Best Buy Coffee Grinders On Sale!

   

Hamilton Beach 80374 Custom Grind Hands-Free Coffee Grinder, Black
From Hamilton Beach

The Ultimate Performing Coffee grinder , grinds up to 15 cups of beans. Takes all the guesswork out of grinding , as it automatically grinds coffee to the preset roast settings for the best tasting coffee . Internal cord wrap. Dishwasher safe removable stainless steel grinding chamber with cover .

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5933 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Size: Medium
• Color: Black
• Brand: Hamilton Beach
• Model: 80374
• Dimensions: 9.50" h x 5.50" w x 5.50" l, 2.60 pounds

Best grinder for the money
I couldn't recommend this grinder more highly. It is solidly constructed, and the manufacturer took the time to add all the little details that are missing on cheaper models, like no-slip feet and a retractable cord (which is a little short, perhaps the one negative to this otherwise perfect product). The stainless steel grinder bowl is well designed - it has gradiated markings to let you know how many beans to put in for the number of cups of coffee you intend to brew, and it perfectly grinds the beans to your desired coarsness. In addition, it is removable AND dishwasher safe, making for easy cleaning.

The machine's slim, tall profile is ideal for easy on-counter or cabinet storage, and the black / stainless steel finish is attractive and a good match to most major coffee maker and espresso machine brands. The grinder provides multiple different settings for different coarsness and the amount of beans you are grinding, and since the grinding time is pre-set you can just push the button and move on to doing something else while the coffee grinds. It may take the "art" out of coffee grinding, but it will give you a great cup of coffee every time.

A final note - you may feel constrained by the pre-set options, but they still provide quite a bit of flexibility. If you like your coffee weaker, just put in a few less beans than your desired cup mark would call for (or vice versa if you like your coffee stronger). Having the specific settings means that when your experimenation finally comes out the way you want it to, you'll be able to remember next time ("oh, I used the 4-cup measure of beans to 8 cups of water, and I ground it on the medium-coarse setting") rather than having to try to guess at what you did to get that "perfect cup."

I can't imagine anything else that I would want in a grinder - the only semi-common option that it is missing is extra storage for beans or ground coffee; these features are not missed, however, as I always grind my beans fresh and I store them in a cool, dry airtight container. Storing your beans or grounds in the grinder is a sure way to ruin their taste.

Is this the perfect grinder? I'd say so. I give it a perfect 5/5.

Best grinder we've owned
When my husband and I got married we EACH owned our own coffee grinder. Both of them were very dependable (one was a Waring, one a Brauning) and it took many years for them to both wear out. (The Waring's plastic lid deteriorated by bits and pieces, but when we got this new grinder we still use it for a spice mill!) But this one is the best ever---we just love it. It's much better than our old ones in every way. You can easily adjust the grind, and best of all the cup is detachable so it's very easy to get the coffee into the filter with NO MESS (that's one reason it doesn't need a long cord). It's even attractive-looking! We have nothing negative to say about this grinder---it's a great product.

UPDATE: TWO YEARS LATER!
I bought this grinder in June 2007 and it is still going strong after daily use for over 2 years. I've had none of the "cap-loosening problem" or "stopped working" that others reported. I'm now buying a second one for my vacation home. Things I love about this grinder:

1) You don't have to stand there and hold the button
2) It has multiple grind selections and it really DOES grind to espresso fineness
3) You can put the coffee in the lid for transport instead of having to drag the whole grinder over to your coffee pot
4) It's really dependable
5) It's attractive
6) Reasonably priced (with free shipping!)
7) Retractable cord! Yay!
8) Metal lid hasn't eroded at all over 2 years
9) And it's easy to use, too!

Best coffee grinder we've ever owned.

Here is why there are all those "it stopped working" reviews
The machine is not really a "hands free" coffee grinder. The clear plastic cover/cap has a safety mechanism such that the machine will not grind unless the cover is twisted firmly all the way into place. After some usage, in my case about a month, the cover starts to walk out of position ever so slightly because of the vibration from the grinding motor. The result is the grinder shuts off. Frustrating until I figured out what was going on.

