Looking for a good grinder to complement my Streitman CT2 and Quick Mill 0961 Milk Steamer. The list:

1. $1,500 max.
2. Not made in China. Ex. Niche Zero.
3. Chrome or stainless look/body.
4. I will only be making espresso so changing grind settings routinely not important.
5. Very durable and long lasting.

Lagom p64 would be a nice choice, though it's assembled in China (designed by Aussies!) and slightly off your budget range

Do you change beans frequently or prefer to single dose?

Perhaps this sort of question opens up a can of worms prohibited here but why do a lot of people insist on "not made in China?"

exidrion wrote:Perhaps this sort of question opens up a can of worms prohibited here but why do a lot of people insist on "not made in China?"

Yikes, I could write books on the topic! As someone who has studied China in an official capacity (that's all I will say about that), the only thing I will say is they are most certainly not friends of the West. Western companies just use them to their increase profits. There is absolutely no reason the Lagom p64 posted above is not made in Australia.

SutterMill wrote:Do you change beans frequently or prefer to single dose?

Actually trying to figure this out. I think I would prefer keeping the same beans in a hopper and the grinder auto-dosing versus weighing the coffee before putting it into a single dose grinder. Still doing research on that. I am leaning towards removing that weighing step in my workflow.

Jeff wrote:Based on those criteria, I'd consider a Mazzer Super Jolly or Eureka Atom 75

I'm definitely looking into those two.

I think I'm leaning towards something very elegant and simple with mechanical switches versus electronics/displays that would last who knows how long. A lot of these grinders look like lab microscopes. Definitely would clash with the Streitman and my very organic curved kitchen with bamboo cabinets.

ECM V-Titan 64 in stainless steel, designed and Made in Germany. Use a LesBrew bellows available for this grinder to turn it into a single dose grinder, or use the Hopper which comes with the grinder.

Ah that's what I'm talking about. The closest to what I am looking for so far.

I also found this:

https://clivecoffee.com/products/eureka ... so-grinder

Also very attractive for my setup. I think I am definitely looking for a very simple/reliable grinder with literally an on/off switch and grind adjustment.

I notice the ECM V-Titan 64 above has a digital timer. Is that critical to the operation of the machine if it were to fail?

Isn't polarity, and therefore direction of spin, easily reversed? Just asking.
Plus, isn't the whole idea to get adequate burrs which don't need changing? Not saying experimentation isn't interesting, just that that costs money. Folks are pouring money and more importantly time into burrs and alignment for the 250 watt DF64, and in the end, what do they have, an entry level, Chinese product (for the money, love our DF64, stock, "as is!").
ECM is not "end game," but then a $1500 budget ceiling does not permit going from 90% "of the way there" to the 99% that $4000 can get you, plus, the Titan can be enjoyed, new, for $1250, and it'll always be German engineering, design, and manufacturing.