# What grinder should I get for $400-500?



## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

Hello,

I just want to land on a choice for an espresso mainly, but also I would love to get some bold flavor of french press or pour over cups.

I guess the best choices for the budget I got now for a grinder is $400-500, are:

mahlkonig vario, sette 270, preciso, eureka mignon, rancillio rocky.

One told me the flat burrs enhance the nutty, chocolate flavors and conical burrs enhance the fruity and citrus flavors.

I think I lean towards the fruity flavors, because I ground this morning a shot with my javapress manual grinder fairly fine shot on my OSCAR II and the taste was really bold but the extraction wasn't so flowing, it was a bit slow but the taste is really good.

So I just want a new electric grinder and wondering which one should I get?


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Whichever grinder you go for, remember they do not swap readily between espresso and other methods.You will need to dial in after each change= wasting beans.

This applies to virtually all grinders except for one or two expensive ones.

As you express your budget in dollars I presume you are not in UK and would not be able to buy off the forum (pre-owned)


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

El carajillo said:


> Whichever grinder you go for, remember they do not swap readily between espresso and other methods.You will need to dial in after each change= wasting beans.
> 
> This applies to virtually all grinders except for one or two expensive ones.
> 
> As you express your budget in dollars I presume you are not in UK and would not be able to buy off the forum (pre-owned)


The Niche Zero does and is about in budget


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

El carajillo said:


> Whichever grinder you go for, remember they do not swap readily between espresso and other methods.You will need to dial in after each change= wasting beans.
> 
> This applies to virtually all grinders except for one or two expensive ones.
> 
> As you express your budget in dollars I presume you are not in UK and would not be able to buy off the forum (pre-owned)


Yes, I'm from Saudi Arabia. The local supplier which offer a free shipping only has the mahlkonig vario and sette 270.

Anything else I have to get it from out the middle east I guess with the shipping costs.

I found this eureka mignon on ebay, the price is a catch but I'm not sure if too sweet means a scam! $229

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Espressomuhle-Kaffeemuhle-Eureka-Mignon-Specialita-16CR-mit-Display-u-Timer-NEU/332980261975?hash=item4d872b9457:g:bucAAOSwZwdcJOYC:rk:6f:0

And this from Australia $390:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Eureka-Mignon-Grinder-Chrome/163138668154?epid=20024303015&hash=item25fbd2867a:g:QA8AAOSwhh9buoGl:rk:7f:0

$377:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Eureka-Mignon-MCI-Timer-Chrom-Kaffeemuhle-Deluxe-Neu-ItalianFoodLovers-de/142884532834?epid=1304288376&hash=item214494f262:g:tW4AAOSw5ttbWtGX:rk:13f:0



dfk41 said:


> The Niche Zero does and is about in budget


Yeah it should be good but where to find it? I would be quite difficult to find one on eBay or Amazon.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

wolfrose said:


> Yes, I'm from Saudi Arabia. The local supplier which offer a free shipping only has the mahlkonig vario and sette 270.
> 
> Anything else I have to get it from out the middle east I guess with the shipping costs.
> 
> ...


You would need to buy it new, as they have just been launched a couple of months ago. email them and ask

[email protected]


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

dfk41 said:


> You would need to buy it new, as they have just been launched a couple of months ago. email them and ask
> 
> [email protected]


I think its price is over $600, is that right? But I sent them an email anyway.

How about the ceado e5p, if I found one for like $600 isn't it better than the niche zero?

If the price of the niche is too high for me, which grinder would you recommend for me from the options I listed in the main post?

===================================

Update:

They replied to me, the price right now is 500 pounds which is a lot for me to start with. I'm thinking either the vario or the sette 270. Maybe the mignon if it's better than the vario and sette 270.


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## Batian (Oct 23, 2017)

As you are going to be exporting, enquire about your tax options. You may be able to recover the VAT.

This may help with the overall price?


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

But most sellers don't ship to outside UK, EU or USA. But I can ship to local forward address in Germany, London, New York. But this way I don't think I'm out of paying tax, I have to because it's a local address to the seller.

I think I'm between the mahlkonig vario and the sette 270, even the sette 270 isn't in stock right now so I have to wait. The vario is available for free shipping for $470.

I can get the eureka mignon or sette 270 from eBay and shipping is like $50 to me. So I don't know what to choose.

One told me that flat burrs enhance chocolate and nutty flavors and conical burrs enhances the fruity flavors, is that true?


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

email claudette at bella barista

[email protected]

she exports stuff to Saudi all of the time and might have options. Your basic choice is to buy from what is available or buy what you want.....big difference


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## Rom (Jan 20, 2017)

My advice, because of your location, would be to try and stretch your budget to the Niche. That's if you can get one shipped to you... Don't buy something lesser in quality and have to go through the shipping and tax issues all over again in a short period of time.


