I too read all the reviews... I spent several hours, so let me save you the trouble. This item is sturdy, washable, compact, and grinds beans for anywhere from 4-12 cups of coffee.
I use it for both my 2 cup french press and my percolator, when my mill & brew coffee maker, which I have two carafs and 3 baskets for, is busy. We really get into coffee here - I must have 10 varieties of beans in the freezer.
It also did a fabulous job grinding hazelnuts very fine for a cookie dough where the hazelnuts were, in effect, part of the flour.
I do love that the grinder basket and top can go in the dishwasher, and the little brush that is stowed on the back is a thoughtful and utilized addition.
The only drawback would be that if you are only making 2 cups of coffee and you want a course grind, you have to let the machine think you're making 8 cups, by moving the cup setting, as this machine is intended to grind beans for a minimum of 4 cups. When I make enough coffee for my percolator, I can get an intermediate course grind with no problem.
What sold me was this: After I read all the reviews I went to my local "megamart," found the grinders, opened up the boxes of the makes I wanted to compare, and I literally took things apart and put them back together.
Like another reviewer warned, stay away from those other grinders with the tiny (you can barely see them) plastic pins that engage the start button. Once those bits of plastic break off, you're SOL.
This is a very reasonably priced maker which I've had for 6 months. I love it so much, that for much of that time I've felt just a bit guilty that I hadn't yet praised this maker on Amazon. With that done - it's time to grind some beans. :) Enjoy.
PS: It looks very pretty/handsome on the counter. Hamilton Beach 80365 Custom Grind Hands-Free Coffee Grinder, Platinum
This is the best coffee grinder I have purchased (it is my 3rd over the past 10 years). This one is the best for multiple reasons 1) I dont have to continue to hold the button while it grinds, I hit the button once and it grinds and stops when the coffee is perfectly ground. 2) It has a deep container for holding the ground beans. Before I could only grind a small amount and than when I removed the lid it would be messy. 3) It has several different grinds to choose from all the way to a very fine espresso 4) It is styling and has a great hide away area for the cord.
What else is there? It is perfect.
I bought this as a gift for my husband-after reading a hundred reviews, I made my choice. This little machine doesn't do anything fancy- it grinds beans-we haven't used it for anything else since we bought it to grind beans. It does a great job-it's easily put together, nothing spills, it's easily used-not much else to say.
Let me start off by saying that I worked for very large coffee retailer (you can probably guess whom)for MANY years, and have had extensive training in the coffee making process -- from growing, harvesting, drying and roasting to grinding and brewing, so maybe my review is a bit harsh.
Anyway, I purchased this product in a moment of desperation because I wanted an inexpensive grinder to make my coffee in the morning while I save enough money to buy a nicer espresso machine. I have a French press and use (well, USED) the grinder on a daily basis. I didn't spend much on it, so I didn't expect peak performance; and at first, it got the job done. My major complaint was, as other reviewers said, it doesn't grind evenly. Even on the most coarse setting, you will wind up with some large chunks, some the appropriate size, and some fine dust. It doesn't matter if you fill it and grind 12 cups at a time, or grind it little by little, or what setting it's on.
Now, I haven't had the blasted thing but four months, and it's already out of commission. The blades are have dulled considerable and yesterday it died completely -- won't even turn on. My recommendation? Don't waste your money on this plastic piece of junk, no matter how dire your need for a grinder. I wouldn't buy this again. In fact, based on this experience, I'm not sure I would buy ANY other Hamilton Beach product. If you love coffee enough to take the time to grind and brew your own, you obviously prefer a superior coffee experience, and to brew the best cup, you need grounds of a consistent size. You also need a grinder that works. Which isn't this one. Spend a little extra and get a burr grinder.
I bought this grinder for spices and seeds. It does a great job on flax seeds. I can put in as little as one tablespoon and it does the rest. The bowl is removable so I don't have to tilt the whole machine over to clean it out. Once it's set, you just hit the button to start and it stops itself based on a timer. How long it will last, I don't know, but so far, so good.
It worked fine the first month I had it.
But then the locking mechanism started acting faulty. I would have to twist the lid on and off and on and off because no matter what, the thing would somehow not latch properly. Usually after working with it for a few minutes I could get it to latch properly and then away it would grind.
But it just kept getting worse and worse until no matter how hard I tried, or how careful I was to turn the lid all the way, and no matter how certain I was that the lid had latched properly, it wouldn't work.
So now it's in the trash where it belongs.
What a waste of money. Gosh, I guess it's unreasonable for me to expect that it would last a year... maybe even two years. Or *gasp* maybe even 10+ years which is how long electronics would last back in the days they were made well.
For complaints about the grind consistency... This is a blade grinder and blade grinders will NEVER create an extremely consistent grind throughout. If you want a consistent grind, spend the money and get a burr grinder. But after reviewing all of the burr grinders out there, you may end up with similar problems. The burr grinder I just ordered was $150... so for $125 do you want your grind that consistent? I do, but you may not.
After a few uses you will learn the grind & cup setting for making your coffee. The two different settings are wonderful.
This model can be extremely clean and looks good enough to leave out on your counter.
I have had this for almost 2 years, making a pot of coffee 5+ times a week with no problems.
Would definetly buy again if I wanted a BLADE grinder. - Coffee Grinders - Hamilton Beach - Coffee Bean Grinder - Grinder'
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