Hello everyone.

I have a La Pavoni Puccino and now I'm thinking for a good grinder. I like the Orphan Espresso LIDO E, cause I've little space in the kitchen and it costs not so much!
What do you think about a daily use for max. 4 espresso in a day (2 in the morning and 2 in the evening)?? Is it easy to use? My wife is not so strong, could she find problem???

Or maybe I have to sacrifice space and more money for an electric grinder (Macap M2M for 300€)?

I will hear your opinion with great pleasure. Thank you very much

$200 on a hand grinder? Seems like you could get a good used Rocky for that price. I have a porlex grinder that we used for about a year till we stepped up. It was a pain. But it was $20 when I bought it. Now it travels with me. I cant imagine spending more than $50 to hand grind- but thats just me.

I disagree.

LIDO-E would certainly be a viable choice. Search the grinder section and buying advice section for hand grinders and you'll see other choices that are very often discussed.

The Pharos would be a good choice too. Espresso grinding does take some effort though. Your wife may not like that so much.

Lido E is definitely a viable option, and I must add...it's the best grinder on the planet where it matters most (in the cup) that can be bought brand new for under $200. As for your wife using it, I think she may not be so happy with it at first, but once the burrs are broken in, she'll probably be ok.

The Pharos...same story...best grinder on the planet in the cup for under $950 brand new. With the available bench dogs and mounting those on a board, it becomes very easy to use...but that kinda defeats the space saving feature.

In response to the suggestion to get a used Rocky or a Porlex...I must wholeheartedly disagree to either of those, due primarily to their severe limitations in grind quality and subsequent shot results.

It also depends on the roast you prefer. Dark roasts are much easier to grind than light roasts.

I have a Porlex and it is barely OK as a pepper grinder.

The current style of the Lido burr set is much easier to operate when compared to the earlier set.

Any hand grinder that is worth bringing home will require work to grind coffee. As long as the buyer is aware of that then they will be happy. The Pharos grinds about 2 - 3 times as fast as a Lido so it will require a higher energy input. If you are thinking of lightly roasted high grown coffee then there will be real effort involved regardless of the manual grinder you buy.

Check out what Made by Knock has available now. I have the Hausgrind and Feldgrind. Same 38mm burr set but I just enjoy the wood grain beauty of my Hausgrind so it gets more use. Which, btw is two doubles in the morning and an occasional one in the evening and it pairs wonderfully with my La Pavoni. Feldgrinds are quite reasonable depending on the current exchange and it looks like you're in Switzerland so shipping shouldn't be a horrible experience. Search this site for more on Knock, good and not so good.

I agree that darker roasts are a pleasure to grind. A 16 gram dose is approximately 60 turns in the moderately coarse Pavoni range. Roasts in the city range aren't my idea of a good time to grind but they aren't impossible by any means.

Unless she is also so enthusiastic as to post on this forum, I suggest that you get a proper hand grinder (LIDO or OE Pharos being the most economical ) and plan on doing the cranking. I spend about 20 minutes every morning with the entire process of grinding and pulling 4 shots between the two of us + a fifth one that waits in the portafilter all prepped and ready to go for her midday cup.

If she is an HB'er then she may be willing to make the effort on a frequent basis.

Comparing a Porlex to a Lido E is like comparing my daughter's Fisher Price Buggy to a Ford Mustang.

The Porlex is a waste of money, and the grind quality of a Lido E will smack the pants off a Rocky. I put my Lido E up against my Baratza Vario, I decided to sell the Vario.

Once they get used to it adult women can grind with the Lido E with relatively little effort, my cousin uses it to make her French press every day.

Also, having owned both a Rocky as well as a Lido E, the Lido is much less of a pain in the ass to use, and it's a hand grinder...