I did not return the machine because 1) the solution is simple, hold onto the machine while it grinds away and 2) for that minor inconvenience it is a great grinder. The inside of the stainless steel bean cup is marked such that you fill it up to say 8 cups, set the dial for 8 cups, rotate the knob for the type of grind and the grinder delivers perfectly ground coffee. Espresso grind 8 cups is about 25 seconds of grinding. It takes all the guess work out of the regular automatic grinders that grind as long as you hold them. Not withstanding the holding of the top the machine has been great. I'm so happy to have perfectly ground coffee I don't worry about it. It would have been nice to have a longer cord, but I think they made the cord as long as they could without having to make the body thicker or resorting to the dreaded wrap-the-cord-around-the-bottom design.

It looks nice, cleans easily, the selection between amount and coarseness of grind make it easy to customize your grind, but I have been very satisfied with the factory settings. I have owned/used it for more than a year now.

   

Melitta MEBG8B Coffee Mill
From Melitta

• Amazon Sales Rank: #164372 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Melitta
• Model: MEBG8B
• Dimensions: 5.00" h x 7.40" w x 9.60" l, 8.20 pounds

Equipped with hard burrs that grind beans more uniformly and without the flavor-destroying heat generated by blade grinders, this coffee mill makes preparing fresh coffee simple. It has preprogrammed buttons for grinding enough to brew 4, 8, 10, or 12 cups and a dial for selecting one of 18 grind consistencies, from very coarse to very fine for espresso. The bean chamber holds 8 ounces, enough for about 36 five-ounce cups. When the selected amount of beans is ground, the mill shuts off automatically. A transparent plastic container snaps into the mill's front to catch up to 8 ounces of ground coffee. It has a snap-on lid so it can store either ground coffee or beans. For easy cleaning, the grinding wheel twists out. The 120-watt mill measures 5 inches wide, 9 inches high, and 6-1/2 inches deep. It's clad in hard, bright plastic, has push-in cord storage, and carries a one-year warranty against defects. --Fred Brack

Very Satisfactory With A Little Adjustment
True, it is loud and will spray a bit of coffee dust on your clean counter. A similarly priced blade grinder will be just as loud and make just as much of a mess -- but this burr grinder is much more convenient. Push a single button to grind your morning coffee, no measuring of beans or guessing about the fineness of the grind.

Others have complained that even the finest "16" setting produces coffee that is still quite course. I had this problem as well, but it is fairly easy to reindex the grinder to produce a finer grind. First, unplug the grinder and leave the top grinding burr in place. Inside the whole-bean hopper you'll find 3 Phillip's head screws -- unscrew these to remove the hopper, then carfully lift off the black plastic top of the grinder. Inside you'll see another Phillip's screw on top of the fineness adjustment wheel -- turn the wheel to 16 and unscrew the screw to disengage the gears. Put a dab of White-Out on the gear around the grinding mechanism so that you know what the original setting was. Now you can turn the grinding mechanism clockwise to bring the two grinding wheels closer together. Turn clockwise until the burrs are actually touching, and you can't turn any more, then turn counter-clockwise an eighth or a quarter of a turn so that the burrs don't actually touch each other (you want to grind coffee, not the metal on the burrs). Now lift and turn the fineness adjustment wheel to "16" and screw it back in. Reassemble the grinder and run some coffee through it to check the fineness of the grind.

There, now your $20 grinder is as good as a $50 burr grinder.

A burr grinder at a regular grinder price
While the price of all small coffee grinders seems to have dropped, this burr grinder costs about what I paid for a basic blade grinder years ago. As to the machine. It has 18 degrees of fineness, which you set easily with a wheel on the side. Open the top, fill it with coffee (it holds about a half pound). Hit one of the preset amount buttons, 4,8,10 or 12, and in a few seconds, the bottom detachable container is ready to slide out. It takes some experimentation to find out how fine you like your grind, and if the preset amounts produce the right amount for your pot. I found that the amount it produced for eight cups was just right for our ten cup pot (and I don't like weak coffee). If none of the preset amounts are right for you, it has a shut off button on the front, so you can hit the button for a larger amount and shut it off early. Since the preset amounts seem generous, it should grind enough coffee for most automatic makers, press pots, etc.
The coffee storage area on top is a little small, i.e. it holds about enough for two twelve cup pots, but its simple enough to keep adding new beans.
The grinding burr comes out easily (i.e. the top one - the bottom one is attached, but cleaning is easy. When the coffee is ground, it ends up in a clear plastic container that slides out easily, and cleans up easily.
There is cord storage space underneath, so you can leave out just enough cord to reach from the unit to the wall socket - and this machine has earned a permanent place on our counter, next to the coffee pot. Its going to be burr grinding from now on.

