Review on Mr Coffee Automatic Grinder Stainless by Rebecca Perry

I waited a while after purchasing this product before reviewing it because I wanted to see how it would perform over time. I've been using it every day for almost a year now and I think I can say with confidence that it's worth buying, but with some caveats. First the "pros": The price is amazing - it's only about $5. bigger than a cheap knife grinder and requires significantly less work (important in pre-caffeinated state). The hopper holds about half a pound of beans and acts as a good buffer so you know when to buy more coffee. The dial makes it easy to brew a cup of coffee, no matter who is brewing it - simply set the dial to the number of cups you want to brew and press the button. And the degree of grinding itself is very easy to adjust. However, there are a few "cons", most of which can be remedied with some technical modifications. On the one hand, there is a recess for the cleaning brush/shovel on the lid of the ground coffee container. This little tool is optional - if the tank and lid are not cleaned after almost every use, finely ground coffee dust will collect and block the flow of coffee, making grinding the beans impossible. However, this problem can be largely solved by moving the brush storage indentation from the tank cover to the hopper cover, since the irregular shape of the indentation on the underside of the tank cover creates space for coffee dust to collect and accumulate. First. Although this would not eliminate the occasional tank cleaning with a brush, it would certainly be reduced. Also, the bunker itself seems to need a steeper angle. Sometimes the beans get stuck and you have to shake the whole device a bit to get it loose. This doesn't happen very often, but often enough that you can't start grinding beans and leave the room to do something else, or you might come back to find the coffee is stuck halfway and now you don't know how much, you grind coffee. Another problem with the funnel is that the lid just hangs on it. It doesn't screw down or fit tightly with any type of gasket, and hitting it or turning it upside down will spill the coffee beans all over the counter and floor. It's a mistake you only make once, but it's frustrating to learn. But the biggest problem is that the hole where the ground coffee comes out is clogged with coffee dust and needs to be cleaned. When this happens there is no warning; Your coffee grinder will just stop grinding coffee, even if you hear the grinders turning. Cleaning the tank (especially the lid) with the brush provided after each use will greatly reduce the frequency of maintenance, but will not eliminate it. And cleaning that little port isn't exactly easy (especially when you're tired and trying to get ready for work). I have learned to keep a pack of bamboo skewers next to my coffee supplies as they tend to be of the diameter and strength needed to clean and get them going again. You will inevitably throw espresso dust over the counter when you clean it. it's just a fact of life. Overall I would still buy this product over a knife sharpener again, especially at this price point. The convenience of being able to press a button and get the exact amount of coffee grounds is much faster and easier than carefully measuring the right amount of beans in a coffee grinder every morning. But this is an entry-level burr grinder, and at times it feels like the people who designed it didn't use it for more than a day or two before launching it. If you can afford a high-end model, it's worth the money. But if it's this or a $20 blade sharpener, this burr sharpener is the way to go.