get slightly better shots with the Rocky but I must emphasis it is marginal.
The MDF is noisy, and takes about 20-25secs to grind 14g of beans, where the Rocky takes about 15. The shute between the burrs and the hopper is longer than on the Rocky - which makes using this grinder as a dual purpose machine for espresso and filter, more awkward.
Having said all this, this IS a good/excellent home grinder, and as a first espresso grinder any purchaser would not be disappointed.
Buying Experience
I read many reviews about espresso grinders before buying, but was limited at that time by availability.