Burr grinder quality for a blade grinder price
I have used many grinders, and the burr grinders make a much, much better cup of coffee than the blade grinders. There may be better grinders out there, but if you can't afford to spend a fortune, this machine gives you "burr" quality for a "blade" price. It is convenient and easy to use, and easy to clean. I never have to measure coffee, I just press the "6" button and pour the grounds into the coffee maker.

There are a couple of minor inconveniences.
1. There is a small amount of ground coffee that ends up on the counter. Very little, in my experience, nothing like the big mess described below.
2. You do have to experiment with the coarseness settings until you find what you like. It took me three tries to figure out that I like it at setting 10. I used the finest setting a couple of times, to make espresso, and the results were great.

By the way, I have found that I prefer to use the amount of coffee recommended for 6 cups when I make 8 cups of coffee. That has nothing to do with this grinder, I have found exactly the same results with other grinders and other coffee makers.

   

Rancilio Rocky Doserless Burr Grinder
From Rancilio

Rancilio RAN-ROCKYDOSE -55 different grind setting -Commercial quality grinding burrs -Convenient direct dosing system -Coffee bean hopper -Dimensions: 13.75" x 4.5" x 9.5" -Quiet, powerful and safe -12-month parts and labor warranty Its Italian and its called, Rocky so that means its a champion. The Rancilio Rocky, designed specifically for espresso, enjoys the reputation of being one of the toughest, most durable grinders on the market. Based on the engineering and innovations developed from Rancilios commercial grinders, the Rocky has set the bar for other grinders competing in the home espresso market. Because of its tough build and performance, but reasonable price, the Rocky is a popular choice for cafes and restaurants that need a medium duty primary grinder or a first line decaffeinated beans grinder. Its wide range of grinding options can convert coffee beans to anything from uniform coarse grinds to fine powder. This quality grinding is crucial for home, as well as high-end and commercial espresso machines and its a dream for the espresso connoisseur. With so many settings, you can adjust the Rocky to very exact specifications.

This Rocky delivers a knockout!
I have had my Rocky doserless grinder for nearly nine months and I have never regretted the purchase. This is one of the premier prosumer grade coffee grinders and delivers consistent quality for espresso through drip and (almost) up to press pot. It is solid, relatively quiet - I use mine in my office at a small university and do close my door to muffle the noise a little more - and a great option for grinding for each individual shot of espresso. Plus, its compact form factor and mechanical-cool look mean Rocky can sit on the corner of my desk, next to the Gaggia Factory lever machine that it serves.

The highlights of the Rocky are its solidity and quality, its ease of adjustment, and in the case of this doserless model, its ability to grind for each dose of espresso or brew with minimal holdover of grounds. Because the path from burrs to chute is so short and unobstructed, I can rap the side when I am done and dislodge any leftover grounds, or simply remove the two screws holding in the chute to use a brush to clear it. The metal hoop below is perfect for holding a Gaggia or Pavoni portafilter when grinding, and can be removed with one quick tug to allow you to grind into a filter, press pot, or bag. Rocky's weight keeps it steady - it is no flimsy lightweight - and I personally like that the power switch and grind switch are separated on the doserless model. Having the grind switch on the front is convenient.

The only things keeping Rocky from getting five stars have to do with the grind settings. On the coarse end of the adjustment, Rocky just doesn't quite make it to a real french press grind. This is an issue that was noted on coffeegeek reviews and which I didn't care about when I bought the machine, but which I now wish I had considered. Also, and this is a niggling point, the grind adjustments are stepped, not stepless. In a perfect world, I like to think that all grinders should be stepless like the Mazzer Mini that I occasionally get to play with. That said, the steps are close enough that I have not found a problem in getting the grind I desire, and the system of a release button on the collar that adjusts the burrs is slick and simple.

