# Is there any such thing as a tidy grinder?



## Lewis. (Sep 8, 2014)

Firstly. hello all!

I currently have an old Dualit grinder, and while it does the job, the timer switch is broken, and to be frank, it just looks a bit, well, cheap, especially next to my Gaggia Classic. I have done a lot of research and although i'd love a mazzer mini (SJ is too tall for the space), they are just too expensive. I want something that has character and looks cool, as well as being relatively tidy. The wife is messy and I don't want to buy anything that's going to give her a reason to make more mess so to speak!









I like the looks of the Ascaso iSteel 1 - flat burrs and it looks decent and seems fairly tidy. What do you guys advise?

Thanks


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Get the grinder you want and a cattle prod for the wife.


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## Lewis. (Sep 8, 2014)

Scotford said:


> Get the grinder you want and a cattle prod for the wife.


Ha ha....she may have something to say about that!

I also meant to say I want one that does a good job, that's the main priority over aesthetics obviously.

I was led to believe that flat burrs are better than conical, but reading some of the threads on here, that seems to be incorrect?

Finally, if I were to get a used SJ, could I get a smaller hopper and remove the doser from the front and fit one of the conical silo's that are fitted to the new mazzer mini's?


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Small tidy and good quality, eureka mignon!


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Lewis. said:


> Finally, if I were to get a used SJ, could I get a smaller hopper and remove the doser from the front and fit one of the conical silo's that are fitted to the new mazzer mini's?


If you can afford and accommodate a Super Jolly then that's probably the thing to do. They are a bit bigger than the Mini but also have a bigger burrset. TBH I've got the Mini with the doser which cost me less (used) than a brand new Mignon. However, as Coffee Chap says, if you want aesthetics, small footprint and decent grind on a budget, it's hard to overlook the Mignon.

As for dosers and hoppers on a Mini or SJ, swapping the doser for the 'on demand' chute thingy that the Mini-e has is not really a straight-forward option, and also won't necessarily save space or mess. Replacing the large hopper however is a different matter entirely. You can buy a 58mm rubber lens hood from a camera shop, which will make a Mini or SJ probably fit under your cupboards, and has the added bonus that you can 'puff' it at the end to clear the burr exit aperture of the remaining couple of grams.


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

SJ has a really good grind consistency but is much bigger than a Mignon in depth. I've found the SJ a bit messier compared to the Mignon.

For it's size the Mignon is a really good grinder, but it can clump (no big deal) and the SJ is a massive jump up in the cup due to it's bigger burrs.


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## Lewis. (Sep 8, 2014)

Ok thanks guys. Looking at the review of the eureka one on Seattle coffee on YouTube, it looks to give quite a messy delivery hence why I looked at the Ascaso mini steel instead.

Ok so to narrow down my questions:

1). Are flat butts better than conical?

2). Is the SJ a much better buy than the mini (normal mini with doser)

3). Is the Ascaso isteel 1 (flat burrs) a better buy altogether for the money? Can get one for £230 new.

SJ's are going for crazy money on eBay these days...


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

mini's always used to be more expensive than super jollys. Not sure if thats flipped around for some reason. The standard doser mini is certainly a perfectly capable grinder, but the larger SJ is more consistent, faster, and overall just a better performing grinder for the money. I really like mine, after having taken a bit of time to modify it to be as little hassle as possible.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Lewis. said:


> Ok thanks guys. Looking at the review of the eureka one on Seattle coffee on YouTube, it looks to give quite a messy delivery hence why I looked at the Ascaso mini steel instead.
> 
> Ok so to narrow down my questions:
> 
> ...


1. In your price range...definitely yes

2. Probably not if you want it small and neat, but sometimes a used SJ can be cheaper

3. It depends because Ascaso keep changing their names...to confuse us all.

Read the review below and see which Ascaso grinder is closest to the one you want to buy. Also note how close the screw holes on the flat bur one is to the edge of the burrs, theres only some flat left, which saves it. If ever you see a flat burr grinder with no flat left the other side of the screw, there is the potential for larger chunks to get through (usually on the cheaper Chinese crap). Brand new if you pay cheap money, you "usually" get a cheap grinder. The Mignon is something I consider at the lower range of sufficiency. One of the Ascaso grinders in the review was just OK, but I still think the Mignon is best value for money new, or go for a used grinder.

http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/compact-grinder-1-closerlook.pdf


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## Lewis. (Sep 8, 2014)

Ok thank you. That Ascaso one above is the one that has the cruddy conical grinders though whereas the isteel I-1 is flat burr on a brass base so should be better.

Re: the SJ - this will just be too tall for my space. So will a mini be a better buy than a eureka?

And lastly, does the mini have the option of a manual on off button or is it just the timer switch that operates it? Same question for the eureka.

Thanks again boys.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Mignon you can use a timer or for it to dispense when you push the button. How the mini operates depends on the model but you can turn it in and off manually.


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

remember a super jolly can be used without hopper, and in that mode, really isn't much bigger than a mini in overall height.

