One of the oldest mantras preached here at CoffeeGeek is the absolute importance of the grinder to quality coffee in the home. It is the most important element. More than the espresso machine; more than the fancy auto drip; more than even the water you’re using (assuming you’re using clean drinkable water to begin with). Even finding a better coffee bean won’t give you a bigger quality jump than a good grinder will.
In 2003, our Senior Editor was quoted in a Canada-wide syndicated newspaper feature, claiming he could make better espresso with a $200 espresso machine and a $400 grinder, than he could with a $4,500 espresso machine and a $50 grinder. Today, that remains true in spirit, but the dollar numbers have changed. The days of a good sub $200 espresso machine – at least a pump driven one – are long gone.
On the flip side, the entry point for a quality grinder has dropped substantially. Today you can get a fantastic, well made coffee grinder for $200 or less. We specialty coffee lovers are absolutely blessed to have a huge variety of fantastic coffee grinders to choose from; some even as low as $100. If you’re willing to spend double that amount, you’ll get a coffee grinder with the ability and output that matches $500 grinders from a decade ago.
Our list of quality grinders on a budget is very personal to the CoffeeGeek staff. Every grinder we recommend has been owned, tested, reviewed, or extensively used by one or more of our team. Some of the selections are grinders that have been around for a long time; others are new to the market, but are built with high standards, and are designed to last.
We are confident any of these grinders would make a quality-rising addition to your home coffee arsenal. Many of them have been formally tested and reviewed on CoffeeGeek. In each selection, we’ll go into detail as to why the grinder is a good choice to consider.
Now, some transparency. Seven of the nine grinders listed below include links to our sole affiliate program (Amazon). Several of the choices also have links to active CoffeeGeek advertisers. Regardless of that, availability on Amazon or via our site sponsors had zero influence on these choices.
Our sole purpose with this Feature guide is to provide you with the best advice we can about choosing a coffee grinder that will provide excellent output and service for all your coffee needs. This is why two of our choices generate zero income: we list them because they are great grinders.
When you do buy via our affiliate link, we get a tiny commission ($1.05 to $2.90). All our affiliate link income goes to our blog contributors, to pay for their ongoing original content for this website. If you buy from our advertisers, we appreciate that a lot, and hope you’ll elt them know during the purchase process where you heard about them.
With that out of the way, let’s get to our Best Budget Grinders Feature Guide!
Feature Guide Information
This is the original version of this purchasing feature guide, published April, 2024. It will be updated several times in 2024.
Authorized businesses can use this badge to highlight our chosen grinders as long as they link back to the Feature Guide.
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Our Top PicksBudget Coffee Grinders
If we were doing this list 10 years ago, it’s possible there would only be 2 or 3 selections even if we kept the list to under $300. Things have really changed in the coffee grinder market since then. We have nine choices for you, including a $100 electric model, two manual grinders, and two selections from Baratza. One selection is outside our $250 range but is listed because it’s a flat burr model and under $300 (a rarity).
Baratza Encore ESP
The Encore ESP from Baratza is their latest update to the venerable entry point grinder in their catalog, for the first time adding true espresso grind capability in a familiar package.
Breville Smart Grinder Pro
A "jack of all trades" grinder that is actually quite good at almost all it strives to do. An excellent true multipurpose, on demand grinder for all brewing methods, and includes two forks for portafilters.
OXO Brew Grinder
One of only two grinders on our list that struggle with espresso, the OXO Conical Burr Grinder can still do most other brew methods to a high standard, and has an impressive featureset.
Timemore C3 ESP Pro
All metal manual grinder with an innovative folding handle system, extra fine burr adjustments, an excellent burr set and a capacity of 25g, which only takes 35 seconds to grind for pour over.
Fellow Opus Grinder
Fellow's first true "multipurpose" grinder, capable of everything from espresso to press pot. With a 100g capacity, this single dose grinder has some nice features and looks excellent on most counters.
Baratza Encore
One of the most popular consumer grinders of the last 20 years is still for sale and at $150 gives excellent value and long time service. It can barely do espresso, but every other brew method is great.
