# Grinders on ebay



## MartynWheeler (May 11, 2014)

Hi again,

So I have a budget of around £160 to spend on a grinder. Should I go for a new MC2 or one of the many grinders going on ebay at the moment

There is:

Rancillio Rocky Doser starting at £100

Gaggia MDF Burr Coffee Grinder currently at £16

or a number of commerical grinders like

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181406507816?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171326184898?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I feel that the commercial models may be a bit on the big side but I reckon I could convince the wife. What are people's thoughts? I'd really appreciate input.

Thanks

Martyn


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## chinery (Apr 14, 2014)

Bear in mind that the current price for anything on ebay is not very reflective of the final price. It's kind of meaningless that the Gaggia is currently £16, it's much better to go on completed listings, which suggest it will probably get to £70-100 by the time it finishes

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&LH_Complete=1&_nkw=Gaggia+MDF&rt=nc&LH_Auction=1

If you've got the space for a commercial model then they're definitely worth considering, finding a small hopper (or using it without) is a great way to save space. You could get a great bargain on a used Mazzer SJ if you're lucky, they pop up on ebay a lot, although condition is hard to tell (but you can replace the burrs). By getting used commercial you can get great value for money. But you should probably look up reviews of each model you find individually, don't just get something because it falls in your budget and its listed as commercial. I've never used either but I'm lead to believe that commercial Iberital and Fracino grinders aren't so great (but then they'll work out cheaper to reflect that, so, judge for yourself based on what you need!).


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## MartynWheeler (May 11, 2014)

Is it easy to change to a different hopper, are they often interchangeable?

The MC2 is only £140 on happy donkey, I'm wondering if that is my best bet for now with my budget (and obvious inexperience).

Martyn


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## Jason1wood (Jun 1, 2012)

Changing the hopper on grinders can be done but you need to know the diameter of the hopper hole.

Mazzer grinders can be removed completely for single dosing, ie, weighing the beans and grinding for one espresso.

That seems to be what most have done here, search for 'lens hood mod'

The MC2 is the starter model and the bare minimum you should start off with, but you'll be requiring something more substantial as your expertise grows. As for experience, you should buy the best grinder you can with your budget as you only need to learn dialling in, so experience isn't a massive thing to stop you getting the best you can.

Where are you based? I have a Mazzer SJ and a RR55 I'd be happy to give you tips on them if you were local to me, Newcastle upon Tyne.


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## MartynWheeler (May 11, 2014)

Thanks for the offer but I'm down in the east mids. I will think about it some more


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