All,

Hope you don’t hate me for posts like this!

We do end up folks discussing manual grinders here. This bloke compares 4 manual grinders (obv with Niche) for espresso. Please ignore the Niche Zero comparison.

He seems using a medium roast that has a brighter body (stone fruit and blackberry). He could have as well shown another comparison with a low-acidic coffee. It is what it is. Please post if there is another interesting hand-grinder comparison video.

Please fast forward to 22.30+ for the comparison of the shots.

Interesting vid thanks.

The Kinu M47 Classic was James Hoffman’s preferred hand grinder from the range he tested however he briefly mentioned that the majority of his testers preferred the Commandante.

The 1Zpresso JX-Pro seems to have a legion of fans here in Australia and I’ve only heard very positive reports from owners so I suspect that’s a pretty darned good grinder too.

I’ve had the Porlex which I didn’t enjoy so much and I’ve stuck with the Kinu M47 Classic as my travel grinder.

Based on Hoffman’s review and this one, it would be hard to go wrong with the any of them with the possible exception of the Porlex which some may find produces a thinner espresso without a shorter lasting taste.

Much though I like the Kinu, as soon as the Mazzer Omega lands in Australia I’ll be trying it. Mazzer burrs (Niche Zero 63mm) seem to out perform Italmill burrs (Kinu 47mm) - thanks @DavecUK for the heads up on the difference which is marked.

The biggest challenge I have with the 83mm conical benchtop hand grinder is seasoning the darned thing. Dialling it in was all over the shop for the first two kilos of beans and that’s a LOT of grinding when it’s all done by hand. So if you do a get a hand grinder, just be aware that your pour times may be inconsistent for a while, although with smaller burrs my guess is that they will season a lot faster than the 83mm monsters.

    tompoland I do think the C40 Red click and Jx are the most popular hand grinders. I do have the JX Pro; I pulled the trigger when I saw Dave’s video — that was even before I started lurking and joining the other coffee forum.

    The JX is the only grinder I use for espresso and pour overs. The shots are always on the brighter side of things - not so much but by some margin. I would like an electric some time down the line.

    We look forward to your full review of the Omega and perhaps a shoot out video of manual vs electric! Please take your time though! 😊

      Once the argos and nurri arrive, I’m going to host an open day for local Australian forum members to come and try various grinders and machines, so that may be a good opportunity to do some shoot outs between a few of the grinders and see what the consensus is. Should be fun. Tickets anyone? (no charge of course and any stray Brits will be welcome).

        tompoland host an open day

        Very nice Indeed.

        I think we have a few fellow Aussies on this forum who may be interested in. @Paolo5 is one such member, if I am not wrong. I think there are quite a few.

        You may want to create the Australian Open thread to get the attention of fellow country men and women!

            LMSC great idea I’ll hang off though until I have the machines. ETA of both still very uncertain.

              It’s a bit odd that Josh at AB didn’t taste any shots when “dialling in”. Best to make the best (or at least best of 3 when in the ball park?) tasting shot with each grinder, then compare.

              Was this on YouTube 😂

              The mazzer grinder does look well made

              Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

              Mazzer grinder so hot, I want it so bad

              Not when you look at the price… €345 + shipping for the ‘base’ model (without the accessories, for which they want another €35). Don’t get me wrong - it’s comparable to the Kinu and others, but I find it’s a heck of a lot of money for what it is (they are).

              Love my c40, its been a joy to sue and build quality is amazing. You can tell the impact in it because I haven’t ‘wanted’ for anything more since I got it and paired it with x54 for all my needs.

              I think though any of those choices you are going to be at the top of the manual grinding game.

              We do enjoy the 1zpresso J-Max I bought last year for our cafetière and V60 when travelling and sometimes at home. Arguably I didn’t need its finer micron adjustment and would find the smaller one of the two I know DC has to serve the purpose but I liked the longer throw lever, external markers, magnetic cup and travel case.

              I’ve no comparison with other hand grinders, for me it has been one of those products you buy and take to and don’t think about anything else.

              5 days later

              I have had the J-Max for seven months and am fairly happy with it. Although i have no experience with any other grinder (manual or electric), there are a few things that i have noticed:

              • It has to be recalibrated after cleaning. Simple enough you may think. However, the zero point will be slightly different each time; so some dialing in is needed after every recalibration.
              • Although each click is only eight microns, i wish this were even less as dialing in espresso would be easier. That said, i am not sure any other hand grinder is better on this front.
              • I get the impression that the settings can drift a little over time, so small adjustments are needed.
                *

              I hadn’t seen the Mazzer before. Wow! Looks incredible. Wonder if the two different burr sets on offer taste different?

              I had a portaspresso Rosco, which was really (really!) great, but which sadly got destroyed in my last move (along with a whole box of my better half’s favourite china 😢). I replaced it with a Kinu Phoenix & it’s generally good, but lately getting on my nerves as I feel it could be a little more precise (in the past 6 months all coffees I’ve bought are within 0.9-1.0).

              I’ve seen the J-Max online, which might address the problem. Is it really that precise?

                8 days later

                Just dropped the idea of getting the Mazzer Omega hand grinder when I saw a Helor 106 with Mazzer 71mm conical burrs. Managed to score one near new (1kg through it, according to the owner) from Canada. It will take a couple of weeks to get to Australia but I’ll let you know what I think once it’s here and I’ve had a play.

                https://www.helor.com/product/helor-106-hand-coffee-grinder/

                I still think the Mazzer Omega is the bees knees, just couldn’t help myself in regard to the trying the Helor.

                I don’t have a C40 or JX but i can compare the Helor to the Kinu M47 Classic. What may be of interest also (for me at least) is comparing back to back shot with the 63mm Mazzers in the Niche, the 71mm Mazzers in the Helor and the 83mm Mazzers in the Malwani Livi.

                I’ll bet dollars to donuts I won’t be able to tell the difference 🙃 - any takers?

                (To be clear, I’m talking US dollars and French donuts)

                  tompoland

                  Lance did one a few days ago.

                  He also did manual grinders review. It is too and haven’t watched it yet.

                    tompoland I’ll bet dollars to donuts I won’t be able to tell the difference 🙃 - any takers?

                    I think you would be hard pushed to tell any difference, although the larger burrset will make a small difference due to the larger grinding area.

                    Contact me

                        DavecUK indeed, that’s what I was suggesting; that I won’t be able to tell the difference. Maybe between the 63mm and 83mm … maybe. But it would have to be a blind test.

                          I’ve had the Helor 106 for a year or so now and it’s a great solid grinder. Much prefer the flavour profile for filter to that of the Niche but that could be down to burr rpm not size. Niche at 330 v 20 on the Helor. Tastes a cleaner cup. Not as much difference compared to the Comandante tbh.

                          I’m just carrying out the mod to use 83mm conical in the Helor. These are the Mazzer burrs not the Italmill ones in the Malwani. I’ve done a revised design compare to the one I saw on YouTube as his files only have 9 magnets, mine has 12 on the cup, plus did not like how the outer burr attaches. I’ve inserted an embedded hex nut in the print so it’s solid and secure. Version 2 will use an embedded square nut as this will resist twisting even more although the hex shows no sign of an issue.

                          Should be interesting to taste 83mm conical running at really low rpms - I know the marketing blurb for the Weber Key sells it lower rpm as a positive - we’ll see