I am thinking about replacing my La San Marco LSM-90 commercial grinder. It does a fine job, but is bulky, noise and has a doser. I took the doser off to see if I could figure out a way to make it doserless but it wouldn't be easy.

So, I am looking for suggestions for espresso grinders under or near $1000. It will only be used for espresso, and while I have been single-dosing with the LSM, I am not particularly tied to single dosing with a new grinder. I think I would prefer a volumetric dosing grinders just to simplify my routine.

If it matters, my espresso machine is a Londinium R spring lever machine.

OK, so here is what I think are my priorities...

1. Of course, the espresso
2. Doserless with either weight or time-based dosing
3. Quiet (I am up at 5:30, so keeping things somewhat quiet is important)
4. Relatively fast
5. Low retention

Height is not an issue since I have a separate coffee island with no cabinets above it.

I would love to have a Ceado E37S, but unless there is a great sale it is just not in the budget, so I am thinking about...

1. Ceado E37J (just a little above my budget)
2. Eureka Zenith 65E
3. Fiorenzato F64 EVO
4. Ceado E6P
5. Fiorenzato F4E
6. Eureka Atom

I have also looked at the HG1, but I'm nor sure that I want a manual grinder.

Please share your thoughts and experiences on any or all of these grinders, and feel free to suggest others.

Thanks!

no experience on any of the grinders but i jist bought the 37J. I like its simplicity.

Ron_L wrote: I have also looked at the HG1, but I'm nor sure that I want a manual grinder.

Please share your thoughts and experiences on any or all of these grinders, and feel free to suggest others.

Thanks!

If you mainly use medium to dark roasts, then you should find the HG-1 to be very easy to use in manual mode. However, if you are into light roasts, then the HG-1 could wear you out. Motorizing the HG-one is a viable option to cover the range of roasts - there are any number of ways this can be done.

Thanks... I prefer light to medium roasts, so I may be worn out half the time

I have a Eureka Atom and would highly recommend it. Its well within your price range, has electronic dosing, looks great (personal preference), is whisper quiet (I can hold a conversation at regular volume while grinding), its quick and produces nice fluffy grounds. Eureka have even improved on some of the parts since its initial release. They have redesigned the awkward portafilter holder and upgraded the clump crusher from plastic to metal in the newer machines. cleaning the machine is very convenient with only 6 screws between you and the exposed burrs. removing the top burrs (3 standard screws) does NOT affect your grind adjustment so you will not lose your grind setting when cleaning the machine. This is because they have attached the adjustment knob to the bottom burr. The only downsides to this machine are the hopper sides aren't angled steep enough leading some beans to get stuck on the sides (probably done for size considerations). Another negative is you cant conveniently single dose in this machine. Other than that this machine is solid.

Thanks! Have you had any issues with the long chute clogging? How is the retention?

...ron

I've owned the e6p v2 for about a year and been very happy with it. It's conversationally quiet, single doses very well, has a small footprint, and allows me to replace the hopper with my 58mm tamper. The adjusting collar requires two hands but moves smoothly. It's also a very clean grinder with only a couple of stray grounds landing in the tray below.

The only caveats are you do lose the grinding adjustment when cleaning, there's no display to show you how much each button is timed, and the graphic on the adjusting collar doesn't line up '0' with the grinder chute as well as not enough 'ticks' between the adjustment hash-marks. Regardless, I set the first-cup button for a couple of seconds to clear out old grounds. For the 2-cup button I have it timed to stop half-way through my normal dose to allow me to shake the PF to level out the grounds. I then press the 2-cup button again to grind the remaining beans.

It's not a flashy grinder but it is functional for a single-doser.

Ron_L wrote:Thanks! Have you had any issues with the long chute clogging? How is the retention?

...ron

I have had the chute clog before, but I've owned it for the better part of a year and can count the number of times it has happened on one hand. I think it happens due to a mixture of atmospheric humidity and grind particle size. I have the machine dialed in quite well and cant remember the last clog I had. Only thing I can say on retention is it takes a several seconds from the initiation of grinding until I see grinds out of the chute after I've cleaned the machine. Grinds build up on two portions of the burrs 180 degrees apart from each other. They are what I assume to be counterweights on the burr set.

I took advantage of the Green Monday sale at WLL and ordered a Ceado E37S. It arrives tomorrow.

Fantastic choice