Hi all.

Was pleasantly surprised when I received Rancilio Silvia as a present last month. Still learning about home espresso but I quickly realized that I need own grinder. My first thought was to get Rancilio Rocky and call it a day, but I googled a bit more... and more.
I'm doing 3-6 shots per day. People say that Silvia required bit finer coffee then other machines.

Currently I'm looking for something adequate for my Silvia. I'd like to stay under $500-700.
Now I'm looking at a few grinders:

• Rancilio Rocky. Can get one used for $200 or new one for $350-400. Got some cons but it's better then nothing.
• Baratza Vario. Looking for under $400 for used and bit over $400 for a new one.
• Baratza 270Wi. $550 or so. Still withing price range.
• Mazzer Mini or Super Jolly. Here things start getting interesting. It seems that it will cost around $500 for used grinder in good condition.
• Niche Zero - new grinder, mazzer burrs. So far good reviews overall.

At this point I'm debating between getting cheaper grinder now (Rocky for example) and upgrading it to something better in future or getting some descent grinder right away and using for year or two. Saying that because I'm also kind of person that prefer descent equipment (but it for life) when I'm into something: it seems like skipping all grinders and getting Monolith doesn't sound like a bad idea. Not in 2020, but two years? Will rocky/vario work ok for two years?

1-The Rocky I had was quite capable and gave me really good grind quality/consistency, especially after new burrs. It might not suit everybody, but I believe in maximizing anything in front of me. The stepped argument is overrated as stepless isn't absolutely necessary to dial any coffee in. Been there, done that... I can honestly tell you that a dialed in Rocky isn't that far from quality 64 mm burr grinders. I've had several and compared them to the Rocky with the same coffees, dose, etc. and there wasn't very much difference between them. If things were off a bit the Rocky extractions would be a little less forgiving as in more bite/not as smooth, but far from night/day as some reviews try to point out.
2-Vario I had was good when it actually worked. Plastic parts really can limit consistency/durability over time.
3-I personally wouldn't bother with a Sette if it was $100. More power to the satisfied users, but I'm avoiding cheap plastics these days.
4-The Mazzers of course are great and can be found in used/solid working condition much cheaper than new if you want to go that route. Of course the craze these days is doserless/lack of retention, but most grinders can be tweaked to offset issues like that.
5-The NZ seems fine for those looking for quality grind/range as well as single dosing. I'm not a fan of single dosing and I personally could never get used to the childish retro look of the thing.

if you are looking at something used I would suggest you first look for costs of maintenance/repair and parts around your area, because you never know what happened to it. I love the used market, but if you arent someone that can fix those things on your own or you dont have a good availability of parts at a decent price it can be risky.

Silvia requires a quality grind just like any other espresso machine. A used a Rocky is just about guaranteed to need new burrs. With the use you describe the Rancilio burrs will be good for about four or maybe five years before benefiting from a burr replacement. Fortunately, the burrs are quite affordable. And to get the most from it, it DOES require the stepless mod. If you can get a decent one for $200 and don't mind the possibility of an upgrade in the future, that is a good deal.

And with any grinder, a scale capable of weighing in increments of 0.1 grams will go a LONG way toward consistency.

C-Antonio wrote:if you are looking at something used I would suggest you first look for costs of maintenance/repair and parts around your area, because you never know what happened to it. I love the used market, but if you arent someone that can fix those things on your own or you dont have a good availability of parts at a decent price it can be risky.

Well, I live in Chicago, so there're some shops around. I think I can maintain it myself when it comes to simple maintenance/adjustments.
I'm not set on used grinder for sure, brought this as possible option. It seems that big mazzer will last very long and pretty safe to buy used (and replace burrs). On the other hand it will cost about the same as Niche Zero.

Randy G. wrote:Silvia requires a quality grind just like any other espresso machine. A used a Rocky is just about guaranteed to need new burrs. With the use you describe the Rancilio burrs will be good for about four or maybe five years before benefiting from a burr replacement. Fortunately, the burrs are quite affordable. And to get the most from it, it DOES require the stepless mod. If you can get a decent one for $200 and don't mind the possibility of an upgrade in the future, that is a good deal.

And with any grinder, a scale capable of weighing in increments of 0.1 grams will go a LONG way toward consistency.

I can get Rocky for around $200. I can replace burrs, get PID for Silvia and perform stepless mod. All of that will cost less then Niche Zero if my math is right.

Stepless might help in some scenarios, but it's far from the night/day difference some newbies want to believe.

I experimented with my Rocky and found that one step made a difference in extraction time of about three to five seconds iirc. It may have been as high as seven seconds at times. That is not a big deal if all other variables can be controlled (which, with a stock Silvia, is a challenge). But the stepless mod makes dialing in a lot easier. It is easy to accomplish as well. Additionally, I think it is fair to assume that newbies benefit from one less variable than an experienced barista.

^Agree.
I'm debating between either cheapest variant (rocky) or upper range now (mazzer/Niche one) mostly.

If you get the Niche, you'll never need to upgrade. It sounds like nothing is better (except the Monoliths for $1300+ more) for single dosing and workflow. You will be able to get the most out of your Silvia with it, especially if you put a PID on it down the road.

But, if you don't want to spend that much right now and if you're still getting into espresso and figuring out if it's your thing or not, you can buy a used Rocky and likely turn around a sell it for roughly the same price if you decide you need to upgrade later on.

NISMO_Juke wrote:1-The Rocky I had was quite capable and gave me really good grind quality/consistency, especially after new burrs. It might not suit everybody, but I believe in maximizing anything in front of me. The stepped argument is overrated as stepless isn't absolutely necessary to dial any coffee in. Been there, done that... I can honestly tell you that a dialed in Rocky isn't that far from quality 64 mm burr grinders. I've had several and compared them to the Rocky with the same coffees, dose, etc. and there wasn't very much difference between them. If things were off a bit the Rocky extractions would be a little less forgiving as in more bite/not as smooth, but far from night/day as some reviews try to point out.

I wholeheartedly disagree with this. I used a Rocky with my Silvia for several years. It was nearly impossible to accurately dial in. One setting was too fine, the next too coarse, leaving you stuck with altering your dose as the only alternative. Moving up to a mini-class grinder produced astounding improvement in my shots. I strongly urge you to think very carefully before going this route, if you are considering it.