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Hand Grinder - Espresso only $1K budget ideas?

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  • Hand Grinder - Espresso only $1K budget ideas?

    G'day CS folk.

    I've been looking to upgrade my Breville Dose Control Pro for a while now.

    I've got a La Pavoni EP and was thinking about going down the hand grinder route in the hopes of getting better burrs for my buck.

    Any advise on if this is a worthwhile plan and if so what I should be looking into at around the $1K mark?

    Cheers!

  • #2
    I have Kinu M47 Classic that I like. Also read good things about the Comandante C40 v3. Both under the 1k mark. I know that TailorCoffee is getting great results from his hand grinder so maybe ping him too.

    Comment


    • #3
      OE Pharos 68mm conical burr hand grinder around $500 might be worth a look if you don't mind a bench grinder.

      Comment


      • #4
        I have a 1ZPresso JX Pro which is great for espresso but I use it mostly for brew at work. Have used it with a Flair Espresso which requires really high quality grinds. 1ZPresso just released a JX Max which has coated burrs and 8.5 micron grind increments it is designed for espresso, should be able to get for $300 AUD landed.

        IMO the 1ZPresso grinders are batting above their weight. Grinding increments and speed are better than Commandate C40, very close or equal to Kinu at about half the price.

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        • #5
          I have a 1zpresso JX-Pro and it is amazing. I’d rate it better than the niche I had. Incredible clarity in the cup. I’ve used it for V60 and now with my La Pavoni.
          super quick grinding, even for espresso. So solid, I can’t see how a hand grinder could get much better.

          Comment


          • yochiya
            yochiya commented
            Editing a comment
            Funny enough I can second this... Have a Niche and JX and I'm blown away by the JX every time.

        • #6
          I'm really interested in the JX Max - how much difference do you think it will offer over the 1ZPresso JX Pro?
          At the moment I have a Rok Grinder. Someone told me recently that it just wasn't good enough for pour over and espresso... but I don't have a point of comparison. I love the grinding by hand, and truth be told I'd love to get a HG-1 or HG-2... but they are pretty premium.TailorCoffee and yochiya .. you think it's hard to improve on the 1ZPresso JX Pro? Would it be worth waiting for the max... Worth saving for a Niche? Nice to be on a thread that likes the hand grinding thing...

          Comment


          • yochiya
            yochiya commented
            Editing a comment
            Have to say I'm very keen on getting the J max. It's definitely more Espresso focused so you will likely get a bit more fine grained control, something I sometimes wanted in the JX.

            I recall once or twice changing my jx grind size 1 click up and 1 click down multiple times during a day chasing what I wanted in the cup. 95% of the time grind was seriously on point.

            1 option that makes sense to me:

            If you drink espresso only, jmax
            If you drink pour over and espresso, JX pro
            If you have money, Niche for Espresso, JX for filter


            I'm considering culling my grinders and only keeping 1 elec for Espresso and handgrinders for filter/travel.

          • TailorCoffee
            TailorCoffee commented
            Editing a comment
            I agree with yochiya . The grind adjustment is better on the Jmax (8 microns per click) vs the JX Pro (12.5 microns per click). So, if you are only drinking espresso thats the way I'd go. Ive been switching between v60 and espresso and according to 1zpresso the JX Pro is the better choice in that case.

            As far as the Niche, my taste buds have preferred the brews from the JX Pro in both V60 and espresso brews. Thats not to say the Niche was bad, it was awesome, Im just blown away with how good the JX Pro has been. Its also really easy and quick to grind with (compared to a porlex that i had used in the past). So, the user experience has been top notch and I actually enjoy grinding with it, which i definitely could not same the same about the porlex (massive chore).

          • mthomas87
            mthomas87 commented
            Editing a comment
            If you find yourself between grind settings for espresso you can always go the coarser option and up-dose a little. Should get you close enough most of the time

        • #7
          A further question... Has anyone here compared the Kinu to the 1ZPresso JX Pro?

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          • #8
            sleepydan Apologies - I wasn't trying to hijack your thread - actually I'm really interested in what you choose to do and wanted to bump the discussion to see what people with more experience here recommend. Am following with interest...

            Comment


            • #9
              Originally posted by EldoradoGreen View Post
              sleepydan Apologies - I wasn't trying to hijack your thread - actually I'm really interested in what you choose to do and wanted to bump the discussion to see what people with more experience here recommend. Am following with interest...
              All good!

