I recently purchased a Open Box V3 Silvia, and am looking for a decent used espresso grinder.

I know the grinder is very important in order to get consistent shots, but it took everything in my power just to convince the wife on the Silvia purchase, and it will be some time before I can spend the $300+ it will take to get a good grinder.

My goal would be to find a sub $100 used grinder, for making lattes, that will get the job done for the next year, until I can get a better grinder.

It seems that all of the grinders I have been looking out hold their value well. Can anyone recommend some brands/models of used grinders that I should be keeping an eye out for on ebay, ect? Are there any decent brands of grinders that don't hold their value as much on the 2nd hand market?

Would a huge commercial grinder work?

In that case bid up to $60 on anything on Ebay for which you can get replacement burrs (they cost around $40). It will take time and lots of missed bids, but you'll score eventually.

You may even manage to find a grinder before you get sick of the undrinkable gush the Silvia will produce without a good grinder (if there ever was a machine that is 100% hopeless without a good grinder, it's the Silvia). On second thought, best leave the Silvia in its box until the good grinder materializes.

Whiplash Willy wrote:My goal would be to find a sub $100 used grinder, for making lattes, that will get the job done for the next year, until I can get a better grinder.

Jim's right, when it comes to Silvia, the last place you want to skimp is the grinder. The only sub-$100 option I can think of is a manual grinder. Electric grinders start in the $200s as discussed in many threads in this forum, e.g., Under $300 grinder: Lelit PL53, Baratza Virtuoso Preciso or Ascaso I-1?

Whiplash Willy wrote:Are there any decent brands of grinders that don't hold their value as much on the 2nd hand market?

That's sort of an oxymoron, but the Cunill Tranquilo is cited as a hardworking price-performing commercial grinder; if you could find one used, it'd be close to your price point.

Would you consider a hand grinder? I have a ceramic-burr Porlex grinder from Japan that would do nicely. It's not too hard cranking and delivers a fairly even and fluffy grind. You can get it from Orphan Espresso, or there's a Japanese Ebay vendor who ships internationally.

There is at least one person who has posted on the use of a hand grinder with Silvia over on the HandJive thread.

A good hand grinder will definitely allow you to take Silvia out of the box before you can cash in your retirement fund for a "real" grinder.

PC