Side by Side Comparison of: Capresso vs Hario

I wore out my old grinder and have this one at work, though the one at work has a plastic housing. I purchased the METAL (zinc) version, and it is very much worth the little extra expense.The one at work with the plastic housing is a bit louder, though still quieter than many grinders, but the main thing is STATIC that causes the ground coffee to jump all over the place and making somewhat of a mess each time. The metal version all but eliminates this issue. It is a heavy unit and I feel very confident it will last a long time.One thing to note, when attaching the hopper to the base initially you need to be careful not to force it, because the plastic flange that fits into the base could easily break, and make the whole thing inoperable. The burr assembly on mine arrived a little out of place, not seated properly, so I could not get the hopper in easily and had to be careful not to apply too much pressure. I then realized the top burr was not fully seated and once I fixed that, the hopper slipped in easily. If it doesn't slip in easily then check the rest of the mechanism.You have a lot of choice for grind, from coarse to very, very fine, and I can make French Press all the way to espresso. It is easy to take apart and brush out, which I recommend be done often, especially if you're using a darker roast that is oilier than others. I'm very pleased, and the family is amazed at how quiet it is, compared to the incredible racket my old machine made before it bit the dust.

This product is well made, elegantly designed and does exactly what it's supposed to do. What more could one ask?Product support might just be the best I've seen in a very long time. We carelessly put a part in backwards and couldn't figure out how to remove it. I called the help line and got through to a very nice man -- on the first ring no less! Imagine, no menu, no time on hold, no "I'll transfer you." The fellow who answered the support phone # actually was the support guy, what a radical concept! He had us up a running in no time at all. He didn't even have to look up the model, put me on hold, consult his superior or any of the many other things that support people almost always have to do. He knew what we'd done and gave me clear concise instructions right off the top of his head. Five minutes after picking up the phone I was drinking an expresso. I'd give another star if I could.

I bought this grinder for my son just over a year ago. Bluntly, his coffee was better than mine when I was visiting him. When my burr grinder died I decided to buy one for myself. The difference between a blade grinder and a burr grinder is night and day both in finished product and taste. With a blade you simply can't get a uniform grind and you're just wasting coffee and losing flavor. Likewise the difference between a flat burr grinder and a conical grinder is night and day. A flat grinder is louder, messier, less consistent than its conical counterpart and requires less speed than a blade grinder but higher speed than a conical grinder. Simply put, higher speed causes higher friction, which translates to heat. Heat causes oxidation, which degrades the flavor and aroma of your coffee.The higher the speed, the higher the friction, the higher the oxidation and the flavor and aroma are both negatively impacted.This Capresso 560.01 has a large steel conical burr grinder that is excellent. First, this grinder is an intentionally slower grinder. I found a noticeable improvement in the taste of my coffee right from the first grind and still do. Second, I have also found the grind settings are serious settings. You can clearly see the differences from the setting from coarse to "Turkish" fine. Third, and unexpectedly, this thing is really QUIET. I get up early in the morning and would sometimes take my grinder to another room for fear of waking others up. Not this grinder. It is that much quieter. Fourth, this grinder is easy to clean. Fifth, I don't know how they do this, but the finished product does not stick at to the basket that catches the ground beans. Last, and not least, the company stands behind its product. The edge on the clear plastic container (the hopper) that holds the beans chipped. I called the company and asked if I could buy a replacement part. The representative was super nice and said no. She asked what's your address? We'll ship it to you for free. They stand behind their product. If you are looking for an excellent burr grinder; this is the one to buy. .I love good coffee. For the price, this is the best grinder on the market.

I'm a barista of 5+ years and I'm confident this is the best value you can get. I've used a Baratza Encore before - also a good grinder, but the motor is not nearly as robust as the Infinity and the burrs aren't as high quality - these are Swiss-made, very well machined burrs. Sure, there's some grind retention in the collar, but that just happens in a lot of conical burr grinders - even high end options like a Robur do that all the time. Just tilt the grinder and thump the sides to get it out. Fortunately the chamber is really easy to clean - the upper burr set just lifts out, and from there you can brush out the grinds. It is also easy to MOD this grinder to be stepless, and you can also place a thin washer underneath the bottom burr to get an even finder grind range!

I have had a number of different grinders over the year and all different styles but so far this one is the best by far. I have used it for over a year and no problems yet. It is easy to fill and select your desired grind coarseness.....will easily grind enough for one cup or a whole pot. I love how easy it is to change the coarseness if you are brewing espresso or want a more full flavored pot of coffee. Lots of options and very easy to adjust on the fly....you can even change it while the beans are grinding.The only issue I have encountered is that if you use a coffee bean that is dry it may contain static and then when you remove the container with the grinds it tends to make a bit of a mess on the counter. Easy to wipe up and I have found that some beans just don't have this problem (especially beans that seem fresher and have that almost slightly oily coating on them) and then you can grind the entire bag without ever running into this issue. So if you have the static issue look to the beans first because with the right beans this grinder is a dream. So much quieter than other Burr Grinders I have used and it looks great on the counter. Super easy to clean as well, you can pull out the grinding components to clean them separately....a lot more user friendly and intuitive than other grinders I have owned. People ask about it all the time and are usually amazed when they find out it really wasn't that expensive. This is my first Capresso Grinder but it certainly won't be my last.....however the way this thing has been going (1 - 2 pots a day for over a year now) I may not need another grinder for a long time. I have been VERY HAPPY with this purchase and would definitely recommend this grinder to any coffee lovers I know.

This is my favorite grinder I have owned so far. I like this much better than the Baratza Encore, it is quieter and I feel gives a more consistent grind on any setting. Most of the time I use the medium grind setting in the middle of medium for use on my AeroPress. When I am doing espresso in my espresso machine I use the highest setting on fine and it gives a good grind for a nice shot in my espresso maker. It is a little messy because not all of the grinds go into the container but I have not seen any burr grinder that is not a little messy. I have not had any static problems in my container. I take the top off then the top grinder portion off, that always collects the "chaff" of the coffee beans and I just tap that into the sink because I don't want that in my coffee grinds. I then tilt it a little forward and give it a couple taps to get the grinds in the burr into the container. If you don't do that there will be grinds you will have to throw out. I then pour straight from the container to my AeroPress, or my espresso basket. Its easy to pour from because the container has corners on it. I attached some pictures of a medium grind. You can see the "chaff" that gets stuck to the top grinder, there is also a picture of how much is on there when I tapped it off. I also have a picture of the amount I tapped off from the top grinder portion and the leftovers I tapped out from inside the grinder. I always tap that into the container so I don't waste the coffee.

I love making coffee in the morning now that I have this mill! I thought maybe the novelty would wear off, but after a few months it's still fun to grind the beans manually while the kettle is on the stove and the cats are eating their breakfast (well, it's just cat food but still). I purchase the upgrade kit at the same time so I've never had trouble with uneven grounds. When I first started using it I would throw all the beans in at once, and sometimes they would pop out because I didn't like using that cover -- I wanted to *see* the grounds with my own eyes. I solved that issue by grinding just one or two scoops at a time. If you want to grind all your beans at once, then the cover is a must.

It's a long story why I have two hand grinders. One is a real Hario. The other is a copy. One works, one doesn't. They're both identical except the ceramic grinder. The Hario that's grey works great. The clone that's white can't even grind - it'll only crush. If you get one with the white ceramic, get rid of it.

