Worth the $89 on Amazon, this user friendly machine can grind espresso in it's finest settings and is definitely great for drip as well!
Positive Product Points
Easy to use and set up easy to brush out parts with a cleaning brush relatively quiet on the 3rd finest setting it grinds perfect for my espresso machine great grinder for drip as well finish/exterior is nice looking, blends well with my espresso machine small footprint, not too tall.
Negative Product Points
I do have to use a setting in the machine's "turkish range", as using the actual "espresso" range would be too coarse. I haven't mastered the timer, but you can stop and start it manually, thankfully. the start button- I hope it stands up.
Detailed Commentary
I am a beginner and researched extensively for an economical grinder. I know, there are much better grinders out there. But as most of the reviews were positive, I decided to just give this a go. I assumed that I'd have to modify it upon getting it home, as many reviewers did and had printed out the mod instructions. But, when I got it home and ran some beans through to clean it on the finest setting, I noticed that this finest setting was actually too fine for my machine. It was much finer than the espresso beans I'd had ground at my local roaster and, while not powdery, was just on the verge.
I have found that 3 clicks from the very bottom setting (it's still within the machine's "turkish" range) gives me just the right grind for my current machine. I plan to get a new machine w/i the next couple of months, and I hope that the few clicks I still have left will allow me enough room to fine tune for that machine. If all else fails, I've still got my modification directions if I need it to grind just a bit finer than it currently will.
So, I assume that those who had to modify it, or who gave it negative reviews due to it not grinding fine enough, either have a very finicky machine, don't tamp very hard, and definitely didn't modify it. I have no problems with the grind as is. Now, if I actually used it in the machines "espresso" setting, it would be way too coarse.
If you have a finicky, high end espresso machine- this probably isn't a grinder you'd even consider! I don't expect it to last a lifetime, but hopefully I'll get 2-3 years out of it. What I worry about is the start button. There is a timer, and you press the start button- but you can also press the start button again to manually shut it off if you don't have the timer perfected yet. I do think the start button feels a bit flimsy--not the actual button, but how it's connected in the machine. We'll see.
For $89, when I also had an amazon gift card to put towards it, I couldn't go wrong. I mean, after the gift card I only had to spend like $40 on it! But it's worth the $89.
Buying Experience
Great! Amazon shipped it promptly. Packaged well, no damage.
