better for espresso than the reviews here indicate, especially when modified, although not without flaws
Positive Product Points
- great build quality, seems like it would last forever - looks great on the kitchen counter - DOES grind fine enough for espresso, once it's calibrated properly - although it can be a bit messy, it's quite easy to grind directly into a portafilter - fluffy grinds, very few clumps - best instruction manual I've ever seen
Negative Product Points
- bottom glass catcher is way too fragile - too few steps, only really gives you one or two settings that will work for espresso* - retains a lot of grounds, both on/in the burrs and somehow behind the burrs too - requires constant cleaning of the burrs, unless you like stale grinds mixing in with your fresh grinds - beans get caught in the lip of the feeder
Detailed Commentary
I modified the grinder to make it stepless (instructions can easily be found online) - this made a world of difference! It's now very easy to dial in the grind to the exact right setting, although the grinder seems to retain more grinds than it did before the mod (and even then it seemed to retain a lot)!
The glass container that sits on the bottom of the grinder to catch the grinds works very well, and ensures that there is zero static; unfortunately, it's extremely thin and fragile - I broke it within the first 6 months of owning it, and that was only because I was super cautious around it! With taxes and shipping, it would have been close to $40 to have a replacement bin sent to me here in Toronto - I chose to grind directly into my pf instead. It's a little messy this way, but the static isn't too bad...
The range of grinds is too narrow without modifying the grinder, but the modification is super easy, super quick and always reversible - if you have this grinder, make the change!
Buying Experience
Bought it online from Costco, always easy to deal with.
