I am using a vintage (I guess 1950s) Lehnartz "Mocca-Qualitina" grinder with a Brugnetti Aurora Simona (not the Top) from 1992. I recently got the Simona and it arrived in very good condition with very little use.

So, I get good coffee from the combination, but I am far away from the golden rule. Even with the tightest setting on the grinder, the most coffee I can fit in the portafilter and still fit it into the machine, and the most forceful tamping before water starts to spill from the side of the portafilter I get extraction times of around 15-17 sec for more like 35-40ml. I did try different beans: same result. Of course, I might just leave it at that, but I wonder if I would get better shots from this machine with longer extraction times...

A very friendly distributor for espresso machines (LMM Foodservices in Hormigueros) close to where I live checked the Simona and the pressure on it is OK.

Now I'm suspecting it may be the burrs that are worn. Are there other possible reasons to consider?

My options seem to be:

1. get a new manual grinder
2. replace the burrs on the Lehnartz

Is 2. even feasible? Are burrs available to replace the ones in the grinder and how much work would that involve? Has someone here done this or know of someone who did it? Can the old burrs be refurbished?

Which manual grinder would you recommend for espresso only? I could keep the Lehnartz for the more coarse grinds.

I greatly appreciate any feedback!

Replacing the burrs will not work unless you modify the grinder to take new burrs, and possibly fix the alignment

A new Knock haus or feldgrind or Lido is a safer bet for consistent espresso. Many of this site believe you need larger burrs, like a Pharos or HG1. But I've muddled along for many years with the small-burr grinders and I'm very happy with the results.

The espresso will be much better with a proper grinder btw.

I gradually have grown to dislike needlessly electric things, because ultra high quality mechanical devices tend to be more robust. I have an Hg-1 and a Pharos. They do an excellent job. They are not going to have electrical shorts. Their microprocessor will not fail with no replacements available. They also turn at a slow speed which results in excellent grinding, and it is under my control.

Yeah, I already suspected that buying a new grinder might lie ahead.

The HG-1 costs way more than what I am willing to spend at the moment. I am still undecided between Pharos, Lido E, and Hausgrind.

The Pharos looks impressive on photos, but that look might be a bit too "engineered" for day-to-day use/cleaning/....

I like the looks of both the Hausgrind and the Lido E. At current exchange and shipping rates they'd both end up at about the same price.

Any comments that might help me make up my mind?

Thanks!

I have a Pharos, Lido 3 (difference in adjustment to Lido E), and a feldgrind (cheaper, lighter, smaller than hausgrind, has a hopper lid) and can comment a bit on usability:

The feldgrind is without doubt superior in terms of accessing the grinds when you're done. Nothing is left behind unintentionally!
I also prefer it's mechanism for setting the grind size, although I suppose the Lido adjustment would be considerably better if I were OK with marking the adjustment ring.

My main gripe with the feldgrind is that it takes more turns to grind (but less noise and force.. the only grinder my girlfriend is OK with turning). It's relatively new, so maybe there is some improvement ahead.
I love the speed of the Pharos!

The Pharos looks great in the kitchen, and several guests have commented on it. If you want a more portable one, feldgrind is incredibly compact; you could put it in a pocket.

So, from a usability perspective, I wholeheartedly recommend the feldgrind. There is a lot to read about the grind quality of all of them, but I'm sure you've seen that.
At the time of writing, madebyknock has three feldgrind units available.

Agreed with above that new grinder seems to be the way (no easy way to replace the vintage burrs afaik).

All mentioned above are excellent hand grinders. Just want to add there's the Helor 101 grinder worth considering as well. I have been using one for a while solely for espresso. Build quality & design is top notch, and grind adjustment for espresso is just so easy (I use VST basket and medium-light espresso roast combo which can be hard to crank on Pharos/Hg-1). Easy to disassemble for full cleaning/maintenance, and alignment is trivial which requires no thoughts.

Hand grinders I've used/owned : Lidos, Pharos, vintage Armin Trosser, Rosco Mini, HG-1, Porlex, Hario mini, Feldgrind & Hausgrind (both which I had just seen & used briefly). For daily espresso performance and ease of use (everything else aside, that includes the debatable 'which-tastes-better'), the Helor & Feldgrind are easily up there top 2. Build quality/design the Helor easily takes the first place together with the Rosco Mini (which is not easy to replace the burrs if one ever wears out on the Rosco). But as mentioned, any grinders above will do the job alright (well, except for the Hario & Porlex which are a complete chore to grind for espresso )

Agreed with Sam on the Helor 101 hand grinder. If you like HG-1, But want a little bit cheaper than HG-1. Then, you may consider the Helor 102, I have no first hand experience with this grinder though. However, There are many Happy users around here in China and Taiwan

CoffeeBar wrote:But want a little bit cheaper than HG-1. Then, you may consider the Helor 102

Not sure I would really go with a Helor 102 though. Haha! Too uncertain at this point and looks way similar to HG-1 - might as well get the 'real' thing.

Some posts indicate that it is mechanically quite different and may even be an improvement...