Decent burr grinder up to the $150 range

[foreRB]

Hi all, I have a neighbor who is upping their morning coffee. They are buying beans every ten days to two weeks, using good water and a french press, This morning they measured water temp and had a sort of epiphany (not a big stretch over their Cuisinart drip). They have decided to upgrade their whirlybird grinder to a modest burr. I've heard the lower end one's create a lot of static and are messy. Your thoughts will be appreciated....foreRB

[peter]

SHEEESH!  Already 3 minutes have gone by, and nobody said BARATZA! 

Must be a holiday weekend.

[foreRB]

So Peter....Are you saying that BARATZA is the obvious choice or just perceived to be the obvious choice? Help me out brother!

[BoldJava]

Baratza Encore.  Have recommended it several times and new owners are very pleased.

[peter]

So Peter....Are you saying that BARATZA is the obvious choice or just perceived to be the obvious choice? Help me out brother!

In that price range there are a handful of grinders that appear to have very similar burr sets, motors, and chassiseses (what's the plural of chassis anyhow?) with the big difference being the case design.  But even if everything on the inside was the same, Baratza is still the clear choice just because it's so much fun to say Baratza with a thick Italian accent.  The fact that they have unsurpassed customer service doesn't hurt either.

I bought a 2 year-old Virtuoso off of craigslist.  A couple days after getting it home it would jam on very light/hard beans.  When I called them for advice, they diagnosed it over the phone based on what color capacitors were on the circuit board, and sent me new parts at no charge - not even for shipping - even though they knew I bought it second hand.

That is all you need to know...  comparable performance to other like-priced grinders, unbeatable company standing behind their products.

[BozemanEric]

I bought a refurbished Vario-W from them that had some problems with the scale. They sent me a brand-new one. They told me to keep my old one to use until my brand-new one arrived. When the new one arrived there was a shipping label in the box for prepaid postage back for the old one.

There are some companies I feel downright guilty giving my money to (Apple, Verizon, a local lumber distributor...)  Baratza is not one of them.

[Mlee]

What they all said. I buy the Baratza Encore for family and friends who are doing everything but espresso. Customer service is second to none as well.

[rfeuker]

Just to jump on the bandwagon. You can't beat Baratza for the price.

[Burner0000]

Just saying.. I know the Encore is not ideal for espresso but it is capable of descent unpressurized espresso.  At notch 5 calibrated for finer grind it can choke out my Silvia with little effort.  I'd say if your willing to adjust tamp and dose you could get good espresso out of the Encore.

[BoldJava]

Just saying.. I know the Encore is not ideal for espresso but it is capable of descent unpressurized espresso. . .

The OP asked about a grinder for a friend who uses a french press. 

[Burner0000]

Just saying.. I know the Encore is not ideal for espresso but it is capable of descent unpressurized espresso. . .

The OP asked about a grinder for a friend who uses a french press.

Oops my bad. I overlooked that. 

[fcar]

I will second what everybody has said about Baratza; their service is outstanding which is really
unusual in this day.   Have your neighbor check their site for refurbished models.

[daddiocatman]

https://www.baratza.com/ <The Baratza website

https://www.baratza.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&category=RFRB <Refurbs available

Thanks for the info, guys. I've been shopping for a grinder and this has helped narrow down the players.

[rasqual]

Argh, missed this thread.

You can get 'em for $150 on ebay if you're patient: Breville Smart Grinder.

The consistency of the grind on this thing is marvelous. I replaced a faithful Solis Maestro Plus (did 10 years of duty at the farmers market) with the Breville this year after reading a LOT of reviews and agonizing amid the options. At the market I use it for Aeropressing, but what I love it for is pourovers on my own time. The grind consistency has changed my pourover life, you might say. And that's coming from using commercial Bunn grinders -- not known for their inconsistency -- prior to finding the Breville.

It's a broad company, hardly specializing in coffee gear. But they've clearly done something right with this thing.

[rgrosz78]

You can get 'em for $150 on ebay if you're patient: Breville Smart Grinder.

I am currently watching three of these on ebay. Prices range from $60 up to $120, increase rapidly on last day:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Breville-Conical-Burr-Smart-Grinder-Silver-BCG800XL-NEW-see-listing-details-/141326696081