Cuisinart Burr Grinder, Krups Burr Grinder, several whirly blades
Bottom Line:
Versitile, consistant, and built to last- this little beauty is a beast of a grinder.
Positive Product Points
Broad range of settings Very uniform grind Glass container- no static cling Simple to use Built like a tank Looks wonderful next to the KA stand mixer
Negative Product Points
Beans often get stuck in the hopper Must adjust w/ allen wrench to get the finest possible grind- instructions are in the manual Each click of the dial makes a fairly significant change in grind size- tough to "fine tune"
Detailed Commentary
After owning two used cheap burr mills and a slew of blade machines, I'm blown away by this grinder. It is built like a tank, looks like a sculpture, runs quiet, and has very simple and sturdy controls- a 16-stop adjustment knob and an on-off switch. The top and bottom bins are glass, so you can forget about static. And the mouths of both bins are very wide, making loading up and scooping out simple operations.
Stock from the factory, this machine can easily choke my espresso machine when set at 8 and makes wonderful French Press when set at 1. The settings in between cover all my needs for drip, homemade pods, and Aeropress. At all settings, the grinds are very uniform and dust free. Though it would be nice if the knob had more settings in between the current ones, this has not posed any problems for me thus far.
I do have one gripe. Beans can get stuck in the top chamber and in the area just above the grinding mechanism- and I do mean stuck. I keep an old kitchen thermometer near by to knock any refugees down to their doom. This is a minor annoyance which only adds a few seconds to a grinding session.
Buying Experience
I got mine as a refurb directly from the company's on-line outlet store. The transaction went without a hitch and they shipped lightning quick.
