Looking for a good quality hand grinder for traveling. I would love one of OE's devices, but the wife would kill me if I spent that much. Bought a $40 Yama hand grinder and it is a huge disappointment. Grind is ok for my travel french press, but the wood smells chemically and ruins the coffee. Let it sit open for weeks with not noticeable decline in the odor. Useless.

So, looking for other ideas for an inexpensive hand grinder. Think folks have said the hario skerton is really really slow, but looks like the only other option that isn't too expensive. Thoughts?

If your goal is to have a grinder that works well for a coarse grind for press pot brewing, I'd recommend that you retrofit a Hario Skerton or Kyocera CM-50CF w/ this OE mod:

http://www.orphanespresso.com/OE-Lower- ... _4066.html

I have used a Hario Slim as a travel grinder quite a bit for AeroPress and manual drip brew methods. The Hario Slim grinds slowly-due to the ceramic burrs-but it gets the job done and is unbreakable. But the grind quality decreases as grind size increases-due to burr wobble. The OE mod addresses this problem, which is more noticeable w/ press pot brewing than it is w/ aeropress or manual drip methods. (If grind quality is not your main priority, the Hario Slim is hard to beat in terms of portability and affordability.)

I have a porlex mini and have been very happy with the results. I got this little guy for camping, and my jet-boil french-press, but ended up using it with my espresso machine at home. I have been able to choke up my machine with the fine grind setting on the porlex. No, I haven't done the infinite replacement nut mod or any of that, just a $50 porlex mini from amazon.

The ceramic burrs come right out for easy cleaning, and the small bean hopper will hold about 18-20g of beans with the lid on.

I've used a Skerton for years when travelling. At different times, I have used it to grind for pour-over, CCD, and aeropress brews, and have liked the results. There is a bit of burr wobble, and I doubt it would compete with the more expensive options, like the Lido or the Rosco Mini, but it has been good enough to get me through a lot of work travel.

I wouldn't recommend it for press grinding without the OE mod kit, however.

+1 on the cm45. Porlex always looked good but I've not owned one. Skerton has wide steps, not good for adjustability.