My thoughts are Baratza Virtuoso vs. Ascaso I Mini vs Vaneli's MiniPro III vs Nemox Lux Plus. I prefer stepless and doserless. Quiet is good; I particularly don't like grinders with a very high-pitched sound.

I pull 20-25 shots of espresso a week using a Gaggia Pure.

Any thoughts? Thanks. Linc

I have experience with none of those, but I can vouch for the Le'Lit PL53. It's doserless with stepless worm gear adjustment. It makes about the noise of a louder cordless drill. While it's $20 over your budget, I think it's a great grinder that I happen to prefer to my Mazzer SJ. Hopefully others can chime in with a comparison, but in the mean time (if you're interested in this grinder), take a look at Dan K's notes about it in this thread, starting at the linked post and onward.

Another benefit of purchasing at 1st-Line is that you're relatively close by (compared to Vaneli's, for example) in case any service issues come up and you'd rather not FedEx the grinder.

Good luck with the decision!

Oops...I left that one off the list...thanks for the suggestion. Linc

Linc wrote:I particularly don't like grinders with a very high-pitched sound.

Once again, while I'm not familiar with the other grinders on the list, chances are at this price point that the noise will be a bit higher pitched, instead of the lower (and quieter) hum of a Mazzer or similar bigger grinder.

Ascaso, Nemox, L'Elit, and Vanelli all have the same burrs and motor, and will all perform equally in terms of grind quality. The L'Elit is said to be a little quieter than the others; and the basic Nemox is the loudest. They are all fairly loud and messy; the way the motor is geared and the grind chamber configured makes this almost unavoidable.

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.

Sounds like I may have to sacrifice my ear drums...definitely worth it for a quality cup of espresso...

I'd say the LeLit is about as loud as when you first turn on the Gaggia. You can't really continue a conversation while you're dosing and pulling a shot, but I wouldn't call it an objectionable noise.

How did you know the Mazzer-Mini E is my "dream grinder?"...
Unfortunately, it's about $700 more than the LeLit...

Also...not that it makes a huge difference, but:

LeLit: $269 from 1st Line
Vaneli: $249 from Vaneli's
Ascaso: $229 from Seattle Coffee Gear

If they're all equivalent, I might as well save the $40...