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

dfk41 said:


> email claudette at bella barista
> 
> [email protected]
> 
> she exports stuff to Saudi all of the time and might have options. Your basic choice is to buy from what is available or buy what you want.....big difference


Before I contact claudettep, I found a deal on this website:

https://www.espressocoffeeshop.com/coffee-grinders/coffee-grinders-eureka/Eureka-Mignon-Specialita

for the eureka mignon specialita for $450 with shipping same as the price of the vario. Now which one is better? They are the same price. Or better contact claudettep for more options.



Rom said:


> My advice, because of your location, would be to try and stretch your budget to the Niche. That's if you can get one shipped to you... Don't buy something lesser in quality and have to go through the shipping and tax issues all over again in a short period of time.


 With shipping that would be way too much because they offered me 500 pounds without shipping, with shipping it would far to the price of ceado e6p and other higher level grinders.


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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

If your switching between grinds, it really as to be the Niche, it will be your only Grinder buy.


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

Yes I know it should be a nice grinder, but it's double the price of the vario or the eureka specialita. It's really out of my budget range.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

wolfrose said:


> Before I contact claudettep, I found a deal on this website:
> 
> https://www.espressocoffeeshop.com/coffee-grinders/coffee-grinders-eureka/Eureka-Mignon-Specialita
> 
> ...


why ask if you will not listen? It takes a special grinder to be able to go between brew and espresso. the Mignon cannot do this. It uses a worm screw for adjustment and you will be turning and turning and turning without any point of reference. Whoever suggested to you that the Cedar you mention is a high level grinder is kidding you matey! The Niche may be out of you price bracket, but it is the only single grinder anywhere near it that will fulfil your needs. Either have 2 grinders or buy something based on price then do not complain


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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

Well it will have to be the Mignon then. Or if someone is willing to send maybe a Mazzer to you.


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

dfk41 said:


> why ask if you will not listen? It takes a special grinder to be able to go between brew and espresso. the Mignon cannot do this. It uses a worm screw for adjustment and you will be turning and turning and turning without any point of reference. Whoever suggested to you that the Cedar you mention is a high level grinder is kidding you matey! The Niche may be out of you price bracket, but it is the only single grinder anywhere near it that will fulfil your needs. Either have 2 grinders or buy something based on price then do not complain


I know about the screw as it has no reference, but for my use in the kitchen no one would play with it, my daughter is 6 months now. Also I want to clear that I didn't mean I want to buy the vario and the mignon together. I'm just deciding between the two.

But for the niche zero, I considered it for a moment but I really think its price is little too high for me, because also I found a ceado e5p for similar price and I didn't go with it even the seattle coffee gear customer service recommended it to me, but the price is still not interesting to me.

Because experts at whole latte love presented the vario as the best one for home use and if anyone wants better results he would pay 2 - 3 times the price of the vario.



Jony said:


> Well it will have to be the Mignon then. Or if someone is willing to send maybe a Mazzer to you.


But even if a used mazzer, the price would be still high ~ 500-600 pounds I guess.

But to your recommendation as the mignon is better than the vario. Then I think so, I also feel more lean to the mignon.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

I would not listen to a word of that tripe you find on youtube reviews. They have one purpose, to sell equipment. if you are working not a g=budget, would you rather do espresso well or brewed well? If it is espresso, then the Mignon is more than capable. They are built likE a tank and nothing much ever goes wrong, which cannot be said for the Vario!


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## Planter (Apr 12, 2017)

Get whichever grinder you want. The Advice given so far has been spot on and you are still deciding.

So, if I was you I would make a choice based on the cheapest you can find as that seems your key driver, and just go with it.

In a few months time, when you're fed up of dialling in between grind styles, then just buy a niche and you'll be sorted and will probably regret not spending a bit more in the first place.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

wolfrose said:


> But for the niche zero, I considered it for a moment but I really think its price is little too high for me, because also I found a ceado e5p for similar price and I didn't go with it even the seattle coffee gear customer service recommended it to me, but the price is still not interesting to me. Because experts at whole latte love presented the vario as the best one for home use and if anyone wants better results he would pay 2 - 3 times the price of the vario.


So you value the advice of the "two daft old ladies" and "Todd + the Cheshire cat" who star in retailer advertorials that make me retch, over good advice received on the forum by people who actually know something. Oh and please don't call those people at WLL experts, that's an insult to actual experts. I'll try to help and I'll keep it brief.

Mahlkonig vario = Muddy taste, poor grind quality, slipping levers, weak internals, not great.

Sette 270 = Very unreliable, noisy, can struggle with lighter roasts

Preciso = shite

Eureka Mignon = good for espresso, hard to change settings from espresso to filter etc. and back

Rancillio rocky. = shite (every dog has its day and the Rockys day was almost 2 decades ago)

The Niche is good advice if you want to stretch your budget and should do everything you need. Or buy a used grinder for espresso and another cheaper one for other brew methods. The only problem is the poorer grind quality will affect other brew methods a bit but not as much as espresso..