Turin SK40 Grinder
This is possibly the best value electric grinder on our list: outstanding performance on espresso, but also very capable as a non espresso brew grinder. All metal construction for the win.
1Zpresso X-Ultra
Absolute top of the line manual grinder with output that rivals $600+ electric grinders, all for under $170. All metal construction, hundreds of grind selections, fast performance, and easy to clean.
Wilfa Uniform
Actually outside our $250 top end for "budget", the $299 Wilfa is the lowest priced flat burr grinder we can recommend right now. Outstanding output from espresso right through to press pot.
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All AboutBudget Coffee Grinders
Consumers in 2024 are absolutely blessed to have the widest range and selection of quality focused, well made coffee grinders in the entire history of the appliance. Every price range is out there too, from $100 on past $2,500 and more. Companies like Baratza have a product range from $150 to $900. Specialty companies like Option-O have grinders from $375 to $2,650. Italian makers like Eureka and Ceado have grinders from $250 through $2,500.
Given this breadth of offerings, we consider the “budget” range of quality coffee grinders to reside in the $100 to $250 range.
$250 is a lot of money to spend on an appliance. Even in 2024. We get that. And if the coffee grinder wasn’t absolutely crucial to the quality quotient of the coffee you can brew and create in your home, we would find it a lot harder to convince you that $100 to $250 will return you excellent value for the money you’re spending.
There’s something else to consider, something we touched on in the preamble above. The coffee grinders you can buy today under $250 rival the ability and output of grinders costing two times as much just 10 years ago. Indeed, if we were publishing this guide in 2012, our budget range would likely be $250 to $500, if we wanted to recommend absolute top performers of the era. Either that, or our list would only have two or three grinders recommended.
When you spend as much as $250 on a coffee grinder, you rightfully should have certain expectations. The primary one is output quality. The grinder should be capable of doing an even particle size distribution (ie, no dust or large pebbles). It shouldn’t impart too much heat to the grounds, Most important, it should cut evenly and uniform, contributing to a better tasting cup of coffee.
Another major expectation is longevity and your return on investment. The $50 grinder you buy at Walmart, on top of producing wildly uneven particle sizes, may break after a year or two of daily use. So basically every year, you’re spending $25, or $250 over 10 years, for a crappy product.
But if you buy a $200 grinder like the ones on our list, it is reasonable to expect 10-15 years’ service at a minimum from the grinder, making the annual cost as low as $13 a year, for something that outputs an amazing grind quality. And chances are you’ll be able to repair and maintain the grinder for a reasonable cost, preventing the need to buy a new one down the road.
Another expectation is features, and there’s something else to consider here. Some of the grinders we list eschew extra features, spending all their R&D money on quality internal parts, a better burr set, improved housing, a more powerful and torque-heavy motor, and better overall build quality. Others save some cost on some of these things, but bring more features and an advanced UI to the appliance. Both approaches are interesting, and something you should weigh in your purchase decision.
And one last point on return on investment, jumps in quality, and the point you start running into diminishing returns. Going from a $50 blade grinder or a cheap “burr” grinder found on Amazon, to the ones on our list returns a massive improvement in cup quality. Night and day difference. You also get a lot more reliability.
But to be honest, going from the $250 range up to $500? Yes, those $500 grinders are a lot better, but the overall quality increase in the cup isn’t as great a leap as it was from the $50 blade grinder. And going from $500 to $1,000 presents even less incremental improvements in cup quality. What you do get with these more expensive grinders is more consistent results, many more features (some have built in .01g accurate scales!) and products designed to last for decades.
Bottom line? The biggest improvement you’ll see in your home coffee is if you are coming from using pre-ground or cheap blade grinders to the ones we’re listing in this Budget Coffee Grinder Guide.
