castlezen Premium Brushed Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder

First off, I paid full price for this item. So as unbiased as all those other folks are, I would take their opinions with just a pinch of salt.The machine itself looks to be well machined, with no burrs or hard to remove parts. I was a bit annoyed that there wasn't even a little slip of paper inside for directions (really, how hard would that be? ). But I did figure it out. You put some coffee beans in the top, but make sure you tighten the black nut underneath a bit first or it won't grind anything. Then you put the top (with the hole) on, and the handle slides over the center rod sticking out (like an Allen wrench setup with the rod being the wrench).The fit is a little wobbly, so it tends to fall off unless you are actively holding it. It. Did it twice when I stopped for a second.So then you grind the beans by turning the crank. I did it for about 6.5 minutes and most all of the beans were ground by then.You need a good grip to hold the cannister still while you're grinding, either holding it down hard on the table or against your body. I switched off hands a few times as the gripping hand will get tired out first. If you don't keep it stationary, it will just spin around in your hand as you crank.The gauge of the metal is okay but could be a little thicker. A more pricy model in a thicker metal would likely be worth it. In its current iteration, it looks like it might be easy to dent or bend.The scoop with the alligator clip handle is super-cool, and the travel pouch is well made and looks durable.Another improvement for the next model would be a more rounded know to fit the palm of your hand more comfortably. If it was a 2 minute process it wouldn't matter. But even 5 minutes for a coarse grind seems like a long time. Making the process more comfortable (round topped know and better fitting "allen" hole or maybe a rubber cap to hold the handle up) would be a big improvement.All in all, I think it's a good product.Now that is truly an unbiased opinion.

It was good while it last. After a year this thing finally broken. The plastic bushing cracked, allowing the handle to spin, but not turn the burr. That part needs to be made from metal or some other harder material.

As far as I can tell, this grinder is indestructible and will last me a lifetime. I know it would be quicker to use an electric grinder, but I chose this one anyway for a couple of reasons. One - it travels well, meaning you don't need power to plug it in. Two - it gives me something to do while I wait for the boiled water to cool a bit. When I finish grinding the coffee, the water is good to go.

I recently got a french press and did not have a coffee grinder. So I ordered this one.First of all I received it very fast and it came very well packaged.It is made of good quality stainless steel. It comes with an awesome scooping spoon that has a clip attached to the back of the handle. Love this as I can clip it on to the coffee bag and it keeps it shut along with keeping the spoon in the perfect spot, with the coffee!The handle to the grinder comes separately which I actually like because it makes storing it easy. It also comes with a nice Thick bag to store it in.So I found that this little gadget does a great job! It does exactly what it is suppose to do. It just takes longer. You can adjust the setting of how fine or coarse you want your coffee ground by adjusting the nut.That is the only complaint I would have of this, that it doesn't come with directions or instructions. I had to go online and read the other reviews to find out that you can adjust the setting by adjusting the nut. So thank you to the other reviewers for that.All in all this is a great product. Made well and of good quality. Does a great job.Definitely recommend this to others.I received this product at a discounted price in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. This is completely my own opinion and experience with the product.

This is much better than the coffee grinders with blades that basically cut the beans into smaller pieces. This manual one uses the old technique, crushing beans into smaller pieces between two hard surfaces. This is the proper way baristas prefer. If you are wondering why you cannot get the coffee shop taste at home, give this a try.The video shows how we did it for a mocha-pot, it had to be fine, so we worked hard. Ground coffee for French press would be much faster and easier. The distance between the grinding surfaces can be adjusted so the coarseness of your ground coffee.I purchased this product at a discounted price so I cannot comment on the price, but this is clearly superior to any other grinder with blades.

This is a fantastic little grinder, easy to use, solid construction, and quality parts. The carry bag it comes with is quite nice as well.-Edit after owning for 1.5 years-At almost exactly a year and a half, seeing daily use, this little grinder finally found its failure mode. The bottom burr is held on using a thumb wheel that presses against a plastic bushing that snaps into the ceramic burr, and fits over the crank shaft with a shaped bit that engages the flanges on the shaft. That plastic bushing snapped in half, allowing the handle to spin, but not turn the burr. I was able to take the plastic bushing out, wash it, and glue it back together, and restore function for one more cup of coffee before it broke again.That part needs to be made from metal, or at least a better plastic.