There are a lot misconceptions and bad information about this product. I was very skeptical due to the mixed reviews. I received mine and promptly put it to use. Here is an honest review.1st....Finding the right grind for you is a personal taste. Tighten the adjustment for the burr until it's snug. Back the adjuster off about 3 or 4 notches and grind some beans. Adjust it finer or more course to your taste and make a written note of how many notches you are from the zero point (zero point is when the burr is fully tightened). Later, when you make adjustments to the grind you will know what setting you had it on so you can set it back without a fuss. This is best for fine to medium grinds. Coarse grinding tends to have inconsistent sized grinds. This is not a product defect. It is a common flaw in the design of less expensive conical burr grinders. For $30, you can buy another and install the lower bearing modification.2nd.... there are some complaints about copycat knockoff products being sold as genuine Hario products. If you order yours FROM AMAZON.... (not sold by XXXXX and fulfilled by Amazon) SOLD BY AMAZON, you will get a genuine Hario. Mine has a stamp on the bottom that says Hario and it was around $30. If you see one for $20 then common sense says it's not going to be genuine. Some say it takes too long to grind beans. Here again use common sense. It is a hand operated grinder. Some electric burr grinders spin the burr at 450 rpm, while others spin 800 rpm. The faster the burr spins the faster you grind the beans but faster also means more heat and static electricity.I really like the grinder. I can taste and smell the difference in the ground coffee. It works great for 24 hour cold brew (medium grind) and my espresso machine (very fine grind). I like the process of hand grinding. It's the work before the reward.

After reading what seems like hundreds of reviews for various mills and grinders, I settled on the Hario Ceramic Mill. I love this product! As others have pointed out, it's very well made, as well as easy to use and clean.The thing is, if you're planning on brewing more than a cup at a time, it does take time and frankly can wear you out. I've been using the mill to grind coffee for use in a French Press, which highlights another shortcoming that has been mentioned by many reviewers. That is, when using it to grind coarser coffee (as for a press), the grinds can be inconsistent in size. That seems to be a result of two things: when you loosen the burr enough to produce the larger grinds and then turn the crank, the play in the axle moves the shaft back and forth allowing grinds of different sizes to get through.Here's what I did. Removed the crank handle and replaced it with a "connecting nut", which is basically a nut about one inch long that fits the shaft. The size you need is metric 6 (or M6). It cost me $1 at a local hardware store. When I'm ready to grind the coffee, I put in the beans, put the cover on and attach my cordless drill to the connecting nut. It used to take more than 6 minutes to grind enough coffee for three cups by hand and now it takes no more than 90 seconds. Another benefit of this method is that the constant downward pressure of the drill on the shaft while grinding (as opposed the side to side pull of the crank) results in grinds that are very consistent in size - even when producing a course grind for a French Press!Obviously, don't go full-speed on the drill. A slow and steady speed will do the job and not damage the beans or the grinder. Another tip is to hold the jar in one hand and the drill in the other while grinding rather than putting the jar on a counter. It can "wiggle" a little bit while grinding and your hands act as shock absorbers during the process, making it much easier.Enjoy!

I bought this for my husband, a coffee connoisseur. Buying a good quality electric burr grinder was well outside what I could afford, but he loves this one. Here's the key though, if you, like my husband, use a French press regularly: get the lower bearing modification from OrphanEspresso.com. On the coarse setting needed for a press, the Skerton, without the modification, will give you an inconsistent grind. Adding the lower bearing modification gives you an incredibly consistent very coarse grind. My husband says he's never been able to get a better coarse grind with any other grinder. And, even with the additional cost of buying the modification, this is still a very affordable option to please any connoisseur. One potential issue though is that, once you put in the modification, unless you remove it (which would be heart-breaking since it's a pain to install), you won't be able to get a super fine grind like you would need for espresso.Tip: The Skerton is pretty much exactly the same as the Kyocera CM-50 (only perceivable difference: one has slightly more opaque plastic). The price of each varies occasionally, so, if you want this grinder, check them both out to find the cheaper one (here's the Kyocera CM-50: http://www.amazon.com/Kyocera-CM-50-CF-Ceramic-Grinder/dp/B003S9XF7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357940693&sr=8-1&keywords=kyocera+coffee+mill).Check out these videos about the Hario Skerton, Kyocera CM-50, and the lower bearing modification for both:[...][...]If you decide to buy the modification, a 10mm combination wrench works for installing it (they don't say in the video). It can be hard to install and Orphan Espresso's website is hard to navigate, but it's all worth it.

The Kyocera and the Hario Skerton are the same grinder, just with different labels.Update: Since I posted this video Hario has added a silicone lid and bottom cap to this grinder. Both are very helpful - the lid keeps the beans from bouncing out while you grind and the cup on the bottom helps to hold it firmly on the counter when you grind.Original review:We've been using this hand grinder for about a year and love it more and more all the time. At first we found it somewhat annoying because it seemed to take forever to grind the morning coffee, but now we find that it's a great reminder to sloooow down a little - and honestly, it really only takes a minute. But it's become somewhat of a morning meditation. There aren't any real instructions that come with it, so it took me a frustrating half an hour to figure out how to set the grind size. I thought it might be nice to share what I learned to save others the annoyance, so I got out my video camera this morning and put together this product overview along with instructions on setting the grind size.PS - It always makes my day to know that people find these reviews helpful. If you'd also like to ask a question or leave a comment I usually respond the same day, so if you have a question or comment (even if it's just to say, Hi!") feel free to post it below.Thanks,Claire

The unit has consistently ground coffee for two years, probably about a thousand uses. The plastic cup at the bottom recently cracked. The service and price for replacing the cup was very good. Another small problem is that the screen printing marking grind coarseness has rubbed off. The burr grinder itself seems well designed and performance has not decreased. The grind is consistent and controllable.Even with these small problems, I like this company and their products. I will likely buy this grinder again when the unit eventually stops working.

I just received this and ground up a batch of beans (I always batch grind, rarely do I grind just what I need in the morning). I used to have a different burr grinder (not conical) and I am truly amazed at how much better my coffee tastes. I'm no coffee expert and I never thought I'd be able to tell the difference.This is also much quieter than the jet engine grinder I used to have and cleaning is a breeze. However, static is a problem with this. When I take out the hopper some of my grinds literally fly up and stick to the side of the grinder or fall on the counter. I've yet to find a decent affordable grinder that doesn't do this but this one is a little messier than my previous and for that I give it four instead of five stars.After a few months of use I'll update if anything needs to be said. If no updates, then the grinder is still working great.

