After watching many video's and reading many threads on the Hario mills. I have decided to buy one mainly for espresso. I am the only coffee drinker in my house and I never exceed 3-4 shot pulls per day. I don't know which Hario would be best though.. Does anyone have experience with use of both? Which will produce a better range of espresso grind, the Slim or the Skerton.

Does the Skerton require a mod for espresso?

The Skerton doesn't require any modifications for espresso, but there is a modification if you want to go to the larger range (French Press). Are you looking at the Skerton because of the low price or because of good espresso potential? If good espresso is the most important then I would look at Orphan Espresso grinders instead. The Skerton would make average espresso, but I would look into a slightly higher price range if that is feasible.

Also the price range yes but good espresso is also important. I am also looking for something with a small foot print which is why a hand mill really caught my eye. I also don't make many drinks so I am having trouble justifying a higher price point. I feel like a large expensive grinder may be overkill for a singl drinker. If I end up spending anything over $200 for one of the OE grinders I may as well get a Vario or Rocky I feel.


What about something like the Porlex that OE advertises?
http://www.orphanespresso.com/PORLEX-Mi ... _3498.html

No hario will make you happy, not as a primary grinder. The hario skerton takes forever to grind, and the mini won't do much better. The skerton has stepped adjusting and I find them all to be unsuitable for espresso. I think the mini has more options, but I've also heard it slips a lot. If you're looking for a hand grinder, older wooden box mills are your best choice. An older zassenhaus grinder will cost you about $50 on eBay, and will provide a much better grind, as well as being adjusted stepplessly.

Here are a couple of posts from Doug Garrott of Orphan Espresso that cover a comparison and design aspects of the smaller Japanese coffee mills that you may want to study.

Japanese ceramics, wobbly burr, and espresso? - Grinders • Home-Barista.com

Orphan Espresso LIDO cupping grinder - Marketplace - Page 3 • Home-Barista.com

I use an unmodified Kyocera CM45-CF paired with my Mypressi Twist for espresso at work. The grinder is small and fits in my case, but adjustment is difficult to attain the right flow and you'll go from choking to too fast with small adjustments. I have also had to replace almost the entire grinder (Burrs, Handle, Cap) more than doubling my cost. I also have a Hario Slim at work I use for pour-over and I've taken to grinding the coffee twice lately for a more even grind (after reading a tweet by Tim Wendelboe advocating this practice). I found the Hario Slim new in box for $5 at a thrift store and couldn't pass it up.

I would recommend a Lido, a box grinder, or a Pharos.