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Baratza Encore ESPThe Durability Champion
Name: Encore ESP Grinder
Maker: Baratza
MSRP: $199USD / $279CAD
Typical Sale Price: Never goes on sale
Introduced: Spring, 2023
Features: A dual stage grind selection system; the first 20 clicks are within the turkish to coarse espresso range; the next 20 clicks cover AeroPress to Press Pot grinds; 38mm Etzinger “M2” conical burr; On demand grinder; 250g capacity bean hopper; on/off switch and pulse button up front; includes both a grinds bin and dosing cup; can be converted to single dose with optional accessory; two colours available; DC motor with innovative gearing system.
Specialty coffee loving consumers owe a lot to Baratza. The company almost single-handedly revolutionized the home coffee grinder market, starting with their Maestro and Virtuoso grinders in the early 2000s. Before Baratza, the grinders you could buy for home were just plain horrible. “Burr” grinders with pressed (not machined or milled) burrs, putting out as much dust as big boulders. Blade grinders that pulverized coffee beans into wildly different pebble sizes.
After Baratza, we started to have serious choice in quality home grinders, including every grinder on this list.
The Encore ESP from Baratza is a direct descendent of the Baratza Maestro. It even has a similar form factor. Inside, it is entirely different and entirely modern. Built around the Etzinger M2 burrset, considered to be one of the best small conical burrs out there, the Encore ESP has an innovative burr housing and grind selection system that divides the grind selection into two zones.
The first zone, covering from 1 to 20 on the grind dial, is tuned for near-turkish to slightly coarse moka pot grinds, with a lot of the middle selections available for fine tuning your espresso grind. The second zone, with a wider pitch change between the burrs for each click, is for all other brew methods, from AeroPress fine to Press Pot coarse. This is a true multipurpose, on demand grinder. Everything is powered by a DC motor, and an intelligent gearing system. Baratza grinders don’t stall.
The Encore ESP comes with both a grinds bin and a dosing cup system in the same box. It is an “on demand” grinder, meaning you can fill up the hopper with a bag of coffee. You can also convert it to a single dose grinder with an optional hopper cup Baratza sells.
The service and support for this grinder – indeed all Baratza grinders – is legendary and something to take into account. The company sells most of the internal parts for this grinder at low prices should you need to repair or replace them after the warranty is over. They also have videos and pdfs of the processes, readily available to their customers.
In our full review of the Baratza Encore ESP, we scored it 83 points, with a recommended status.
Breville Smart Grinder ProFeature Laden
Name: Smart Grinder Pro
Maker: Breville
MSRP: $199USD / $279CAD
Typical Sale Price: $159USD / $179CAD
Introduced: Spring, 2014
Features: 60 grind selections; feature packed digital display with multiple timers, grind settings indicator and more; removable bean lock hopper; on demand grinder holding 450g of coffee in bean hopper; micro adjustment available for fine tuning; includes both an advanced grinds bin and portafilter forks; one press grinding into portafilters; comes in many colours.
For a 10 year old grinder, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro still has a lot going for it. Introduced in 2014 for $230 (that’s $300 today), it is now MSRP at $199 and often goes on sale for as low as $160. At $200, it’s a fantastic grinder. At $175 or less? Deal of the century.
In a lot of ways, this grinder is very different from the Encore ESP. This is a feature heavy grinder that saves some money on the internal motor, burr setup and burr housing, areas the Encore ESP spends more of its cost.
The Smart Grinder Pro has 46 different timer settings for it’s .2 second digital timer. It has 60 grind settings, and more via the micro adjust in the burr housing. It comes with a really unique grinds bin, and also includes two forks for different portafilter sizes. It is an on-demand grinder (the hopper can hold a full pound of coffee), but is also another type of on-demand system, with the grind on demand auto button housed inside the main housing when you use a portafilter to grind into.
The grind output is good overall. Not the best on our list, but not the worst either. The grinder does really well for espresso, and good in the AeroPress to Chemex range. It struggles, like most conical burr grinders do, to do an even particle distribution size for press pot grinding. The grinder is a true multipurpose grinder and it will do a great job for most brewing methods you choose. And did we mention it comes in a gazillion different colour options? The white one in particular looks gorgeous.
In our Full Review of the Smart Grinder Pro, we scored it 85.5 points, with a Very Recommended status.