This review applies to the stainless steel model. We were looking for a stainless steel conical burr grinder with reduction gearing. There are few choices in a modest budget, consumer price range - many grinders more beloved of coffee geeks actually use disk burrs and grind fast enough to heat the beans. (All the Capresso Infinity models use stainless steel burrs with the upper burr set in nylon, it's the body material that differs).There are conflicting reviews, I will provide some data in an attempt to resolve them and help others decide if this is a good choice for them.Good: Produces a consistent even grind within the range we use (espresso to pour-over). It is quiet. It does not heat the beans. The burrs appear to be heavy steel of good quality. The hopper and bin are relatively cheap plastic and probably need to be treated gently. I think it is a good value for the price.Due to the design, grounds are retained under the nylon collar surrounding the upper burr, even after tipping the grinder forward and giving it a whap to knock the last of the ground coffee out of the chute. Investigation with different roasts, grinds, and a gram scale showed:1) with a medium roast, dry bean, retention is minimal, almost nil when starting with a clean chamber2) with an oilier dark roast, retention was 3 g starting with a clean chamber. The same amount was retained regardless of grind (coarse to fine) and quantity (60 g for pour-over or 15 g for espresso shot both retained 3 g)3) setting the timer to run the grinder for a setting of "3" after the last beans disappear from the hopper decreased the retention to 2 g4) after the first shot of 15 g was ground and had 15 g in -> 13 g out, the next shot was full weight (15 g in -> 15 g out)5) I ground some rice (recommended to clean grinders) in order to visually determine whether the retained material is exchanged on the next grind, or stays put. The rice cleaned the chamber completely. So this didn't work as a way to test whether ground coffee left under the nylon collar is exchanged into the next grind. But it may be, meaning you would get coarser material mixed into your fine espresso grind or vice versa if switching grinds.Bottom line, should you buy this grinder?-yes if you want a conical stainless steel burr grinder that grinds at slow speed AND-you prefer medium-roast beans, which will not be significantly retained OR-you predominantly use one grind setting all the time OR-you are willing to disassemble and clean the grinder whenever you switch grinds and sacrifice a couple grams of the first grind after cleaning-No if your primary purpose is to dose dark roasted beans for espresso and you want to assure minimal retention of ground beans-No if you frequently prepare coffee by different methods thus switch back and forth between different grinds and don't want to fuss with cleaning each time you switch.I would expect with dark beans, the grinder would have to be cleaned regularly to continue to function well. Running 15 g of rice worked beautifully, or it's very straightforward to lift off the empty hopper, lift off the top burr, and clean the grind chamber and burr with a brush. You need to invest a couple bucks in a real brush in addition to the small brush provided.I don't understand the reviews about putting the burrs back upside down and getting them jammed. Either Capresso changed the design since those were written, or those folks need to pay a little attention when taking things apart & maybe snap a pic, because it seems fairly obvious.I have not experienced the static problems some users described, even with fine grind. I don't know if the stainless steel base reduces this problem.I would pamper the plastic hopper and timer; don't manually turn the timer off, just unplug and let it run down. I would suggest don't store beans in the hopper as the oil from the beans may change the plastic and make it more brittle over time, plus it's easier to clean the grinder if beans don't need to be removed from the hopper first.

For years I've been using very inexpensive burr grinders (which, I hasten to add, are still far better than any blade grinder). This one is in the next bracket, and the difference between it and what I've been using before are like day and night. The grounds coming out are even; there is very little to no dust produced; and so far anyway, there is very little problem with static on the grounds leading to sticking to the receptacle. The grinding is efficient and quick, and compared to what I've been using, a degree quieter.The one issue I've discovered is that quite a bit of grounds don't make it to the grounds receptacle and instead are left in the grinding area. For frequent use this isn't much of a problem, but if you are an infrequent user, this means you will end up with some stale grounds if you are not regularly cleaning the grinding chamber. Fortunately the disassembly and cleaning is very simple, and only requires a minute or two.Because of this small issue, I can't quite give it a 5 stars rating. My rating would be 4-1/2 if half-stars were allowed.

This is a good grinder that is very quiet.Pros:-very very quiet compared to all other low-cost grinders we have purchased-consistent grind-easy to fill and useCons:-trouble getting consistent volume of coffee due to the wind-up timer control. Even with known target number, each day we dial in slightly different amounts, or you can't see exactly where you stopped in a dim kitchen. So coffee is different strength every morning. We prefer the type of timer where you set the amount (and it stays on the setting until you change it again), press a separate START button. That way you dial in an amount one time and can consistently get same amount each day.-the coarsest setting is still finer than we would like for our drip maker-hopper could be larger-a little messy to use due to static cling, but this is the nature of plastic coffee grinders

Having read all the reviews, I almost picked something else - glad I didn't!I'll write this with genuine coffee snobs in mind; what I mean is, if you're just doing auto drip of any old coffee, I'm not sure you need to spend the money, frankly - There are blade grinders for much less that will do fine for y'all, (Seriously, I'm not being snotty - Our commercial Brewers at work take a grind that looks like a train wreck and makes very decent coffee) If on the other hand you roast your own at home from carefully picked beans as we do, or get your coffee fresh from a local roaster, and you use a French press, a serious drip system, or a vacuum press, this is your grinder. I'd even say that this will make a very decent on-the-cheap espresso grinder.The variance of grind is really pretty exceptional; from genuinely fine to evenly coarse, with many steps in between. Grind consistency is excellent, with very little dust.The metering offered by the timer is great. Once you determine your batch size, turning to that number yields a dependable and consistent amount of coffee every time.Cleaning is quite easy; the removable upper burr helps a bunch in that regard. Have had no problem with static, frankly. A couple taps on the side of the machine prior to pulling the reservoir assures that. Very little coffee gets in behind the reservoir as well. Cleaning thoroughly once a week or so will take care of any issue, for my mind.As for noise, I really don't know what folks expect. This won't wake somebody sleeping in the next room, and it doesn't make the floor tremble. It's a grinder, it makes grinding noises when it's working; it's neither excessive or out of bounds, frankly.Finally, I'll say this - if you love coffee and buy good, fresh coffee, take care in how you brew, and aren't using a decent burr grinder, you have no idea what you're missing; yes, it matters that much. A good grinder like this one will notably improve the flavor and mouth feel of your daily brew, guaranteed.

Overall, I'm happy with the Skerton, and if it broke, I'd buy another. Pros: conical burr grinder, with cover to keep ground coffee fresh. Good consistent results. The grinder fits on standard Mason jars, so you can use a Mason jar as a receptacle for coffee grounds. Cons: takes a long time to grind coffee (as you'd expect of a hand grinder.) No calibration or measurements, so getting the fine/coarse grind is trial and error. No way to quickly switch between different grinds without taking it apart and adjusting the (unlabeled) adjustment nut.. Glass grounds receptacle is a bit awkward to grip, even with my big ol' bear paws.

This is a great hand cranked burr grinder, but as others have mentioned it has a design flaw in that it needs another support at the burr end to help it do a more even coarse grind. This shortcoming is easy to fix with one of the various upgrade kits you can find on Amazon. The one I purchased is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JHGBXIK/.If you really care about a good cup of coffee, or like me and just don't drink it enough for preground coffee to stay fresh, this is a must have device. I wouldn't recommend it if you are trying to brew a full pot of coffee at a time, but if you are just making a few cups in your French press, this is the way to go.

If you want a basic, good quality manual burr grinder at a good price, this is it. It's perfect for a small coffee-loving household. Grinding by hand is labor-intensive, but reasonable if you're only making a few cups. It can provide enough coffee for a crowd, but you won't want to do that every day. The Hario Skerton generally provides a good, even grind and it's excellent at providing finer grinds for Aeropress coffee.The primary minuses are: coarse grinds aren't as consistent as you'd like, the glass construction makes it less-than-ideal for camping (where it would be very useful), the rubber base slips off pretty easily when grinding, and the rubber topper for the bin tends to collect fine particles and can be slightly annoying to clean.To get the most out of this grinder, you do need to keep some notes on how many times you turn the screw that adjusts the grind size. There are no markings to tell you how fine or coarse the coffee will be. Once you find a sweet spot, note it down for future reference. It's especially important if you alternate between French Press, Aeropress, pour-over, etc.In short, this is a perfect inexpensive kitchen tool for coffee enthusiasts. It'll let you make a good cup of coffee in a variety of styles. There are better grinders out there- a JavaPresse would be better for campers, and high-end automatic grinders are more consistent- but the Skerton is great if you want good morning coffee without a big investment.

