another_jim wrote:The Virtuoso is a great deal quieter and less messy than all these grinders, but the grind quality for espresso is not in the same league. The first group of grinders do commercial quality espresso grinding, the Baratza, while highly suitable for drip or FP, is a compromise for espresso.

The cheapest grinder that does both quiet and high quality espresso grinding is the Baratza Vario.

I agree with Jim w/regard to the Virtuoso (I use mine for drip, FP and vac pot only). However, as was mentioned in this thread New Baratza Grinder: Virtuoso Preciso $275, if you can put off your purchase for a "little" while longer you may find a robust, relatively quite alternative for just a bit more than your original budget. Of course, you may want to obtain an espresso hand grinder from OrphanEspresso to tide you over. Also, being an early adopter to a new model can be risky, but hopefully with Baratza's experience with it's Vario model it may be able to head off many of the refinements before shipping the Virtuoso Preciso.

Best of luck with your decision,

Steve, in Ft. Worth

I have had the Ascaso I-Mini (actually, two of them - one for each of my lever machines) for about two years and have been very pleased with both grinders, though I've no first-hand experience with the other grinders you're considering. When I made my choice, it was between the the I-Mini and the LeLit - and my investigation led me to believe that the only material difference between the two was in styling - the burr set (as already noted) and the basic features of each otherwise being essentially the same.

FWIW, to my ears, the sounds of the I-Mini, both while grinding beans and while "grinding empty", seem to me to be as close to the LeLit sound check posted by Dan as I can reasonably hear. If I heard those sounds "blindfolded" I would likely think they were the I-Mini in action...

I had read about the Baratza Virtuoso Preciso in another thread...sounds interesting, but I wonder if it will grind fine enough for espresso (unlike the original Virtuoso...)

I was in the same price range and was able to score the i-mini from ebay brand new for 200, because of the 10% bing cashback. I think its down to 8% now. Im still waiting for it to arrive though. Heres a video of it for a sound sample.

I owned and struggled with a Virtuoso for several months. It's a great grinder whose only glaring flaw, IMO, was the lack of adjustability. This has presumably been remedied in the Preciso. Fineness is not the issue. It will grind fine enough to choke any machine.

Good to know...thanks...

breduta wrote:I was in the same price range and was able to score the i-mini from ebay brand new for 200, because of the 10% bing cashback. I think its down to 8% now. Im still waiting for it to arrive though. Heres a video of it for a sound sample.

It's that high-pitched sound that gets me...

I remember seeing someone opened up the grinder and just used some audio deadening to quiet it down, similar to dynamat. If theres enough space for me to do it on mine I'll try it out, but my grinder doesnt come in until tuesday

Let me know if it works...