OXO Brew GrinderLowest Price Point
Name: Brew Conical Burr Grinder
Maker: OXO
MSRP: $129USD
Typical Sale Price: $99USD
Introduced: Spring, 2021
Features: 42 grind settings plus additional micro-adjustments; electro-mechanical timer; one touch grinding remembers last timer setting; 250g capacity bean hopper; on demand grinder; can grind direct into portafilter (don’t do this); Bin, body made from stainless steel; hopper has bean shut off for removal with beans inside; good for non espresso brew methods only.
We bought one of these grinders last summer to find out if it could make the cut as it were for our Under $100 Holiday Gift List, and were pleasantly surprised by the results for most brewing methods outside of espresso brewing. The OXO Brew Grinder is one of two grinders on our list that isn’t a true 100% multipurpose grinder, because we cannot recommend it as an espresso grinder.
The grinder is under $100 most days (MSRP is higher). Given that the grind quality for everything from medium moka pot coffee through to Chemex is “acceptable” or better by CoffeeGeek standards, this is the budget leader in electric coffee grinders for our Feature Guide.
The featureset is pretty good. The OXO Brew Grinder has an electric one second mechanical dial timer, allowing you to preset grinding time from 1 to 30 seconds. It remembers the setting. If you set it to 0, the grind button becomes a pulse button: press and hold to grind as long as you like. The grind settings are numbered from 1 to 15, with two tick marks between each number, giving 42 grind settings. The bean hopper holds 250g whole bean coffee, and has a bean flow shutoff feature for removing the hopper while it is full of beans. The grinds catch bin is brushed metal, with a tight fitting lid. The grinder will only work with the grinds bin in place. The grinder is also fairly quiet, certainly quieter than similar Baratza grinders.
The OXO Brew Grinder cannot do any kind of espresso grind. It just won’t go fine enough. It also won’t do as coarse a press pot grind as the Encore from Baratza. The grinder spins at a fairly high RPM which gives a lot of grind speed (2.8g/sec at pour over grind, as tested). But the price you pay is more fines in the output (the faster a conical burr spins, the more fines it can produce in some grinders).
If you don’t really do espresso at home, or you do, but use pressurized baskets in the espresso machine, this is the budget choice leader right now: the OXO Brew Grinder can handle all your non-espresso brewing methods just fine, and improve the cup quality compared to using almost any other sub $100 electric grinder you buy today.
Timemore C3 ESP ProBest Bang for the Buck
Name: Chestnut C3 ESP Pro
Maker: Timemore
MSRP: $139USD
Typical Sale Price: $109USD
Introduced: Spring, 2023
Features: custom 38mm conical burr set, very well designed; unique folding handle makes it easier for travel; handle when extended is easy to use and very fluid; all metal construction top to bottom; no burr wobble thanks to 2 anchor point spindle; silicone bottom for counter stability; extra grind settings, 20 micron adjustments; easy to disassemble and clean; no static issues, no retention; grind speed is good for manual grinder.
Our Senior Editor absolutely loves this grinder. He’s been using the Timemore Chestnut series of manual grinders since the C2 model four years ago, and the C3 ESP Pro is the best iteration of this series to date.
It is a manual grinder with a surprising number of features. Most prominent to the eye is the folding handle, which is really well made, innovative and even a bit addictive in how it locks into place, or folds down. Everything on the grinder is extremely smooth and fluid, from the cranking action to how the parts fit and screw together.
The ESP Pro variant of the C3 means it has a much finer selection of grind settings compared to the non ESP versions of this grinder. The grind dial has 30 clicks, and like most manual grinders, is not limited to one 360 degree rotation. In fact, to go from espresso to press pot grind, you would rotate the dial two full revolutions plus an extra few clicks. Each click registers roughly 20um differences, giving you a lot of play in fine tuning for espresso.
The grinder can also be easily adjusted for non espresso brew methods, and excels at pour over, siphon, and auto drip coffee grinds. It even does a good job in the coarser grinds, better than some of the electric grinders on our list. In fact, out of all the grinders on this list, the output of the C3 ESP Pro is probably in the top three or four. Espresso is excellent from this grinder, even if it does take 50+ seconds to crank out 18g.
