I had a Hario for about a month. It was a pile of shite.
Grind sizes were all over the place, ranging from powder to chunks ~2mm across. This was because of the way the axle held in a hole with very poor tolerances. I tried the upgrade kit which is available to fix this, but this didn't improve things much. Oh, and the axle was slightly bent from the factory too. I probably would gotten similar results just hitting coffee beans with a hammer.
Secondly, it just took forever to grind anything in it. 3-4 minute grind times, with the mechanism getting stuck at least a couple of times each use. It was so painful to use that had this been my permanent way to grind coffee, I would have switched to tea instead.
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Manual grinder: Ceramic vs Steel burrs
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Other one to look at is the 1ZPresso JX Pro, not available locally but I think you can get them shipped to Oz for around $250. I use one for Flair manual espresso and V60/Chemex and it is a nice piece of kit. It is stepped but has very fine adjustments of 12.5 microns, would work fine for an espresso machine but I have never used it with my Rocket Giotto at home.
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Thanks for the responses.
After reading these, looking at a review here by jackster and doing some youtubing, I'm leaning towards the Precision.
The vintage grinders do have a nice aesthetic but some looked a bit awkward to use. And some youtube clips showed that some others were awkward with "wonky" tubes where the bits joined and the like.
Also, the Precision would help free up some bench space and SWMBO will be pleased at that! And, I've found a local store that says they stock them so I might even get a first-hand look at one before I buy.
Cheers
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Have tried grinding for espresso with a Hario and it was a real PITA. I now have a LIDO which is much faster and easier to use but more expensive. Look into Otago's suggestions if price is a deciding factor. You can also look into replacing the burrs on the Sunbeam if shimming is not practical.
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Ceramic burrs in grinders is a relatively common place thing - they are significantly cheaper to produce that steel burrs so I wouldn't let that dissuade you from buying a hario.
However you can get 'shim' kits for the sunbeam grinder - from memory they are a few dollars from fleabay. This will give you the ability to grind finer and keep your current setup going.
Unless you plan to use the hario for travel as well with a travel setup (like aeropress or V60 etc) I would save the pennies for now. The limiting factor in almost all setups is the grinder. A great grinder + okay machine will make good coffee. A great machne and sub par grinder will make sub standard coffee.
My cents on the matter
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The Hario will be chore to grind fine enough for use with your Sunbeam. Cast iron burr grinders will also be problematic for your intended use. It might be best to stretch the budget you seem to be aiming at and look at the Precision and Timemore hand grinders that can be had around the $100 mark. They have steel burrs and have been getting positive comments.
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Manual grinder: Ceramic vs Steel burrs
I'm looking for a manual grinder (still) but feeling conflicted. I've been putting it off partly because my Sunbeam was still going despite intermittent clumping. But now the clumping has stopped but replaced with another issue: it has stopped grinding fine enough. Even on the finest setting the water flows through and the needle on my EM6910 barely moves into the light brown zone.
So, I have started reviewing reviews and the Hario seemed to get good reviews for an affordable grinder and met the aesthetics my wife would like.
However, it has ceramic burrs and I'm sure I read that steel burrs are better. And some grinders even advertise cast iron burrs.
So, would I be better placed to avoid the ceramic burrs? Or are the differences minimal in real life?

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