Very solid construction Well made Easy to disassemble Very little static electricity produced Attractive design Heavy base
Negative Product Points
Slow grinding Did I mention this thing is slow?
Detailed Commentary
Okay...I use this only for drip coffee so I cannot comment on its espresso capabilities. I picked this up used on Craigslist and I must say, it was very lightly used. Upon picking it up I completely disassembled everything down to the burrs and cleaned everything. The burrs are easy to get at, but they have plastic pieces snapped onto them....remove this before washing. It appears the previous owner just washed as is and water gets trapped inside leading to rust. The burrs are not stainless steel (which is good...high carbon steel is great for holding an edge for a long time.)
Anyway...as for grinding coffee...it's very simple to use. Just turn the timer dial and grinding begins immediately. You do not need to shake the machine to keep it grinding (ala Krups.) The dial goes from 1 to 10. To grind enough coffee to brew 6 cups I need to turn it to 10 and let in run 3 separate times! This equates to maybe 3 minutes. This is not so bad I suppose, but having used the monster espresso grinders used by coffee shops and restaurants, I think I'm just a little jaded on home machines.
If you are coming from a blade grinder you will be pleasantly surprised at how much flavor you can extract from the same beans. Wonderfully flavorful coffee even with a so-so Cuisinart coffee maker.
Bottom line....this is very nicely made. Produces very little static (very unlike a Krups.) Just know that it is slow for grinding french roast beans (cannot comment on other beans as this is all I use.) Mine is the metal model which apparently is much heavier than the plastic ones (note: some of the plastic ones look like metal, so be careful to select the proper unit.)
Buying Experience
Craigslist, you did it again.
Three Month Followup
none
One Year Followup
I really liked this grinder at first, but after awhile it would tend to clog and operation became very slow. I often like to use french roast beans and these tend to be oilier than an Italian roast. It seems this oil contributes to the slowness. Or is it possible that the french roast beans are slightly larger and these machines being designed in Italy are not meant for this type of bean? Either way, I don't even own the machine anymore. I got frustrated with it and sold it probably 6 months ago. I am back to a cheap blade grinder until I can find a bullet-proof grinder for home use. Any ideas?? (without spending a grand that is.)