Great little coffee grinder. I didn't want a motorized one so I don't wake my girlfriend in the morning. Sure, it's a little annoying sometimes when you want coffee and have to grind, but it's not a big deal. Everything disassembles, cleans easily, and the quality is good.Update 8/31/16: The gear-shaped nut that locks in or adjusts the grind level has disappeared after washing dishes. That's an error on my part, but this major issue is nobody seems to carry this piece other than Hario's Japanese site, which only ships in Japan. It's basically rendered this thing useless. I originally rated it 5 stars, but taking off one because of the total lack of replacement parts forcing me to buy a new one for one little nut.Update 10/2016: I contacted Hario's Japanese site who got back to me a month later. The replacement nut would be $3 + $2 shipping. A couple weeks prior, I went to Home Depot, found regular metric nuts, and they work fine as a replacement. No need for a $5 part. That said, if this ever has a major failure, I'm admitting defeat and going to upgrade to an electric burr grinder because I'm starting to get tired of cranking.Update 7/2017: As much as I like this grinder, I got tired of manually grinding every couple days and upgraded to a Cuisinart DBM-8. It's grinds pretty well (I think this hand grinder may slightly top it for grind quality) but now I'm done grinding in 30 seconds instead of 5-10 minutes, and the DBM-8 only takes about a minute to clean after each use.

Works very well for grinding coffee for my French press with much more consistent grinds than I could get from a blade-grinder. It is much slower than my Cuisinart burr-grinder, but does not make the mess the Cuisinart made. Grinding enough beans for 24 oz of French press coffee takes maybe a minute.I'm not crazy about using this grinder for espresso. It is (or I am) too slow to use this for grinding much espresso. On the other hand, it is easy to take the handle off, and connect the grinder to my electric drill. (The hard part is keeping my wife and kids from seeing me do it. She has no sense of humor when my son says "Dad, can I try that?!?)As others have pointed out, adding a 1/4" split-ring stainless steel lock washer between the handle and the knurled nut helps significantly. The lower burr does wobble when doing coarse grinds, so I just ordered the lower bearing for Orphan Espresso (Google it). Once I add that, I can see this Hario Skerton grinder lasting the rest of my lifetime.

I like to make my Americano/Long Black with the freshest possible coffee. Pre-ground works well but goes stale within a week in a container. I use an AeroPress coffeemaker to brew individual cups so grinding fresh from whole beans just before brewing gives the best possible flavor.It's a good thing the instructions for this grinder have picture-diagrams because that's what it took to assemble this thing. Once together, however, it grinds very well with its ceramic blades. Be aware that the grind adjust is very delicate. A full turn can give you a much finer or coarser grind than desired. This grinder is capable of producing both 'chunks' and 'dust.' The receptacle glass jar has a separate lid to keep leftover grounds fresh. The unit also comes with two rubber-like attachments for which there are no instructions. I finally figured the first one serves as a cap-guard for the bean grind cup. The second one is for attaching to the bottom of the jar which gives it more stability while grinding. As others have noted, the handle nut could use a washer to keep it from loosening.I give the grinder 5 stars. Subtract 1 star for poor instructions.

I have owned two of these grinders. One motor failed in 2016 after 4 years of use. I guess since I used it practically every day during that time, this is just normal wear and tear -- the price of doing business. Since these entry-level grinders don't really have completely user-replaceable parts, I just bought a new one. My current grinder lasted just over one year (purchased on September 26, 2016) and 8 days out of warranty, the timer knob/switch broke off in my hand (see the picture). Since timer knob/switch is cheap plastic, I cannot repair it myself. I have contacted Jura-Capresso via email to see if the part can be fixed. If not, I'll be buying another burr grinder. But, I am seriously considering other models and vendors.UPDATED: I contacted Jura-Capresso Customer Service by email and fill-in form from their website. I was directed to their 800-number. I gave them my model number and they waived shipping for the replacement part (USPS is slower but cheaper than UPS). The knob/switch cost just under $6. Thanks, Jura-Capresso!

We've been using this coffee grinder now for 9 months and feel we've put it through its paces enough to review. On the plus side, the grinder is very quiet compared to our Vita-Mix (which is what we were using before to grind beans) and prior to that, an 80s era Krups model. It processes the beans quickly and the grind is consistent.One the negative side, we've only been grinding beans for our KRUPS KM4689 Moka Brewer Coffee Maker Machine with Permanent Filter and Glass Carafe, 10-Cup, Black, which prefers a coarse grind due to its brewing method. So, we have our grinder set as coarse as possible and still there's some mud at the bottom of the pot, even using the gold filter *and* a paper filter. The grind is simply not coarse enough to even attempt a pot of French press. The timer dial seems arbitrary and sloppy, only useful if you've already figured out the proper grind and quantity you need and want to repeat it. But the worst feature is the amount of static the grinder generates. I do not believe one should have alter the beans you buy in order to better fit a grinder. We use Costco's Kirkland Signature Espresso (by Starbucks) and these are very fresh, oily beans. We've learned to pull the container over the sink but even then the grounds fly everywhere in about a 1' radius and are especially attracted to the grinder's plastic housing. We read about a hack to help minimize the static (sprinkle a little water into the bean hopper) and while it does help for a brief time, it also contributes to clogging so I wouldn't recommend trying it. To sum up: if you need a fine grind for your coffeemaker, don't mind cleaning up flyaway grounds every time, and prefer a relatively quiet machine, this grinder is for you.

Durable and good. The ability to grind COARSE coffee grounds is a bit lacking. When using a french press you want to have the grounds significantly heavier than even the coarsest setting on this machine can do.

This got high reviews and I liked it at first to replace my blade electric coffee grinder. I've had it a year and it works great, grinds fast, has useful settings. The only problem is that when it grinds it creates a lot of static cling on the grinder, especially on the container that collects the grinds. The clinging grinds go all over the counter when you remove the container. It creates quite a mess. I don't know how such a problem gets past the engineers in the design process. I'm now looking to replace this product with a hand-cranked model.

It seems to be impossible to completely clean all the old ground-up coffee out of this grinder. The tiny brush that they include is totally inadequate. The only way that might work would be to use a vacuum cleaner, because the coffee grounds are stuck in the burr, which is not removable. So, after the first time you use it, unless you are willing to use a vacuum cleaner to clean it, you'll have to put up with some old, stale coffee grounds being mixed with your freshly ground coffee. Yuk!

Five years ago I bought this grinder for about $90. Replacement model now costs about $150. It worked (2-3 small grinds per day) very well until recently. Now it only produces finely ground coffee and would not run without rapidly rotating the hopper back and forth a few times with the timer on of course. YouTube has a video on how to reset the grind but that did not help. Upon disassembly, I found that the switch is actuated by the hopper coming into contact with the switch "nub". This nub had apparently worn down over time and would no longer engage sufficiently to activate the switch. I could not find replacement parts and would probably have to send it to an authorized repair shop anyway at considerable expense. Based upon my experience, like many appliances, works great when new, but not built to last. Gave it only three stars because it's a bit pricy for only five years of relatively light use.