Being all metal, it does weigh a bit more than some other manual grinders (525g), but it’s still light enough to take camping or on vacation. The grinder can be completely taken apart for a deep cleaning too. It’s maximum dose is around 25g. Of course, you can grind for large batch brewers, but you will have to refill and empty it a few times in doing so, and it will take about 30-35 seconds for each grind batch at the fastest cranking speed.
Fellow Opus GrinderStylish Choice
Name: Opus Conical Burr Grinder
Maker: Fellow Products
MSRP: $195USD / $265CAD
Typical Sale Price: Never goes on sale
Introduced: Summer, 2023
Features: 41 grind settings plus micro-adjust available to fine tune; custom 6 blade 40mm conical burr; very high torque motor; very quiet grinder; single dose, but hopper accommodates up to 100g of coffee; ion generator to reduce static; push button multi-timer; easy to adjust grind system; includes grinds bin and dosing cup for portafilters; lid doubles as a two-size measuring cup.
As we go to press with this Feature Guide, we just published our First Look for the Fellow Opus Conical Burr grinder, and found it capable enough to make our Best Budget Grinders list. The Full Review will come out this summer.
This is the first Fellow grinder to be properly described as a multipurpose grinder. It can do a proper espresso grind, and can do a good job grinding for almost every other brewing method. It is a single dose grinder, but can accommodate up to 100g per grinding session, making it also ideal for those large 12 cup auto drip batch brews.
The Opus has a very powerful and torque-heavy motor that can even grind unroasted, green coffee. The grinder is very quiet, reasonable grinding speed, and has a few nice features built in, including a multi-press timer, magnetized grinds bin, a dosing cup insert, and even a hopper lid that doubles as a two-sized measuring cup for whole beans.
Of all the grinders on this Best Budget Grinders list, the Opus is the only one to have an ionizer (sometimes called a plasma generator). The ion-generating coil fires while the grinder is running, and it greatly reduces overall static.
On the negative side, the Fellow Opus does retain a lot of coffee grounds, something you don’t want to see in a single dose grinder, but almost all of the single dose grinders on the market retain grinds. It also is mostly plastic, albeit a good quality plastic with a lot of design style applied. It looks very modern and minimalistic on any countertop.
Fellow also has a 2 year warranty that can be expanded to 3 years if you register the product with them, which is really excellent.
Baratza EncoreThe Best Seller
Name: Encore Grinder
Maker: Baratza
MSRP: $149USD / $199CAD
Typical Sale Price: Never goes on sale
Introduced: Spring, 2007
Features: Etzinger M3 40mm conical burr group (not suited for espresso); 250g hopper capacity, pulse button grinding; on-off button for hands off grinding; relatively fast grinder (2.2g/sec pour over); available in 2 colour choices; optional single dose hopper available; $30 cheaper than a few years ago; dc direct drive motor with excellent gearing system; wide availability of parts.
Baratza is still selling the Encore Grinder even though they released the successor to it, the Encore ESP.
For just $150, you are getting one of the true landmark grinders in the consumer grinder arena, the direct successor to the 2002 Baratza Maestro, the grinder that changed everything. Next came the Maestro Plus, and when Baratza redesigned the motor and gearing system (and also introduced the first Etzinger-designed burrs), they rolled out the Encore in 2012.
The Encore’s ability and durability is proven. We are still using a 2012 variant of this grinder (12 years old now) in our cupping analysis. It’s been used for so long, we are on its third set of burrs; though the motor and gear are as strong as the day it shipped. Baratza builds these grinders to last, and that should be a major consideration in your purchase decision. If anything does break down, home repairs are easy and Baratza sells the parts at economical cost.
The Encore cannot do espresso properly (though it can approach espresso better than the OXO Brew grinder listed above). In a pinch, it will grind for most modern espresso machines, but your ability to fine tune and really dial in a shot will be limited (you can choose to upgrade to the Baratza M2 burrset, which will give better espresso performance). The Encore shines as a brew grinder, putting out an excellent grind quality for everything from moka pot to Chemex. It also does better than the OXO and Smart Grinder Pro on coarse press pot grinds. Part of it is the lower RPMs the conical burr runs at.
