Small. Takes very little effort to crank. Stores nicely in the heavy cardboard box. Made in Germany. Does the finest grind sizes. Bottom cover fits snug.
Negative Product Points
The handle doesn't fold out, it is separate.
Detailed Commentary
My new (December 2008) Zass Turkish grinder 175M bought online from Coffee Storehouse in Arkansas came packaged in a box marked 'made in Germany'; also stamped 'Germany' on the bottom of the grinder. I see a forum message where somebody said the new Zass's are made in China. I don't know about that, but mine wasn't.
I'm a beginner, but for whatever it's worth, I can at least testify that the grind can be done a lot more finer and more uniform with this compared with 'expresso grind' coffee from the supermarket.
Out of the box consistency was a problem, as noted by others (in reviews of the bigger Zass models) the adjustment screw would move during cranking. Luckily the screw is a very close metric equivalent to 1/4 inch American. A popular size, so there was a huge choice of thicknesses and metal type or plastic for washers down at the home improvement warehouse. A lock washer sandwiched between two stainless steel flat washers increased the force on the adjustment spring by at least ten times. Installation took under a minute on the Turkish model. Now the setting doesn't move even a hair no matter how the grinding is done. However now the screw requires a screwdriver for adjustments at the tighter settings (finer grinds), because it is harder to turn. This 175M must have smaller cutters than bigger models, because anyways it very easy to crank compared to what others say about those larger ones. Still, it takes over 100 (easy) revolutions for a full hopper.
Mine has a bottom cover that fits tightly, the grounds aren't going to spill until you are ready. But the top cover is loose fit... EDIT: Pushing downwards with force will produce for a fairly tight seal, and any brand of quart sized zip lock storage or freezer bag which will insure 100% the top stays on. So, I withdraw my objection :).
Buying Experience
Coffee Storehouse is easy shopping online, fast shipment. But more expensive. Maybe the high price was because everybody else was sold out of the 175M except there. And one European site that was hard to find. Supply vs. demand?
