I currently do not own a serviceable espresso grinder. The Niche Zero seems to be a great grinder for a great price. It's right on the edge of what I'm willing to spend, but it has no track record.

My question is this: For espresso, what would you buy and why instead of the Niche Zero?

I'm being intentionally vague because I don't know enough to be more specific.

I will say that long life and maintainability are key factors, which is why I haven't bought the Niche Zero, yet. I like the low grind retention and want something that produces a consistent grind.

To be clear, I don't care about how it grinds for other brew methods, but easy adjustment is important because I never seem to buy the same beans twice.

I'm considering this grinder because of it's great reviews but also because it is said to be a fairly quiet grinder. I cant stand loud grinders. It may be more grinder than I actually need as I'm only a medium/dark roast espresso lover and I suspect light roasts/single origin espressos may need better quality grinders than darker roasts.

At this price or below if I wasn't allowed to choose the Niche, then for quality of grinds and super durability, I'd go with hand grinding on the Pharos. Twenty turns and you're done. (Granted, I eventually motorized mine and it has mods to be able to grind into the portafilter.)

They have actually been out for a while with a good track record. It is also fairly quiet and was close to my Compak k8 Silenzio (silence) model.

It is even quieter with a silicone bellows on it.

There is a Compak K10 on the BST here for a really good price.

It will last the lifetime of your grandchildren and the grind quality IMO can't be surpassed. Put the doser back on and make the single dosing modifications to the chute (threads here on HB describe this in detail). It's a proven grinder and you will not need to upgrade.

I saws a Niche in action at someone's house earlier this week. He had it paired with a Decent and the shots pulled were amazing.

My only other reference point is a Macap M4 I have had for 14 years. It is stepped and the new ones are stepless. I removed the finger guard in order to be able to clean the shoot after every grind. It has had no problems in 14 years. How the technology of Macap's today match a Niche or the other currently in vogue grinders I have no idea. But, from a reliability perspective my M4 has been a champ.

GC7 wrote:There is a Compak K10 on the BST here for a really good price.

It will last the lifetime of your grandchildren and the grind quality IMO can't be surpassed. Put the doser back on and make the single dosing modifications to the chute (threads here on HB describe this in detail). It's a proven grinder and you will not need to upgrade.

What's BST?

MB wrote:At this price or below if I wasn't allowed to choose the Niche, then for quality of grinds and super durability, I'd go with hand grinding on the Pharos. Twenty turns and you're done. (Granted, I eventually motorized mine and it has mods to be able to grind into the portafilter.)

I'd consider a hand grinder formatted like a Rok, where it can sit on the counter and be cranked. But, the format of the pharos, even with the dog ears doesn't really work for me.

However, I want an electric grinder.

Bleu wrote:What's BST?

Buy/Sell Forum /buysell/

Rocky

Based on the responses so far, I think I should revise my question:

If you were physically incapable of operating a hand-grinder and you wouldn't be able to drink espresso unless you purchased an electric grinder for $700 or less including shipping to Texas, and couldn't replace it for 10 years, but could repair it, what would you buy new, refurbished with a warranty, or from a reputable dealer of used/rebuilt grinders?