hi folks, first time poster-nice place here. im wondering if this is possible; ive got a pavoni europiccola machine, and im using a krups handheld blade grinder because i could never get this briel machine to grind fine enough. someone at my local shop mentioned the possibility of modding the machine to grind finer. is this possible? consequently, if its NOT possible, and this machine is a wash, what is the CHEAPEST machine i can get to grind for espresso? i know the handheld krups thing is probably not that "foofie", but it actually works ok, i can get decent grind, just wondering how much better i can get with a "real" machine. thanks alot for the help.

Hi rjd I was impressed with your post it's amazing that you are getting to make espresso using a blade grinder with an Europiccola! I suppose that must mean a lot of work (and skill!). It took me a long time and many shots to get crema out of mine even with my burr grinder! During how long do you grind for a shot? 1 minute? 2 minutes?

i'd say its close to a minute, maybe more. doing it several times a day, ive gotten to the point where i can kinda do it by feel, and sound. if you constantly shake the machine, you get a relatively even grind, and it will start to "clump" eventually. getting a good crema is hit or miss-sometimes do, sometimes dont- that's why im considering changing. out of the box, this briel machine is useless for espresso.

i dont want to drop 500+ on a grinder at the moment. if my best alternative is a used grinder on ebay, that's a fair answer-as the machine is useless, i figure i might as well try modding this briel grinder.

That grinder does not get good reviews. I guess you could dismantle it and try to get the burrs closer, and maybe figure a way to make it stepless. You could consider the Lelit grinder from 1st Line:

http://www.1st-line.com/machines/...mod/lelit/PL53.htm

sweaner-yea, the grinder pretty much blows. i tried to disassemble, and its not so easy looking. i might just sell it or something.

what do you guys think about this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI....&item=110332013436

should i bid on it, or do you think the le'lit pl53 is a better product?

The is probably a good grinder, but make sure you can get new burrs for it. If you can get it cheap you should be good to go.

EDIT: These might be the right burrs: http://www.espressoparts.com/prod...nder_Burr_Set.html