This grinder is so good at brew grinding that you’ll often find a bank of them in roastery cupping rooms, used daily to help roasters evaluate coffee.
At $150, this is an excellent, no frills (because all the $$ is spent on the components and build quality) multipurpose, on demand grinder, offering serious bang for the buck. It is also technically cheaper today than it was when it was introduced ($130, which in today’s dollars is $177).
Turin SK40A Real Niche Zero Killer
Name: Turin SK40 / SD40
Maker: Unknown (white label product)
MSRP: $319USD
Typical Sale Price: $199-$219
Introduced: Summer 2022
Features: fully stepless single dose grinder, featuring a worm drive adjustment for fine tuning espresso; 40mm advanced design conical burrs; very quiet operation; very quick grinder thanks to the high RPMs (espresso grind about 1.5g/sec); all metal construction, very robust; easy to clean and take apart; includes magnetized dosing cup that fits 58mm filter baskets; includes bellows system (needed); comes in black, white or brushed aluminum.
We love this small grinder family – the SD40 and SK40 – at CoffeeGeek. Initially we weren’t going to review it (we are reviewing the SD40, it’s stepped variant) but while there are some trade offs between the two models (the SD40 is stepped adjustments, but easy to adjust from espresso through to press pot; the SK40 is stepless, but takes some time to dial between espresso and press pot); the espresso ability of the SK40 with its stepless adjustment is amazing, and rivals grinders costing two times more.
In fact, most people would be hard pressed to tell the cup difference between this $210 grinder and the $700+ Niche Zero. For that reason, we’ve opted to highlight on the SK40 model for this Best Budget Coffee Grinders guide.
The SK40 is fast, relatively quiet, is all metal in construction and built like a tank. It does retain a fair amount of grinds when single dosing, but the bellows system takes care of that. Give the lightest of RDT sprays to the beans, add to the hopper, grind, hit the bellow once and the 18.5g you put in all comes out to the dosing cup. We even paired this grinder up with the “best espresso machine in the world” (the Lelit Bianca) and it is working just fine in that setup.
The SK/SD40 also do a very good brew grind, right up to metal filter pour over. It’s not in the Lagom Mini class by any stretch, but equal to any electric grinder on this list. It suffers in Chemex and Press pot grinds a bit, producing a lot of fines, due to the high RPM speed of the conical burrs.
It is a “white label” grinder, meaning it’s made by an anonymous Chinese manufacturer, and rebranded by various companies around the world for sale. Turin gets slightly modified versions to suit their demands. More important though is this: Turin really backs these grinders, much better in the USA than you would get if you bought a similar one off Ali Express or from another brand.
If you want a multipurpose grinder with a primary focus on espresso, the Turin SK40 is our #1 recommendation on this list.
1ZPresso X-UltraBest of Class Manual
Name: X-Ultra
Maker: 1Zpresso
MSRP: $199USD
Typical Sale Price: $169USD
Introduced: Fall, 2023
Features: manual grinder with external grind adjustment; hundreds of grind settings available; 40mm custom conical burr, multipurpose; magnetic attached grinds cup; folding handle design; very easy to crank; easy to take apart for cleaning; three colour choices available; designed for multipurpose grinding; can do full turkish grind.
Our blog contributor Natia is a proud owner of a 1Zpresso J-Ultra, and swears by it for its exceptional espresso ability, which that model is specifically tuned for. 1Zpresso’s X series is their multipurpose line, designed to provide good balance across all grinding ranges, from espresso to press pot, so between the two models, the X-Ultra will serve better as an all around grinder (if you are espresso primary in your home, go for the J-Ultra model, at $199; it is possibly the best manual grinder for espresso available today).
We especially like how 1Zpresso packages their grinders. They come in nice carrying cases, and come with a lot of extras, like a blow bulb and brush for deep cleaning the grinders, and a silicone grip to use if you want the grinder to be extra secure when operating.