First one I received was misaligned from the manufacturer. I could not adjust it, but replacing it was painless. The second one I received was also slightly misaligned, but not as bad. I definitely recommend getting the steel upgrade part that keeps the axle from wobbling during grinding. The grind is more consistent than when I used the Mr. Coffee electric blade grinder, but the result is still a pretty wide range of grind pieces. It seems okay for the price. Do not kid yourself if you think it won't be hard work to use this every time you want to grind beans for a cup of coffee.

I am not much of coffee drinker but I've been drinking bullet proof coffee using this and it's working fine. The manual grinding action can be annoying if you're making coffee for more than 2 people. It takes me roughly 1-2 minutes to grind about 1.5 TBLS of coffee beans. Grinding coffee beans are suppose to bring out more flavor compared to chopping (most electric grinders chop, not grind) but I can't seem to tell the difference. Perhaps because I'm no coffee aficionado.

This is a great product for grinding a small quantity of beans -- enough for a few cups of coffee. From course to fine, the grind quality is consistent and the beans are only mildly warmed. But if you have joint or tendon problems, or need to grind a significant quantity of beans, this probably isn't the best choice.As others have noted, the jar is awkward to hold if you have small to medium hands, and it must be held firmly throughout the grinding process. This quickly becomes more fatiguing than turning the crank itself. Plus, the finer the grind, the more time and effort required.With rest periods, it takes me about 8 minutes to coarse grind enough beans for a liter of cold brew. Grinding a 12-ounce bag requires 15 minutes, by which time my holding hand will be numb and tingling.Again, the resulting grind is very high quality, but the time and effort required was just too much for me. I still use the Hario occasionally if I'm only brewing a cup or two, but for larger quantities I now use an electric grinder.

Note that I usually use this for making espresso-grind (fine or very fine) coffee. I removed the crank, installed a hex nut, and I use an electric drill to drive the grinder. It still takes several minutes to grind coffee for ~ two rounds of espresso this way. (No, I do not heat the coffee beans this way or "damage" its delicate oils). The result is good, but I can't swear that it is much better aesthetically than the product of a $10 blade grinder for a simple "fine" grind for drip or stove-top models, and I have long been accused by relatives and friends of having a "sensitive palate;" I can get all Goldilocks on a product based on taste matters. The Hario *is* better at producing an expert grade "powder-like" grind for mechanical espresso machines than is a typical blade grinder. So, this is still a cool thing, but if you are grinding for espresso, you better be able to surrender to the One, or have 5-6 minute Led Zeppelin track going in the background to occupy you. That's with the drill retrofit. If you are hand-cranking, I recommend a Joseph Conrad book-on-tape as accompaniment.

Awesome if your home or office uses exclusively a single type of coffee maker. Less than awesome if there's a mix. And altogether, I worry about this thing's durability, as the burrs actually contact each other on fine settings. No bueno, overall.First, the good: I currently have and use the Hario Mini Mill at work, which does a fine job but is too small for more than two servings' worth of grinding. The Skerton, on the other hand, is quite large, relatively speaking, which is nice if you need to make lots of coffee or want to pregrind. The large size also makes it much more comfortable to hold while grinding, and the inclusion of a rubber piece for the bottom of the grind chamber means it doesn't slip around during grinding like the Mini Mill does. In terms of build quality, the materials seem exceptionally durable, too. The plastic is tough, the glass is thick, and the whole thing is heavy, feeling more like a tool than a toy. It's a nice looking unit.Then, the bad: Unfortunately, the build quality fails on a few quality assurance points. For one, this grinder is very loud for office use if you choose not to use the lid (which, if you want to remove it while the handle is on, requires a silly little bit of puzzle solving as you navigate the lid across and free from the handle), so be careful of that if for whatever reason you think you'd want to use this without the lid. Two, the burrs on my model come dangerously close together for the fineness of grind I would need for espresso; if I tighten it enough to produce a good grind, I can hear the burrs actually rubbing together, which is super bad as it'll wear the burrs out much, much faster than they should when only grinding against coffee. Lastly (and annoyingly), there is no way to accurately "measure" the fineness of my grind. The gear "dial" mechanism used to adjust grind setting turns smoothly. I would contrast this against the Mini Mill's "click" system, where turning the adjustment piece produces clicks as feedback and counting the ticks can give you a good idea how fine your grind is. With the Skerton, it would be very difficult to reproduce a grind setting if I ever have a reason to change it, and, worse, I can't share my successful settings with anyone because there's no way to describe the grind setting.Overall, this grinder produces a great, consistent grind at moderately fine settings which should suit drip or Aeropress users. French press users, you might not like the consistency of this grinder's results right out of the box because the grind adjustment process literally lowers the lower bearing to make the grind coarser. As a result of this, dust and other small particles will fall through the cracks when doing coarse grinds, and that, you French press lovers might well know, means sludgy coffee. The popular "lower bearing mod" for the Skerton (search Google for it) can pull the old switcheroo with this problem, making a modified Skerton much better fit for coarse grinding while simultaneously making it impossible to grind fine enough even for an Aeropress.Unfortunately too, the Aeropress works best with a finer grind than drip, while French presses work best with coarser grinds than drip. This means that the Skerton doesn't even live up to its potential in the office. I personally use an Aeropress, so I can grind plenty of fresh coffee for my coworkers who also use the Aeropress. Sadly, those with French presses can't participate because modifying the Skerton would make it completely useless to me.

The Unit arrived from Taiwan 10 days after ordering from Amazon in the original Hario box in good condition. It was easy to assemble by setting the wing nut to ½ turn from the tightest position, putting the locking washer over it and screwing down the handle. The rubber lid fit well and prevents the beans from popping out as you get to the end of the grind. The glass is nice and the plastic hopper is high quality. The jar is a good size and easy to hold. The rubber base makes it easier to hold on the counter and prevents slippage while grinding. I was able to grind 65 grams of beans (3/4 cup) in 3 minutes with no fatigue. Upon sifting the ground beans, I found that 15 grams fell through leaving 50 grams remaining to be used in the French Press. Turning the handle clockwise prevents the handle from coming loose as other reviews mentioned having issues.As another reviewing mentioned, I attached a 6mm X 1mm coupling bolt in place of the handle and ground beans with my cordless drill. In this case is easily ground the 65 grams of beans in 45 seconds. I used the low speed on the drill.Overall this will be useful on camping trips and around the house when I don’t feel like the noise of the fancy coffee machine we have. As others mentioned, this would have been a 5 star review if they had engineered a way to keep the grinding head from waddling slightly as you turn.

I just purchased it based on the great reviews and the recommendations that it is also manages a good grind for percolators. I have a KA Pro Line grinder that I like for home but wanted a small-ish electric burr to replace my Hario hand grinder on vacation. Using it, however, I find that the Capresso 560 produces too much fine powdery grind for my percolator even when I have it turned to full course (12). I have to pre-shake the perc basket over the sink to get rid of some of the powder before brewing. And I don't mind a dirty cup, just don't want it too silty. NEVER had this issue with the Hario or KA. I wouldn't buy this again.

