I have narrowed it down to these two. Anyone tried both or have strong opinions about either one that they could share with me? I have tried to look up both of these in multiple forums and found some information, but I was curious to know if one took less effort or less number of turns. I am also curious about the durability of the slim/mini because I have read it is made out of plastic. I will be pairing this hand grinder up with my handpresso, so it will only be used 1x per day and only for about 6-7 grams of coffee. Thanks!

I am wondering if there is some reason that you are not considering older hand grinders.

Those you are looking at maybe will work or wont work well for espresso, if you want a guarantee you may consider a older restored grinder that has great looks and have a promise to work for espresso from Orphan Espresso.

As a plus they will tell you how many turns a specific grinder will take to put out a given shot volume.

-Cecil

I just received the Slim yesterday. It is plastic, but seems well built with a nice burr set.

I only tried it once and choked the Mypressi. I was a bit tired from grinding and didn't try it again. I think it would work fine for the Handpresso, especially as you only need 7 grams per shot. It was on sale at PT's coffee for $25.

Mark Prince wrote that the Skerton will choke the GS/3.. So it should be the job.

Go to OrphanEspresso.com and navigate to their Vintage Restored Espresso Hand Grinders. I own a PeDe, and I love it. Ill admit, it's sees very little use these days, but Ill never get rid of it.. It was my first espresso grinder, and I used it with my Quickmill Anita for a couple of weeks until my current grinder was ready to use.

Mine is kinda unique, in that the adjustment is not inside, under the burrs.. but rather outside, on the back. And you adjust, by turning a knob either way. Ive yet to see another like it. That said... Hand grinders, in general, are fun to use. You start to develop a feel for them.. to the point where you can get the grind settting dialed in pretty decently by feel alone.. and then fine tune from there.

The one's that OE sells as Espresso Grinders.. will grind for any espresso machine out there. They test them very well, and there has been not ONE complaint yet about the capability of it.

For under $100, it's the best way to get into espresso on the cheap. OE also sells a couple new models which will handle espresso... Ive only used the Kyocera.. Does a very nice job as well. My PeDe is a tad faster(about 15 turns faster), and I much prefer the style of it, to the peppermill style of the kyocera. But.. at this price point, you are buying one thing.. Grind quality. Ergonomics might have to be pushed to the side a bit.. and rightly so.. no other grinders for espresso cost less then 100 bucks(rather 300 and wayyyy up.)

sweaner wrote:I only tried it once and choked the Mypressi.

JmanEspresso wrote:Mark Prince wrote that the Skerton will choke the GS/3.

From time-to-time, someone in the forum mentions "grinder XYZ can choke espresso machine ABC." Other than demonstrating the grinder can grind finely, what does this prove?

Cecil,

I have considered the older grinders somewhat, but based on cost and size, I was really hoping the hario slim would work well for me. I am a graduate student with a pretty limited budget (student loans) and will be moving from place to place every 2 months for clinical rotations for the next year and a half, so size is very helpful. (this is why I purchased the handpresso). I guess I may have to reconsider if the grind quality of the others is much better

I have both the Skerton and Mini.

It is easier to adjust grind on the Mini, compared to Skerton, as the adjustment knob is at the bottom of the burrs. The Mini of course weighs less and is smaller, due to it is mostly plastic.

The Skerton has a glass container, so the grind does not stick to the container. It is slightly heavier and bulkier. I have not used the Skerton for espresso, only for drip. The shape and the opening of the glass container is conducive to evaluating the coffee fragrance.

The grind from the Mini is suitable for my Anita and Factory. For about 12g for the Factory, it requires about 200 turns.

Both hand grinders have extensive plastic. I have used the Mini and Skerton about once per week for past year.

HB wrote:From time-to-time, someone in the forum mentions "grinder XYZ can choke espresso machine ABC." Other than demonstrating the grinder can grind finely, what does this prove?

Dan, that is what it does prove, which should mean it would be adequate for the Handpresso. I have not yet tried dialing it in for the Mypressi, though I suspect it would work reasonably well, especially for travel.

Adequate? Maybe, maybe not. In my opinion, the statement "grinder XYZ can choke espresso machine ABC" infers the grinder is not wholly inadequate and nothing more. On the other hand, tasting the espresso is a data point worth discussing.

Jay,

Whatever you get I wish you the best of luck, and I hope it makes it through school so you can go and get some better toys later! Grind and pump away those grades.

-Cecil