# Asking for Information on buying second hand espresso grinders



## Glenn Burton (Sep 16, 2021)

Hi all,

I am new to the forum and pretty new to brewing espresso coffee in general. I have been enjoying pour over brewing for a couple of years now and wanted to progress by purchasing an espresso machine. I went for the sage DB. With having a wilfa svart grinder I am not getting a fine enough grind, so was wondering whether it is safe enough to go for a second hand espresso grinder (due to me trying to save some money and also reading in a few places that the life expectancy of a grinder is a long time). I am aware there are probably a few things that alter whether buying second hand is a good idea or not, like how old and how much it has been used. But just asking generally what people's views are?

I am looking forward to your replies. All advice and coffee tips welcome.

Thanks


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## dutchy101 (Jun 12, 2020)

Check out the Classifieds section on the forum. The vast majority of users on this forum really look after their kit and the main reason for deciding to sell something on is that they have been bitten by the urge of an upgrade. I personally sold my grinder on here when I was bitten by said urge. There are a number of new grinders hitting the market now and over the last few months, so you may well see some good deals popping up in classifieds.

Some questions to consider before buying:

What kind of budget did you have in mind?

Were you thinking of a single dose / hopper fed grinder?

Would you prefer flat or conical burrs?


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Glenn Burton said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I am new to the forum and pretty new to brewing espresso coffee in general. I have been enjoying pour over brewing for a couple of years now and wanted to progress by purchasing an espresso machine. I went for the sage DB. With having a wilfa svart grinder I am not getting a fine enough grind, so was wondering whether it is safe enough to go for a second hand espresso grinder (due to me trying to save some money and also reading in a few places that the life expectancy of a grinder is a long time). I am aware there are probably a few things that alter whether buying second hand is a good idea or not, like how old and how much it has been used. But just asking generally what people's views are?


 @Glenn Burton In general a used grinder is one of the safer purchases. I'm not talking about an ex commercial grinder purchased from ebay...that could be knackered. Something off the forum is liable to be quite safe and grinders are very robust things. One example from classifieds is below.

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/classifieds/item/462-price-drop-mazzer-mini-on-demand-single-dose-coffee-grinder/?do=embed


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## Glenn Burton (Sep 16, 2021)

Ok great, in terms of replacing burrs etc, would that be more of a regular thing to do? Or is that only really commercial machines you would have to do that with also? Thanks for the reply.

Glenn


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## dutchy101 (Jun 12, 2020)

For grinders used in a domestic setting a decent set of burrs should last for up to 10 years or more with standard every day use I would have thought.


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## Glenn Burton (Sep 16, 2021)

dutchy101 said:


> Check out the Classifieds section on the forum. The vast majority of users on this forum really look after their kit and the main reason for deciding to sell something on is that they have been bitten by the urge of an upgrade. I personally sold my grinder on here when I was bitten by said urge. There are a number of new grinders hitting the market now and over the last few months, so you may well see some good deals popping up in classifieds.
> 
> Some questions to consider before buying:
> 
> ...


 Hi, thanks for getting back to me on this. I really appreciate it. These questions have helped refine my search. Thinking possibly the eureka mignon chrono 2020 espresso version. That's if I can still get last years model!


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## CoffeePhilE (Jan 4, 2021)

Glenn Burton said:


> ... so was wondering whether it is safe enough to go for a second hand espresso grinder (due to me trying to save some money and also reading in a few places that the life expectancy of a grinder is a long time). ....


 How safe is "safe enough"?

The barrister (not barista) that taught my first law course always said, in relation to buying from a private seller



> When buying a horse, walk around and make sure there's a leg on each corner, because you can't take it back and complain later if there isn't.


 The general principle is no, it isn't safe. That said, buying on here is safer than ebay (IMHO) and buying a grinder is a relatively safe thing to buy.

But the question really comes down to how much money you'll save, and how much risk you want to take to save it. Me? I'm pretty risk-averse, and always have been, so I rarely buy second-hand. I'd rather wait, save and buy new. But .... YMMV.


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