This is our second Capresso Infinity 560, and probably our last, owing to the disappointing customer experience with Jura. The grinder functioned well with some quirks: the static issue is definitely a problem, as is cleaning of the outlet hole within the grinding chamber, which tends to get clogged. Also of note is that the black dots on the upper plastic chamber tend to fade away so you can't tell how you've set the coarseness of the grind.But what really was the final straw for me today was when I got up this morning and the on/off/timer knob disintegrated after turning it on. The plastic cylinder that holds the knob onto the actual switch mechanism broke (see pictures). Considering that the grinder is only 16 months old, that typically means a bad batch of plastic knobs since it's supposed to be ABS plastic. I emailed Jura through the Capresso website and got a terse "You can call customer service". I called them and was told that it'd be $13.50 to send me a replacement knob. $13.50! for a ten-cent piece of plastic, and not even an "I'm sorry to hear that the product didn't perform well". This stands in stark contrast to a recent positive customer service experience I had with OXO where they offered to replace a 5 year old product at no cost.Overall, the minuses outweigh the plusses with this grinder, and certainly with Jura. I'd recommend looking for a better product and better company to deal with.

If you are buying this for use with a French Press -- stop now, you are about to make an expensive mistake. Even at its coarsest setting, the Infinity grinds too fine. I've read online that this is generally true of conical burr grinders because they are targeted at espresso drinkers. I've also read plenty of complaints that this particular grinder, with only 16 settings, doesn't allow you to dial in with the precision needed for good espresso...so you may be taking a hit on both ends of the spectrum.I grind coffee every day -- weekdays I use a drip machine and let it to do its thing while I'm getting ready for work. On weekends I use a press. First, I'll start with what I like about the Infinity: its grind is very consistent -- I can taste the difference in my weekday drip, and as long as I use the same setting and measurements there is no fluctuation day to day like I get with my old, cheap blade grinder.Now for the bad: even at the coarsest setting the best I get is somewhere between medium and medium-coarse. Check out the Coffee Grind Chart at ineedcoffe.com to see what I mean. Without precautions, I end up with sludgy coffee and that is a huge drop in quality over what I get with my well-practiced pulsing regimen with the blade. I find this a bit frustrating, since the Infinity is advertised as a versatile entry grade grinder.Also, as other reviewers have noted, a lot of grounds get left behind in the chamber. I'd say at least a teaspoon every time. Here's a tip for this and other grinders: pick up a Giotto Rocket Blower or something similar and use it to blow out the stubborn dust the remains behind after the initial brushing. Just be careful about where you do the blowing -- or you'll have dust raining down throughout your kitchen. I generally flip the unit upside down and blow the dust into my sink or a garbage bag.In conclusion, if you are looking for a consistent, fine grind and only plan to use for drip coffee (and *maybe* espresso) this is probably a great grinder. But if you're like me and want greater control in the medium to coarse range, this may not be the best choice. The unit is annoying to clean due to excess leftover grounds -- but you can work around that with a little tapping and blowing.

I only grind a couple of tablespoons of beans each morning; enough for one mug. Every time, over a tablespoon of coffee is left hiding in the machine. No matter how I grind it, bang it on the counter, whatever, those grinds will not come out until I've removed the cup. Then they come out, up to two tablespoons worth, usually, on the counter. Of course, you could just leave the grinds up there and drink stale coffee the next morning, if that's why you buy fresh whole beans. . but it's not.This is one of those items that just gets annoying over time. I thought I could live with it--the problem is well-known--but first thing in the morning, you don't want a battle with your grinder. You just want your coffee, right? Save yourself some frustration and buy a different brand. Then let me know what it is so I can, too.

This grinder is a real disappointment. The grinding is fine, but cleaning is a nuisance. At least a tablespoon of ground coffee collects in the area surrounding the burrs each time coffee is ground, and expelling it is nearly impossible, thanks to the numerous partitions in the removable gasket. The basket is offset from the grinding housing so that there is no free-fall of coffee from grinding housing to collection chamber, promoting the back-up of coffee in the housing. The tiny brush supplied is laughably inadequate to the task of pushing the collected coffee into the small hole that gives access — horizontally — to the chamber. The only effective way of removing the coffee build-up is dismantling the whole thing and shaking it upside-down on a hard surface. If you don't clean the machine each time, you will have a mix of fresh and stale coffee the next time you use it, and in time, the mixture can become quite unpalatable. I'm sorry I didn't discover all this until the opportunity for returning the machine to Amazon expired. A really faulty design that takes a bit of time to comprehend.

I like this grinder and think it's a good budget / economy burr grinder...worth the money, I think, considering the other alternatives are more expensive and lower-rated.What I like about it is that it is a consistent grind (but as of this time, I have only tested it on Medium). I can instantly see the difference between this and a blade grinder (I also have the $20 Capresso Capresso 501 Cool Grind Coffee Grinder, Black). People say the grinder makes a huge difference. So far, I'm not sure if I can tell that taste-wise.An included warned of carefully putting the plastic bean holder in carefully. This part of the appliance felt very cheap to me, and I was afraid of breaking the bean holder (perhaps thanks to the note).A couple beans got stuck in this depression / hole where a screw goes in the top part of the grind.The included brush for cleaning was very tiny, cheap feeling, and not useful, in my opinion. The scoop that came with it could have been improved in its mold, too -- the handle of the scoop depressed inward, which creates places for coffee dust to build up.Update:2016My husband started using this recently and noticed that around 1-2 grams coffee gets caught in the "shoot" or burrs or somewhere inside the machine. The only way to get it out is aggressive tapping and shaking. Not good.The photo shows what was caught inside the machine after grinding 30g of beans.

This was a Big Disappointment. Does not live up to the glowing reviews that some have posted. I have used it twice and it's going back. The grind is uneven and inconsistent. No, I don't want to spend another $10 bucks on the Blue Horse Upgrade Kit. Re-tightning the contraption every few grinds does not work for me. I miss my old electric pulse grinder and will be looking for a replacement. Not worth the price I paid for this thing or the time I spent trying to get it to work properly.

Inconsistency and way to difficult to hold when you are trying to grind the beans and it's no way to use this grinder on the counter. I used to have the mini version from Hario and it died a year after daily (sometimes twice a day) use. I adjusted the settings carefully but a small part of the coffee grounds always come out wrong.I purchased this that was sold by Amazon, so I don't think it's the fake one that a lot of people experienced, too bad it couldn't work, I am going back to the mini version again..

This thing was horrible. Setting it up was a total pain. The fine grind setting worked great, however that is not what I need it for. The coarse grind was absolutely horrible. There were pieces of coffee bean that were practically whole mixed with a fine powder. Also, the directions were bad - the English translation was just horrible and provided no useful information on how to assemble the product or change the grind size. Just not worth the effort for such a poor result. I really don't know how this thing received such high ratings. I did read some people needing to make some "upgrades" but I really have no desire to invest more time and money into this piece of crap.