              I have just been given a budget increase from my better 1/2 so I am now in the market for a bigger bench grinder and wanting to stay manual if possible as I like the ritual of using my lever machine and I like as little electronics in my coffee gear as possible.

              Not sure if the HG-2 would be overkill for my La Pavoni?

              Also had a look at the Malwani Livi but there is not much info on them and I'm a little worried about support if there are any issues with alignment etc?

              Comment


              • mthomas87
                mthomas87 commented
                Editing a comment
                The HG-1 can be a bit tough to get going sometimes depending on the bean but that should be fixed with the gearing on the HG-2

              • EldoradoGreen
                EldoradoGreen commented
                Editing a comment
                So... maybe i get a kinu M47, An 1zpresso pro or K plus... And save up for an HG-2....

              • dan488
                dan488 commented
                Editing a comment
                sleepydan I've been using the WW HG-2 for a couple months now its a pleasure to use. I've seen people mod the Kinu M47 and turn it into a bench grinder if thats something you want to look into, but can't go wrong with the HG-2. mthomas87 the gearing definitely fixes that issue. WW has definitely listened to all the concerns from HG-1 users.

            • #10
              Originally posted by sleepydan View Post

              All good!

              I have just been given a budget increase from my better 1/2 so I am now in the market for a bigger bench grinder and wanting to stay manual if possible as I like the ritual of using my lever machine and I like as little electronics in my coffee gear as possible.

              Not sure if the HG-2 would be overkill for my La Pavoni?

              Also had a look at the Malwani Livi but there is not much info on them and I'm a little worried about support if there are any issues with alignment etc?
              Wow... Yes... I'm thinking the same way. There is a HG-1 here in Sydney - but 2017 and he wants quite a lot for it (1495)... I want to buy once and get it right if I spend that much. I guess the benefit of the
              TailorCoffee approach of the 1zpresso is that it's much less outlay.
              Have either of you had experience with the Rok? That's my current machine. It's quite inconsistent at grinds for pour over, but I get good results for espresso.

              Comment


              • mthomas87
                mthomas87 commented
                Editing a comment
                That HG-1 has been sitting on Facebook for a long time now. Going rate on these forums is $800-1100 or so depending on age. You missed out on mine by a month or so unfortunately!

              • EldoradoGreen
                EldoradoGreen commented
                Editing a comment
                mthomas87 Thanks for that - it puts my mind at ease... I chatted with the guy and thought about it, but it is a little old and the price seemed a little high. Why did you sell yours? What did you get instead?

              • mthomas87
                mthomas87 commented
                Editing a comment
                I’ve had a Monolith Flat for a while now. Loved the HG-1 but didn’t have the space to keep it on the bench and it didn’t get used much after I got the Flat.

            • #11
              Wow. That video is really interesting! Thanks for sharing. Looks more difficult than my Rok...

              Comment


              • #12
                Ok. One more question.., What about the 1zpresso K plus vs the Pro? sleepydan - are you committed to a bench grinder?
                have you seen this video from April coffee?
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-3TdOEg_z0
                My question is how much better the grind gets. And how much better than say a Rok grinder (which I have now). Is having two better than one? I could keep my Rok for espresso and set up the K plus for my afternoon pour over....

                Comment


                • #13
                  And then there is this one https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...coffee-grinder

                  Comment


                  • mthomas87
                    mthomas87 commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I would have taken a punt on that grinder if I hadn't found a Kinu on here. Looks interesting

                • #14
                  Originally posted by sleepydan View Post


                  Also had a look at the Malwani Livi but there is not much info on them and I'm a little worried about support if there are any issues with alignment etc?
                  Support is fine with the Malwini (I ordered one back in July) just not a well organised in regard to consummation and a 3 to 6 month wait, in silence unless you ask, about ETA. But Valentin, the owner is quite responsive via email and is very friendly. And now they have there packaging better sorted, alignment should not be an issue on arrival.

                  Comment


                  • tompoland
                    tompoland commented
                    Editing a comment
                    That should be "communication" not "consummation". I have definitely not consummated with him 😀

                • #15
                  Originally posted by tompoland View Post
                  Damnit!!! You just cost me $300!!

                  Comment


                  • tompoland
                    tompoland commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Ha ... sorry about that! But you might be thanking me later. It's using the same size burrs as the Kinu M47 Classic but at half the price. Crossing fingers. I ordered too.
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