I'm looking for a good hand grinder for a mix of pour over and french press. These 3 grinders seem to be good options and all sit in a very similar price range. Any thoughts on which I should go with?

I've got the porlex mini handgrinder, so I will just share my thoughts on it, maybe it will help you.

Just to set the context in which I bought mine.

My main reasons for buying a handgrinder were:
* I wanted a second espresso grinder, which was quiet, so to grind espresso early mornings or late evenings, without disturbing S.O, kids, or neighbours
* Having a small manual grinder to pack together with aeropress for coffee when on vacation, so I'd get my fix of fresh coffee

I'm satisfied with the porlex grinder as it meets both of my requirements, but there are a couple of buts:
1) Grinding for espresso, takes some determination, as it takes a bit of time and effort, but not hard and doable. I spend approx. 4 minutes to grind 18 grs for my double short.
2) Adjusting the grind is not that easy, since you are just adjusting the lower burr in or out

But in terms of grind quality it's certainly able to choke my Izzo Alex Duetto, so it grinds fine enough for espresso, furthermore I like, that it leaves no mess, since I can transfer my ground coffee directly into the PF as the container (the bottom half of the grinder) fits into the the PF easily. The grind seems nice and even, also on coarser grinds. The coarser the grind the quicker it is to grind (and less turns on the handle) is needed. I would say for aeropress or french press it takes less than 1 minute for grinding 18 grs of coffee, but as I only drink espresso or caps @ home, I've not used the porlex for that yet.

The assembly quality seems nice and sturdy. The footprint is small and it would fit nicely with an aeropress for vacation or the occasional hiking trip.

Would I buy it again giving the demands I was trying to meet: Yes, for sure.

But for everyday use, I stick with my SJ, as it's far more convenient

My 2 cents, but I am not entirely convinced, I answered your question

The Porlex and Kyocera have the same burrs, but I find my Porlex gives a more consistent and fluffier espresso grind than my Kyocera, and with less static. If you think you may have use of it as an espresso grinder sometime, then I'd go with the Porlex. Otherwise I think the two are the same for the other grinds. The bigger Porlex holds slightly more beans in the chamber, but I think the Kyocera is easier to hold. I can't comment on the CM-50 PFP, but I'm very curious about it.

But I'm not sure I helped you either.

I was just wondering this question so I am glad you asked it. I want to pair a hand grinder with an Espro Press so the OE PFP and the Porlex were my top choices as well. From what I have read so far these two grinder's performance is similar. I was leaning towards the OE PFP because Orphan made specific changes to make it work well on the larger grind, but I like the sleek look of the Porlex better. Sounds like they are both a good choice.

Though you didn't ask specifically about the Hario Mini Mill, I've been using it for a few weeks now and very much enjoy it. It is a bit more inconsistent up at the french press level, though, but I don't do a lot of it. I use a Clever Coffee Dripper for pourovers and have found it fast and convenient for that. And it does wonderful for espresso. It's about half the price of the CM-45 and from what I can tell, pretty much identical. I searched all over for comparisons and couldn't really find anything.

I emailed OE and barb suggested that for my coarse ground needs I should go with the PFP. She also made it sound as if the other two are superior for espresso. The way it was phrased she may have not been comparing them to the PFP directly, and could have just been saying those are what they are best at.

That sounds good. I will probably place my order for the PFP soon. Their website made it seem like this grinder should be kept for one purpose. It seemed like switching between presspot and espresso grinding was not really recommended or easy. Since you are only using it for large grinds, me too, it should not be a problem.

Any more thoughts on the hario vs the porlex and kyocera? I'd be using it to make espresso on the road with a mypressi twist (and will be knocking off the cool luggage ideas above)

Also, not the right forum, but given we are discussing travel, any thoughts on a travel steamer from anyone? The salton looks perfect, but unfindable. How about the bellman?