If you are in the market for a top end consumer coffee grinder, take a good long look at the doserless Rocky. When a Mazzer Mini would be overkill (and overpriced), but you want something closer to commercial grade than a Solis Maestro, Rocky hits the sweet spot.

The grinder? The doser?
The grinder makes a huge difference in espresso, when you take advantage of its precision. On my last lot of beans, a grinder setting of 12 produced something like brewed coffee, while 10 justified the price of this machine. For me, anyway, it takes time to find the right balance of coffee amount, grind, tamping, and extraction time. New beans need a new balance.

As to the doser: If you usually grind for one espresso at a time then you seriously do not want the doser getting in your way.

Rocky Grinder
We love our coffee. We've always ground our own and used good beans. We bought a nice new espresso machine several months ago, and buy high-quality coffee like Intelligentsia. We enjoyed the coffee we made, and I thought a high-quality grinder would really top things off.
The pros: It looks good, is of very sturdy construction, is easy to understand, very convenient to fill with beans and not have to pour beans every day. Easy to grind to almost any consistency. Only messy if the operator is messy, like my husband.
The con: I'm just not sure I can taste a $300 difference in my daily espresso. It's good, no doubt - but is it really that much better than before? We have not yet, but are considering, taste tests to see if we can discern between the Rocky and our old blade grinder. We sure thought we were coffee experts (snobs!) and bought into the "the grinder is the key to perfect coffee" idea, but just aren't sure it makes THAT great a difference for us. The quality of the coffee is the most important factor, I believe.
The product does what it says and does it well. But is it truly necessary for a very good cup of coffee? That is up to your palate to decide - ours said eh, maybe not.

   

KitchenAid BCG100WH Blade Coffee Grinder, White
From KitchenAid

One of the secrets to fabulous coffee is grinding the beans yourself, releasing the oils and flavor right before brewing. With your own grinder you can also control the fineness of the grind, another important element in the coffee equation - too fine and you'll end up with bitter sediment in your cup, too coarse and your coffee will be weak and insipid. Enjoy KitchenAid performance and reliability with this fine grinder.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #190026 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: White
• Brand: KitchenAid
• Model: BCG100WH
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 5.60" h x 5.60" w x 9.90" l, 2.30 pounds

Coffee devotees know that an efficient grinder can be the secret to a great cup of joe. This model from KitchenAid delivers efficiency and more--from an oversized bowl to dishwasher-safe materials. Powered by a 200-watt motor, the grinder features a permanently attached stainless-steel blade that mills beans quickly and thoroughly. A generous four ounces, the brushed stainless-steel bowl is mounted to the motor housing with a clockwise turn and etched with handy reference markings. The machine turns on when you push down on the clear polycarbonate cover and off again when it's released. As a protective feature, the grinder only operates when the top is in place, so fingers are never exposed to moving blades. Solid and attractive, the grinder is also designed for frequent use and is easy to clean. Both its bowl and top cover go in the dishwasher, while the rest wipes clean with a damp cloth. --Emily Bedard

GREAT product
Like all KitchenAid appliances, this is (for home use anyway), a very heavy-duty product that will provide years of trouble-free use.

After breaking my old, inexpensive bean grinder, I went to a kitchen store and bought a burr-type grinder. I was VERY disappointed, and returned it the next day. Perhaps it's just me, but I guess I don't like the way burr-type grinders work... they're almost impossible to get really clean, as the grinding mechanism is all but inaccessible.

This thing breaks down very easily into dishwasher-safe parts (other than the electric base, of course... but that part never gets grounds on it anyway.)

You can tell from the first time you use it, that it is designed to last. And though I don't really see a reason for doing so, you could probably grind a coke bottle in it!

Buy this. You won't be disappointed.

***UPDATE - NOVEMBER 27, 2007***
I didn't realize how long I've had this, so I just checked my "order history" with Amazon. I bought this grinder on January 3, 2003... so it's coming up on FIVE years, and it is STILL going strong!

