Hi i am a long time user of Ascaso i-steel flat burr. i bought it obviously because it was cheap - i liked the all steel retro look - its a good size for a moderate-sized kitchen - stepless - doserless. Since i measure my beans for each shot i didn't want a bunch grind to stay back in the doser. Over time as i used it i found it pretty stable and sturdy - the settings stay rock solid. Its also fairly easy to clean.

It does make a little more sound, though, than some of the others that i've owned over the years, but my family is used to that noise. ("noisy" doesn't mean its like neighbors-will-call-the-cops noisy. Your blender will probably be noisier)

It is marginally slower than others but i use it for domestic consumption - usually 2 (sometimes 4) coffees at the same time. Hardly a cafe type situation. So the speed is more of an academical factor to me rather than of any practical importance.

Grind retention: yes it does. So did several others that i owned. so i just give its sides a couple of thumps and finish off with a final push of the button - all comes tumbling out.

Over the years i have bought and sold grinders - but i have never tried to sell this one off. it just sits in the corner and does its job when i ask it to do something. I'm about to sell off the popular plasticky Vario and buy an ECM S64 Manuale. The Ascaso will remain with me.

There are surely better grinders near your price point - like the eureka Mignon if you stretch some - but in my experience i was not unsatisfied with the Ascaso at all - i understood its quirks and found a way around them ...and didn't quite understand any difference in the cup compared to similar grinders

to lonecloud, well its good to hear that the ascaso is kinda worth it as a starter grinder but i've recently been debating that im not really going to be upgrading grinders forever and want one that will keep me happy for a long time. you yourself said that it lasted you 7 years and that sounds awesome. But i was able to convince and bump up the budget for the eureka which afte watching some videos has some really cool featurtes like for cleaning the top burr comes off just be taking out some screws and the grind setting doesn't get lost since its the lower burr that goes up and down when dialing in. that save time and beans in the long run, i'm also finding a hard time finding spare parts for the ascaso online although barcelona is only a 30min flight from mallorca and could always get aprts from the factory, which i checked and contacted, my big sister could also drive up since she lives in barcelona, jjejeejjeje. so the question comes down to the ascaso i1 steel or the eureka mignon??? hopefully which ever i choose it lasts long enough and produces a good grind and lets me start experementing with different coffee beans and blends, origins...etc i'll still wait for my bday on may 18 and maybe the baratza sette goes on sale or back in stock and maybe play with that

sprin001 wrote:After buying two grinders, I'd watch the used market and go that route. A used one with slightly worn burrs will last you while learn to use it, then replace the burrs and those things are built like tanks. A used mazzer will be in your price range.

+1

I have owned five grinders before acquiring a used Mazzer Major. I think the Lido E is a great grinder if you want to hand grind. But, I'm not sure how often used grinders show up in your location? If you still don't have a grinder next winter I will bring the Major when I stay for the week and I will leave it with you. It will be 110 v though.

Enriquegoitia, like i said in my earlier post, if you can stretch your budget some, then Mignon is great - looks like you are planning to go that way - great decision.

My point about Ascaso, as a long term user, was that if you DON"T have the option of stretching the budget, then you can very well make do with the Ascaso, and work around its quirks and enjoy a good cup (and probably fail to distinguish any major difference in the cup between Ascaso and several other popular brands around its price-point)

I love tinkering so its habitual for me to understand any machine's quirkiness and figure out ways of beating them - i enjoy that process too - you may not and may get frustrated when a machine doesn't do exactly what you expected it to do when you hit the button.

When i first started out, i imagined that i'll have just one grinder - but as my appetite for trying out different methods of brewing etc grew - i realised that it is easier to have different grinders set up for a specific type of method. So i always have atleast 2 grinders. Also, i keep buying used grinders of different types and different brands and sell them when my fascination with them is over - a tiny loss financially but a lot of first-hand knowledge gained - and a lot of fun - tinkering on a machine while sipping that cappuccino

Enriquegoitia wrote: I can't talk about the bezzera since I haven't seen it in the Web yet

Clicking those links I gave you might be a good way to start.

I briefly owned an Acaso i-steel i-1 with the flat burrs. The grinder appeared and felt well built but did not deliver in the cup for me. I was constantly chasing the grind settings.
Realized now owning a Ceado E37 that the issue was not me.

Of your choices presented I would lean towards the Eureka Mignon since it has easy micromatic adjustments. I was able to try one at IDC and noted low noise and solid feel.
Decent reviews from actual owners and reviewers can also be found.

Mignon with 50mm flat burrs as opposed to a BB005 with 48mm conicals is a better option? As far as I'm aware of in Europe Mignon costs a tad more. In what sense it would be a better option? I'm sorry to say it aloud, but I think that is really bad advice.

And BTW, the price of a BB005 is only a little more than the 38mm conical Ascaso but it sure is from a different star system.

I checked it. Mignon costs about 60€ more than BB005 (the Bezzera btw fits the OP's budget). Prices are from Elektros. If somebody finds a better price for either grinder I'm happy for anyone considering either of them. This is not an ad, only a point to be made.

The other advantage of the Eureka grinder is that the upper burr can be removed and set back in retaining the last grind setting.
In the Mignon the lower burr and motor move to adjust the grind. According to Eureka this system maintains greater alignment throughout the grind range.
Alignment not just large burrs make for a better grinder and consistent grinds.

redbone wrote:Alignment not just large burrs make for a better grinder.

That is very true.

But do we have any news about badly aligned BB005s?