I use my SJ with a small 320g hopper, and it works perfectly.

I've done the Schnozola mod, and the clean sweeper mod, and the cocktail shaker mod, and my SJ makes almost no mess, is very easy to clean and doses very accurately.

My next step, if i Keep it is to get a timer for it. Otherwise I may sell and buy an on-demand grinder.


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## Lewis. (Sep 8, 2014)

shrink said:


> remember a super jolly can be used without hopper, and in that mode, really isn't much bigger than a mini in overall height.
> 
> I use my SJ with a small 320g hopper, and it works perfectly.
> 
> ...


So even though you have done all those mods you still may sell for a doserless one?


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

Yeah.... I like on-demand grinders. Some people like dosers.

I don't single dose, so for me an on-demand is better as i can set a timer to give me a dose that I can use. However, I may just add a timer to the super jolly as the doser is great for breaking up clumps.


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## Lewis. (Sep 8, 2014)

shrink said:


> Yeah.... I like on-demand grinders. Some people like dosers.
> 
> I don't single dose, so for me an on-demand is better as i can set a timer to give me a dose that I can use. However, I may just add a timer to the super jolly as the doser is great for breaking up clumps.


So with the cocktail shaker mod it is essentially an 'on demand' grinder innit?? Sorry i'm not being awkward I just can't understand why you would want to change it if it's pretty much that already?


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

No the cocktail shaker mod is just to reduce retention by stopping the grinds from sitting on top of the vanes in the doser. The clean sweep mod is also to reduce retention by effectively lowering the vanes so they catch all the grounds and push them out cleanly. The schnozzola mod is just a chute that helps the grounds leaving the doser to land neatly in the basket. It's still very much a doser grinder like my Mini which (sadly) hasn't had any of those mods yet.

I'm not much of a modder but I think it's not so simple to make a super jolly or mini into an 'on demand'. The way the burr chamber exit hole is, if you just stuck a little chute on the front you'd get 1.5g sat there in it. And the timer is not accurate for a dose, it just means you can fill the hopper, twist the timer and walk away while the doser fills up.

I just put about 75g in the hopper and run the timer for about 19 seconds on my mini. It grinds about 1g/s into the doser, including the gram and a half that you have to hoick out of the exit hole. Then "thwack thwack clunk click every trip, you know it makes sense" (showing my age now with that quote! )


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## Lewis. (Sep 8, 2014)

Ah I see ok thanks for explaining.







I liked the idea of making the SJ doserless but the alloy chute thing and other bits are über expensive! I reckon a mini would do me. Still waaaaaay over budget but I've been watching videos of them and now have it in my mind that I must have one!! Still like the Ascaso isteel i-1 though too...hmmm decisions decisions. The isteel is doserless too.


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## Lewis. (Sep 8, 2014)

Ok so I've pretty much narrowed my choice to one of the Mazzers.

Next question is, does anyone know how tall the following would be:

1. SJ fitted with mini hopper

2. Mini fitted with the mini hopper

I want a hopper fitted as it just looks like a butchers shop meat grinder without one, hence the question! Just gotta see what I can fit in. I am sure the wife will grumble about the larger SJ too. Why is it that women don't like these kinda things that men do ha??


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## frederickaj (Jul 31, 2014)

Seattle coffee gear girls like this one if you only want it for espresso


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Lewis. said:


> 2. Mini fitted with the mini hopper
> 
> Why is it that women don't like these kinda things that men do ha??


Mini with the 320g hopper will almost certainly fit under the cupboards. My mini has the standard hopper and the space under my unusually low cupboards is 39cm. It only just doesn't fit and while I can't remember the numbers, a mini with the small hopper is

As for why girls tend to have markedly different acceptance criteria for household objects, especially those that find favour with the male based on technical merit or performance, that is the eternal question mate. Why have a 4WD Audi or some other German TDi with 3-figure BHP and useful boot space when you could have a pink Fiat ***** with plastic eyelashes on the headlights?!

Thankfully my other half is not of this ilk: when she saw my Rocket (oo-er) her first response was "cool!"


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## Lewis. (Sep 8, 2014)

Haha too true! My wife is pretty cool...I eventually bought a mazzer mini and have since bought the 320G hopper and it's pretty tidy to be fair. Looks awesome. And the wife did say it looks cool too!


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Lewis. said:


> Haha too true! My wife is pretty cool...I eventually bought a mazzer mini and have since bought the 320G hopper and it's pretty tidy to be fair. Looks awesome. And the wife did say it looks cool too!


My mum likes the industrial chic of the Mazzers


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

My Mum

My Mum


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## charris (Feb 17, 2014)

Mignon with coffee catcha is an extremely tidy "system".


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Aren't 'tidy' and 'coffee making' mutually exclusive?


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

jeebsy said:


> My mum likes the industrial chic of the Mazzers


Clearly, she needs to get out more!


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Wasn't impressed with the ek43 - "it looks like an airplane engine!'


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

It *is* an airplane engine.


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