1Zpresso’s burr sets are unique to their brand, and very well suited for the jobs they are intended for. The grind selection is massive, because each ‘click’ is such a tiny adjustment. The grinders are also extremely easy to calibrate to a zero point; zero out the grinder burrs, lift the grind selection dial, and reposition it so the 0 lines up with the dot on the main body, and the grinder is calibrated.
The entire grinder can be disassembled without any tools for total cleaning; this includes the stationary burrs (something many manual grinders cannot do easily). Once assembled, everything about the entire metal construction (except for the wood handle) is secure, strong and very fluid to use.
A lot of people like to talk about the Commandante line of manual grinders, but to be honest, probably the best “premium” ones on the market today are the offerings from 1Zpresso. The X-Ultra is the best in their multipurpose range, and at $170, has output that rivals $700 electric coffee grinders.
We hope to have a full slate of reviews for these grinders from 1Zpresso later this year.
Wilfa UniformFlat Burr Budget Leader
Name: Uniform
Maker: Wilfa
MSRP: $299USD
Typical Sale Price: $279USD
Introduced: December, 2018
Features: 58mm flat burrs, single touch grind button with “no-beans” auto off sensor, over 40 grind selections, very quiet operation, all metal grinds bin, very low retention (flap lid to air-press out .5g at the end, unique look, powerful motor, easy to take apart and clean, can upgrade burrs (why?), can do every grind from turkish to press pot.
Our team debated back and forth across a Zoom call about adding the Wilfa Uniform Grinder. Not because it isn’t a good grinder – it’s a great grinder! – but because it is $50 higher than our top end for budget grinders. But we knew we were missing a flat burr grinder for this Best Budget Grinders list, and until we can give the Turin DF54 a solid test later this year, the Wilfa Uniform has to be our pick for this type of grinder.
This is probably the best brew grinder we’ve tried under $500 in terms of grind quality and output. Possibly under $1,000. Previously, the Baratza Vario series held this title, but the Wilfa Uniform’s absolute uniform grind output shows the grinder was named correctly. In blind taste tests, it eeked out the Vario every test.
The biggest knock against this single-dose grinder is the speed. It spins very slow for a flat burr grinder. That probably also contributes to its excellent grind quality, but we would like to see Wilfa speed it up by about 25% minimum if they ever update it.
It is a single dose grinder, but can accommodate up to 110g of coffee per grinding session, and has a unique “auto-off” function where the grinder will stop once it detects no more coffee is being ground.
Every grind this machine puts out is first class. It makes excellent espresso, nice and fully rounded. No sharp acidity like a lot of conical burrs can deliver. It can also approach turkish (not quite, but close), which is usually impossible with most flat burr grinders under $1,000. It is extremely well made and a favourite in the CoffeeGeek Lab. Here’s our First Look at the grinder.
The Wilfa Uniform is sold exclusively in North America by Ladera Coffee (no affiliate link).
Budget GrindersNot On This List
There are several quite capable grinders that are not on this list. The only reason for their omission is because we do not have direct experience with these grinders. It is crucial for the credibility of our recommendations that we have used, owned, tested, or reviewed the products we advise you as the best available today.
Grinders that would likely make the list include the lower end offerings from Eureka, the Varia VS3, The OXO Brew Scale Grinder, the Solis Scala Zero Grinder, and possibly the KitchenAid Burr Grinder (one fellow we know on social media loves his). There are also a few manual grinders we could easily include, based on their reputations.
There are also several grinders out there that are very close to being on our list, but don’t quite make the cut. For instance, we love a lot of things about the Baratza Sette 30 grinder, and it scored 84.5 points in our review of it, but it’s $50 above our top end budget range.
We do plan on updating this list often, as new grinders come to market, and we are able to test and evaluate certain models. This summer, we hope to begin a review process on the Turin DF54, and possibly a new SD grinder, the SD40s, which updates one of the grinders we list above. And if your company makes a grinder you feel should be on this list, feel free to contact us and get the ball rolling.