I stand by my five star review! :-)

- Jonathan Sabin

I Love My New Coffee Grinder!
I love my new Kitchen Aid Coffee Grinder! I guess the best part is that I can leave it on the counter and it doesn't look dirty. You know how coffee grinders look after a few days. This one stays nice all the time. This grinder comes apart for easy cleaning. The grinders I have used in the past didn't come apart and had to be wiped out by hand. In the morning I make my coffee and rinse out the cap and the blade. No trouble at all. In the past I have had trouble with residue from old beans getting mixed with the new beans. Since most coffee grinders do not come apart for easy washing, they start looking grungy. I agree with one of the reviews that said she had trouble with ground beans getting on her counter when grinding. I've only had that problem if I fill the grinder too full and try to grind too much at once. Otherwise, I haven't had any problems at all. Matter of fact, I plan to buy two more as Christmas gifts. I would definitely buy this coffee grinder again.

Love it!
I have owned mine for probably almost 2 years. Just read many of the reviews and I am puzzled.....I have had NO problems with messiness, and I grind all sorts of stuff in it...coffee beans, flaxseed, spices. It is awesome. Anyone who really understands food science OR health science knows that rancid oils are bad - for flavor and for health. And oil is a major, key component of coffee, flax and spices. So KitchenAid really gets my thumbs up for designing a grinder that you can actually CLEAN....all others that I know of trap "ground matter" which then proceeds to rancidify over time and wreck your beans or spices, plus, if you multitask your grinder, cleaning it out is a must (unless you want your coffee to taste like that cumin seed you just grounds for a savory dish, or your ground sesame seed to taste faintly of coffee, etc....). Since you can't really get other grinders wet, you can't really get them clean, certainly not regularly. That sucks! If you follow the directions (hello, that does mean READING them....) and do not over fill the bowl, which conveniently has permanent markings on the inside :-), then, well at least I, have not had any problems with mess. Plus, when grinding larger quantities, what works really well is if you invert the whole thing so that the ground contents go into the clear plastic top, which acts as a bowl, and then transfer the contents accordingly to wherever you need them....I know this works because I do it all the time when grinding quantities of flaxseed. I can only guess that the folks making messes might be, well....nevermind. Also, the guy who claims this grinder couldn't handle half a bowl of cardamon and started smoking...I can only believe that a) his was defective, which is a really weird phenomena for a KitchenAid product, or b) he is full of "it" and wasn't really using the product correctly. The motor is superstrong, the grind is excellent if you pay any attention to what you are doing (tho' true, it is not great for tiny quatities of spices), the clean up features are superb...got to love it. Lastly, I do not have any particular "brand loyalty"...we have a well outfitted kitchen and produce a lot of great meals in the tradition of Berkeley, CA's "gourmet ghetto"...I go strictly for what products, to my mind, work best, and in the electric grinder market, this versatile baby is it. btw, I do have a classic old Krups stuck way in the back of a cupboard...and can't figure out why it hasn't made it to the donation box yet cuz, heaven know it hasn't been used since I can't remember when.

   

Proctor Silex E160B Fresh Grind Coffee Grinder, White
From Proctor Silex

This Proctor Silex Fresh Grind Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder features a unique internal cord wrap, a safety on/off button, stainless steel blades and a compact Euro-Style design. Easy to clean.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #830 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Size: Medium
• Color: White
• Brand: Proctor Silex
• Model: E160B
• Dimensions: 7.20" h x 3.60" w x 4.10" l, 1.78 pounds

5 star - I use for small quanity
The unit is easy to use, convenient. Cord wrap up is great. Nice size to sit on your cabinet. I use for grinding my Flax Seeds I take daily for health. It's the perfect size for daily usage to grind the flax seeds. Excellent for small quanity .

I'm buying a 2nd one!
I love this coffee grinder. It's compact and the cord winds up inside of it. It makes for very easy storage. It's also very easy to clean. There is no reason to purchase an expensive grinder when this does just as good of a job. I'm buying a 2nd one to grind up spices.

Great Grinder for the Price
I see people complaining about this grinder being too small... uh, it's SUPPOSED to be small! That would be like buying an 18-wheeler tractor trailer and cab and then complaining that the truck was too big!!!

Anyway, for a small grinder, this thing is great. I use it not only for coffee, but for flax seeds and just about anything else I need to grind up in small quantities. If you often find yourself wanting to grind a pound of coffee, then *obviously* this is too small for you though.