I have had this guy since November 5th, 2014. I was very excited as I had done much research and landed on this as the best option for hand grinding. Begin my first burr grinder, I immediately noticed an improvement in my AeroPress, FrenchPress, and pour-over coffee brews. I worked to adjust the grind for each method. One time while I was adjusting the grind size, I noticed a considerable amount of play in the shaft that has the center cone burr mounted to it. I noticed that it can easily move off-center and contact the outer ceramic burrs. I began to look closely at it and noticed that when I spin the handle, the shaft is completely bent! it does not remain centered at any point in time. It looks like it is simply poor build quality. I am trying to see if I can get a new steel shaft from the manufacturer, as that seems to be all that is needed, but this may have also damaged my burrs. Does anyone know how I might be able to tell if the ceramic is damaged?At this point, I am hopeful, buy saddened that this is the 5th recent order of something that was clearly resold, refurbished, or poor quality from Amazon. It has gotten me wondering if Amazon is not buying lots of rejected products and selling them at discounts.[update: The company was very responsive and sent replacement parts- see my response in the comments. ]

I REALLY wanted to like this! I enjoy a cup of coffee maybe only 5 times per week, but I want it really good, and I simply can't justify spending a lot of $ for a professional burr grinder. OH! And, the other problem is that we like French Press coffee, so we need a course grind. But, it must be fairly even, so lots of "fines" don't end up in the cup.I did a LOT of on-line research, and this Hario seemed like a great solution. I realized up-front that there are stability issues, but they seem quite solvable! I got this nifty bottom bracket stabilizer (google Shapeways Hario - about $7 + $5 shipping) and found plenty of "mods" for the top of the shaft. I will say, upfront, that this nifty and affordable grinder has a lot of potential, and these mods worked wonderfully to stabilize the center shaft!My grinder finally arrived - I was pretty excited - already had the other parts. But, the grinder was packaged with the shaft loose in the jar, and the glass jar arrived broken. Amazon replaced it, but I did examine it before I sent it back, and noticed the bottom (inner) burr was not screwed onto the shaft in a centered manner. I sincerely hoped it was a fluke!However, when I got the replacement, I immediately noticed the same thing. Unfortunately, there is no way to get consistent grinds when the 2 burrs necessarily(!) have an uneven amount of space between them - I tried it out anyway, with and without my modifications - but sadly returned it. I did attempt to remove the nut securing the burr to the shaft, but I couldn't figure out a way to do that, using either sockets or pliers or with any other ideas (although I believe others might have done this.)So - like I said - a lot of potential, but a no-go - due to significant "production" problems. I will probably try another one or 2 to try to get a better one - it seems others might have had better luck, it they are getting decent grinds.ALSO - please DO CHIME IN and tell me if your lower burr is centered on the shaft, and/or if you know how to remove it and reassemble it. Thanks a bunch!!!

It does well at making very fine grounds in extremely small amounts. IMHO it is completely inappropriate for making anything bigger than a single espresso shot. There should be a warning on the listing that it takes a full 30 minutes to grind 8 cups' worth of grounds. I actually clung to the dream of hand-grinding my coffee for a couple weeks before I returned mine. I was forced to admit that I don't have 3.5 hours per week to spend grinding my coffee.I have a single-cup, double-insultaed, travel french press so I tried coarse grounds, but the wider you open the throat of this grinder, the more inconsistent is the size of the grounds.I think this device is probably good for some people for some applications, but it was useless to me for grinding coffee.BTW I don't rule out the possibility that I simply don't know enough coffee theory and grinding technique to make this work. Learning more about making coffee has been creeping up my list of priorities, but I haven't really started to study in earnest.

I am very disappointed. I had this grinder recommended to me, and figured I was paying enough to get a quality product that would allow for an even, coarse grind for making cold-brew coffee.I've done two batches of coffee so far, a couple pounds at a time, and here's what I've experienced.1) The grinder cannot go very coarse. On the coarsest setting, the largest granules are larger than I'd like, and what I've seen called a "French press" level of grind. This is a problem if you want to use the grinder coarse grinds.2) Note I said "the largest granules". It seems no matter what level of grind I select, I end up with a large amount of very finely ground particles. I know no grinder will be perfectly even, but I'd guess I'm getting a 2-1 ratio of coarse to fine grinds at best. See the image I've provided, this is about 5 ounces of grounds filtered roughly through a straining bag.3) Static is a huge problem. I didn't think this would be much of an issue, but grounds go flying out whenever you pull out the tray. I've tried wetting the tray, tapping the unit after grinding, letting it sit for a minute after grinding, leaving the lid on the container on or taking it off, nothing solves the problem. Be prepared to clean up a mess of grinds all over your working area whenever you use this grinder.Stay away. Anyone have any recommendations for a grinder better suited for coarse grinds, please leave a comment and let me know.

I had this same model for many years and I really liked it. This one is not very good. Somehow grinds get all over it. When I take it apart to clean it grounds are are everywhere they shouldn't be. This never happened with the other one until it was very old. I will not be buying another one.

I purchased this coffee grinder in January 2017. On February 17, 2017, it stopped working for no reason I can detect. The timer still works perfectly fine, but the grinders do not activate. I took it apart multiple times and have examined each part to make sure nothing is cracked or broken. I went through every tip and trick in the manual given to make sure this isn't user error. I even tried plugging it into a different outlet on another breaker just in case.I cleaned it once every 2 weeks by removing the housing and wiping down the interior with a dry paper towel and have only used it to grind coffee 1-2 times per day (we like afternoon or evening coffee as well as morning coffee every once in a while).Return window was 17 days ago, but I seriously expected this thing to last more than 2 months.

Machine will not grind coarse enough for use with french press. Customer service says "sorry, I guess you will have to buy another brand, ours is factory calibrated and should be fine". What a waste.

I bought this to replace an old Braun blade grinder. I wish I'd bought this sooner! It's way quieter, easier to use and produces a nice consistent grind. The place I work at has an older model of this Capresso grinder (looks the same but is black) which has been used several times a day for about 3 years and is still going strong, so I am confident this one I purchased for home use will last a good long time.Update: It died within 6 months. We are back to using our old Braun blade grinder, which we've had for at least 15 years.

Perfect? No. Horrible, Yes. Grinder performs poorly. There are major issues with static electricity. They are dealt with by using a brush. Not the brush that is supplied with the grinder. That little thing is too small. A larger brush that is advertised as an additional purchase is needed so that the grinds and coffee dust that will be all over every visible surface can be brushed into a large pile for disposal. The grinder settings are easily determined by trial and error. Does grind well. Interior cleaning is burdensome. Dark roast beans residue seems to stick to the burrs and grind area walls. (Wish the coffee dust would stick there.) Customer service is, as of June 16 (Happy Fathers Day), non-existent. I emailed to complain about what I consider to be a design flaw (the need to precisely align the mark on the bean hopper with the mark on the grinder body - if not aligned precisely the machine will break) and have not received a reply. Put the $90 toward a Virtuoso by Baraza. Much better machine. Much better customer service. Much less static (coffee dust) electricity. Two friends of mine have had theirs for 7 years. Still function perfectly. Oh how I wish I had listened. This Capresso is horrible, horrible, and did I say horrible? It is!

I never write reviews but this was frustrating. I wanted to like this item when I first got it. The ceramic pieces themselves are nicely machined and the device, despite its plastic, is well built and attractive.BUT, the rest of this device was poorly machined. There are two major issues with its construction: 1) the male part of the grinder hangs fairly loosely. Luckily there is an upgrade kit out there to fix that problem but compounded with #2 it is simply not enough. 2) The o-ring which screws down and holds the female part of the grinder in place does not do so snugly and so the piece sits loosely making it impossible to align the grinders and get an even grind. May as well stick with that $20 blade grinder.