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

dfk41 said:


> I would not listen to a word of that tripe you find on youtube reviews. They have one purpose, to sell equipment. if you are working not a g=budget, would you rather do espresso well or brewed well? If it is espresso, then the Mignon is more than capable. They are built likE a tank and nothing much ever goes wrong, which cannot be said for the Vario!


You're right I know their main goal is advertising, but still they do some comparisons but yeah all the reviews and comparisons would put me to the right spot as I was really bouncing back and forth between different choices.

Actually who suggested the mignon to me is a forum member from USA who is sharing me his epxeriences with his home roasting setup, espresso machine and grinder.

Yeah the mignon is the best choice as it won't affect my financial system. I would crank little more for the niche but not as double the price of the mignon, if it's like $50-100, then I would be OK with that but it's like $500 that's why I wasn't so interested.



Planter said:


> Get whichever grinder you want. The Advice given so far has been spot on and you are still deciding.
> 
> So, if I was you I would make a choice based on the cheapest you can find as that seems your key driver, and just go with it.
> 
> In a few months time, when you're fed up of dialling in between grind styles, then just buy a niche and you'll be sorted and will probably regret not spending a bit more in the first place.


Yes I'm deciding on the best choice for as cheap as I can get, I think the mignon would be just as good to me.



DavecUK said:


> So you value the advice of the "two daft old ladies" and "Todd + the Cheshire cat" who star in retailer advertorials that make me retch,


 LOL omg I laughed for that











> over good advice received on the forum by people who actually know something. Oh and please don't call those people at WLL experts, that's an insult to actual experts. I'll try to help and I'll keep it brief.


I know that there are people here who are espresso enthusiasts or experts with different espresso setups, that's why I'm here.



> Mahlkonig vario = Muddy taste, poor grind quality, slipping levers, weak internals, not great.
> 
> Sette 270 = Very unreliable, noisy, can struggle with lighter roasts
> 
> ...


OK, the mignon is the way to go.



> The Niche is good advice if you want to stretch your budget and should do everything you need. Or buy a used grinder for espresso and another cheaper one for other brew methods. The only problem is the poorer grind quality will affect other brew methods a bit but not as much as espresso..


As I mentioned I may stretch the budget for the niche if it was $100, but actually it like over $500, it's would be too much for me as I'm starting espresso in my home, and for now my javapress manual grinder can do very nice fine grinds for my espresso, but I want an electric one for a peace of mind.

Another brew for me is just to do little more coarse grind and pull that shot with my OSCAR II, I would get a nice full flavor americano cup









==========

My first time with coffee, I bought a whole beans bag for LAVAZZA gran aroma, it was the best experience, the tastiest coffee for me. I received the bag from the post office, didn't have any grinder, went to the supermarket where they have a huge grinder, and the man ground it to me very fine, but when I came back to my apartment, and started doing different cups like filter or just put 1-2 spoons of coffee and hot water .. the taste was so so bold and really nice, I don't know maybe because it was the first time I've done something by myself.

Now, I'm still in love with americano, but trying to get a good grinder, maybe that grinder actually got the whole flavor of the coffee.


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

wolfrose said:


> You're right I know their main goal is advertising, but still they do some comparisons but yeah all the reviews and comparisons would put me to the right spot as I was really bouncing back and forth between different choices.
> 
> Actually who suggested the mignon to me is a forum member from USA who is sharing me his epxeriences with his home roasting setup, espresso machine and grinder.
> 
> ...


That's a rather strange way of making an americano. Most people will make a standard espresso shot & add hot water (or pour the shot into a cup of hot water for a long black) to get the volume. That way there's no need to change the grind once dialed in.


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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

Well you have a oscar ll just save up and buy the niche, if not buy a hand grinder and deal with that. You have had the info off reputable forum members. Horse and Water comes to mind.


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

ashcroc said:


> That's a rather strange way of making an americano. Most people will make a standard espresso shot & add hot water (or pour the shot into a cup of hot water for a long black) to get the volume. That way there's no need to change the grind once dialed in.


Yeah, that would be an easy setup for brewing either espresso for cappuccino or americano.

But the story of my first experience is that I didn't have any tool, only a bag of whole beans that's it. And I didn't have any idea of what's an espresso, americano, .. etc. I just wanted to drink coffee in my apartment.

Then I started to buy coffee tools. I started with a javapress manual grinder and a nanopresso. Then I bought a DeLonghi dedica and K79 burr grinder. Then I bought the OSCAR II, now I bought the eureka mignon.



Jony said:


> Well you have a oscar ll just save up and buy the niche, if not buy a hand grinder and deal with that. You have had the info off reputable forum members.


Well, after purchasing the OSCAR II, I wished I didn't buy it as I knew the rancilio silvia is as good and more cheaper. But anyway I bought it and it's a good machine.

For the grinder, there're a lot of options out there, I watched youtube videos about the niche and it really seems a nice grinder, but the eureka mignon isn't a bad choice as also the members here declared that it's a good choice and it's half the price of the niche! Anyway I bought the eureka mignon specialista this evening, it's 55mm burr size so it should be good.


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