I really wanted to love this, grinder and I gave it every chance in the world... everything is well manufactured as long as you don't get the knockoff with the white ceramic burr section... the issue at hand is engineering, and caring about the French press-level (course) grind .The problem is there is no shaft guide as you move down towards the burr end to keep the burr centered! So naturally the coffee beans will move around and take up different space and move the burr side to side relative to the stationary part. This causes an uneven grind no matter what speed, what consistency you crank, or what bean you use. So for everyone who is raving about this they must not care about grind consistency or be using this to 1) get their morning upper body exercise in, while trying to 2) get a fine grind...WHY?: because to create fine grinds takes ~10 minutes of grinding!The bottom line: If you're using a stainless filter or a French press or anything with a standard small set of holes for which the coffee water is supposed to go through you are going to be disappointed. this is a 90% perfect design, but that 10% leaves you with a grossly inconsistent grind that you would get from a quick acting motorized blade grinder or thereabouts.I am an engineer with many years of design and plastics molding experience and there are no missing parts in my unit. however I can tell you that it is a mold feature built into the upper part of the plastic that does not allow it to have any bearing surface toward the bottom of the grinder. Now if they have changed the design to hold the lower section of the shaft in the center then this would be an ideal grinder for anyone. Too bad, because otherwise this thing is a home run in the making, instead we have a swing and a miss...UPDATE-9/10/15: my fellow Amazon-er Brad was nice enough to share the fix for this however at a cost of about $18, it makes this a $52 hand-grinding coffee mill... plus labor LOL. So if you want a really decent grinder, and want to put your screwdriver to use, here is the link to the fix Hario Skerton Upgrade Kit. if I hadn't already returned this mail I would have potentially spent the extra money with kegger(the seller) and reworked this unit to my satisfaction. please note that when you put this crossmember system into your mill it will cause a partial block of coffee beans easily going down the chute. but it is well enough designed so as to not cause a clog.

sadly, this one falls short in quality: perhaps its a defective unit, but I don't have a second one to confirm.Dont get me wrong, this thing was amazing! Key word.. WAS. I bought this a month ago and was grinding up beans daily with it. Took me about 5 minutes or so to grind because I didn't speed through it: I figure one will wear out the burrs if you grind too fast, and you may even make those ceramic burrs heat up and affect the grounds due to friction. Anyway, I didn't use it for any espresso application..mostly pour-over / drip.For about 2-3 weeks, this thing was great. Then a week or so ago, I started to notice that I was grinding past the 10 minute mark and there were still a ton beans on the upper chamber. Keep in mind that I only would grind a maximum of 25grams which doesn't even go above halfway in the hopper. I noticed the burrs just spinning with grounds in between, but basically mushed and it was stopping the rest of the whole beans to come down. Only fix is for me to empty the upper chamber, unhinge the screws and manually empty and finger-clean the "stuck mush" in between the burrs. Put everything back together, ensuring I had the same grind-wheel setting, then regrind. Very frustrating!I surely doubt I wore out these burrs already. They're ceramic and I've heard people have them for months (some years). I have no idea why it started doing this and I really didn't do anything different from when I started using it (when it worked).Anyway, this is sad because I JUST passed my 30 day return threshold and its no longer eligible even for an exchange. If anyone has any fix for this, that would be great.I own other Hario products and they're all awesome. This is by far the biggest disappointment. I wish I can recommend this to others, but with my experience and frustration as of late, I'd say save your money and invest in an electric conical burr grinder like the Baratza Encore.UPDATE 3/10/2015 - This thing is garbage!! Its worthless at this point! I'm so frustrated with grinds getting stuck between the burrs. I know some beans are oilier than others but I've tried just about everything (fresh roast and old). IT ALWAYS GETS STUCK! and I'm there grinding nothing. Its so frustrating! I almost chucked this to the wall this morning. Took a photo of how those grinds get stuck. I dont think I can pay someone to even take this thing. Its crap. Sorry Hario.

I really wish that I had read more of the reviews here before buying this.I had a Hario slim grinder for over a year and it recently broke because my idiot hands dropped it and the plastic bearing inside snapped off making it pretty much useless.Enter the Hario Skerton. Bigger capacity, a nice glass storage vessel, will screw on to regular mason jars. An upgrade! Cool, right? Oh wait, there's this one little problem. This thing produces the most inconsistent grind I have ever seen. Even worse than an electric blade grinder. Now I know what some of you are thinking: I must have gotten a defective unit, or it wasn't an authentic Hario. I checked everything many times and compared what I had to pictures and the like -- and I've had this brand before. I can assure you it was authentic.The problem is, I use a french press. This unit is not designed for a coarse grind, plain and simple. But even that aside, I tried a fine grind and still found the grind consistency to be very poor. I just don't understand how anyone can like this thing especially a coffee connoisseur. I shouldn't have to "modify" anything to get a coarse grind. That just doesn't make sense. The ceramic grinder wobbles so much and makes so much racket it's a wonder this could even grind the softest beans.Oh well, back to the slim grinder. At least it worked.

I bought this to replace my mini Hario coffee mill that broke after about two years of near daily use. I went for this one over another mini because I liked the glass container and the seemingly better constructed hand crank. The Skerton is somewhat easier to dismantle and clean than the mini, but I strongly dislike everything else about it. It's too large, making it very awkward to hold in your hands (unless you happen to be a gorilla). The rubber base is supposed to make it easier to use on a tabletop, but I still found it difficult to hold steady. I read in another review to wedge it between your legs, but I'm all bones down there, so this just hurt. The grinding mechanism whines regardless of what tension I set it at, and my coffee grounds always came out coarse and uneven. The hand crank has a tendency to loosen as you grind, so I was constantly tightening the top nut. As other reviewers have mentioned, a locking washer could fix that. I was most surprised by how long it took to grind coffee for one cup. My old mini Hario could tear through beans in only a few minutes, but the Skerton takes more than twice as long. I loved the mini, aside from some design flaws that make it wear out easily, and will likely be returning the Skerton in favor of another mini.

My order was filled by Update Products International. While it looks like a decent copy, it IS a copy. There is not one single marking on the entire product to indicate that it's a Hario. Every picture I've seen of these show Hario stamped all over the product. There are many key differences from what is pictured and what was sent to me. The top nut is shaped differently, the key that locks the adjustment gear in place only has one leg instead of 2, there is no hopper cover, the glass grind catcher doesn't have ribs on it, the burrs are white and have chips taken out of them. This was supposed to be a new item... To see what this item should look like, go check it out at Sweet Marias. It's $12 more there, but most likely you would get what you paid for. I'm uploading some pictures of what I got as a warning to future buyers.EDIT: ON 1/15/16 I ORDERED ANOTHER ONE FROM AMAZON. I MADE SURE TO CHOOSE A SELLER WHO WAS AMAZON AND FULFILLED BY AMAZON. I GOT EXACTLY WHAT I EXPECTED. A GENUINE HARIO SKERTON WITH ALL ACCESSORIES. I'M VERY PLEASED NOW. FOR EVERYONE READING THIS REVIEW - MAKE SURE TO ORDER FROM THE AMAZON SELLER/FULFILLED BY AMAZON. As for the grinder itself. I will definitely be modding the lower bearing, as there is a ton of wobble/play in the shaft as you grind, causing inconsistencies. I'll order from Orphan Espresso since there is only one other bearing kit sold on amazon and it doesn't include the washer replacement and OE went through the trouble of creating a very good tutorial video on the mod.