Most people are just going to recommend what they already have. You’re posting in this sub, the obvious thing to do is go watch JH’s hand grinder videos and then buy a comandante c40.

Very happy with my J-Max for espresso. Kinu M43 is also excellent.

It comes down to....

1. how much do you have to spend?
2. do you want to grind for espresso?

I second 1ZPresso. Fairly cheap for excellent grind quality. Build quality is really good too. JX is a good starting place, JX Pro if you want the option to do espresso.

Javapresse has a nice aesthetic and it makes good coffee. The price tag isn't too heavy either. I'd say maybe the timemore is a better option if you're willing to pay double the price, but its definitely not double the value

1zpresso is great except for one feature which makes it the worst type of manual coffee grinder. Magnetic compartment that holds coffee god awful and stupid design the number of times it's lost its seal and dropped off dumping a shit ton of ground everywhere.

I like my Timemore Chestnut C2. Good consistent grind quality, great build quality (feels good to use every morning), and not super expensive.

My personal favorite for the moka pot is the Timemore C3 Esp Pro. It does a fantastic job and the handle folds down, making the grinder quite compact. However, the capacity is really only good for a 3 cup or smaller moka pot (max capacity is around 25 g). I also have a 1ZPresso J-Ultra that I use for my 6 cup (it has a 35 g capacity), but despite the superiority of the J-Ultra for espresso, I actually prefer the Timemore for moka pot brewing.

I got the KINGrinder P2 and like it a lot. Filling it completely gives me the right amount of beans for my 3-cup moka pot, so if you are grinding for a larger one than that then a larger grinder would be helpful.

I got a Kingrinder K2 a few weeks ago, could not be happier with my purchase.

I have a Timemore C2 that I have had for 4 years, upgraded with a metal dial and dial plate. Just make sure you get a newer model that has all metal parts and you will be fine.

I am not the most experienced person of this sureddit, but the Kingrinder K6 is often advised, I bought it because I wanted a manual grinder, and it is excellent, superb combo with the bialetti

I'd say the HG2 probably would make short work of any roast level bean, but I'm not sure you're in the market for a $1600 hand grinder.

Eh...after four years with a skerton pro, my current grinder for espresso (K-max) is a breeze.

For your ESP: once I got silicone bellows there’s very little retention. I’ll still clean periodically, but since I can blow out almost everything I add it stays really consistent.

Kinu

Any tabletop hand grinder: Craig Lynn HG-1 Prime, Weber HG-2, Kinu M68.

Here's another vote for the Comandante C40. They just released a new version of the grinder (MK4) so you can buy this when it's available or get the previous (MK3) version on sale as retailers try to unload their older stock.

Comandante all the way! I think it’s still the best handgrinder in the sub 1000$ range and will give you amazing grind consistency on filter grinds. Also great Company with great service and community.

1zpresso JX. You will likely never need to upgrade, and it is an excellent grinder.

I think you get more for your money for the 1zpresso. The JX especially.

+1 for the commandante if it's in your budget. Truly a joy to use every day and worth every cent.

You might want to check out these videos:

Hoffmans hand grinder showdown

Another budget grinder showdown, which has the Timemore and the 1xpresso jx that a lot of people are mentioning here

1zpresso Q2 heptagonal

The pentagonal is also okay if having more fine particles produces the coffee you like.

It's a small hand grinder that I bring with me to work. Anything more than a single serving would be multiple fills into the grinder and emptying the catch cup.

Kingrinder k2/k4 are better for espresso, but can do filter coffee. Kingrinder k6 more universal and has a faster grind. Timemore C2/3 is similar to K6 but more oriented for pourover and can be used for occasional espresso.

I've got the hario slim and just got a Kingrinder K4. Haven't used it for espresso yet but my goodness the speed compared to the Hario is incredible.

I just bought an eighty dollar Oxo burr grinder after fifty years of using a rotary blade grinder because both of my brothers insisted that I was wasting my life drinking sub-par coffee. I am very happy with the results.

I chose this Oxo because 1) it was way cheaper than 'good' ones; 2) it has a timer so that I have (roughly) repeatable coffee amounts from day to day.

Here is what I have learned:

1. As anyone will tell you, using a timer is not an accurate way to measure grounds. However, I have been weighing the results and it is plus/minus a few percent.

2. Plus/minus a few percent is not important. The coffee tastes really good. I do not perceive the difference in the brew day to day.

3. Grind particle size consistency is supposed to be the big benefit of using a more expensive grinder. My brother has a $250 Breville grinder and we compared macro photos of the grounds. Visual inspection says there's not a lot of difference

Hoffman used a sieve thing the other day to sort grounds into three sizes. I'd very much like to try that.

Oxo Eighty Bucks. You won't be sad.

If you are low on budget, get a hand grinder, as you wont get good electric grinders in that range. Any steel burr hand grinder will be better than the Hario.

As recommended, the 1zpresso Q2, Timemore C3 are good options. If you can spend more, get a higher spec grinder, like the 1zpresso J/JX/JX-Pro, or Kinu M47.

Lance Hedrick made a massive comparison of hand grinders a while ago, it's still up to date. His winner was the K-Max. Coffee Chronicler compared the K-Max to K-Ultra, there wasn't a clear winner between the 2, maybe the K-Ultra is a little better.

You have to listen to those passionate praises for Comandante and Kinu with a grain of salt, everyone is out to defend whatever they already bought, not to mention other biases. Reviewers are the only ones who've tested these ostensibly, and also have access to really expensive gear, and infinite amounts of coffee from all types. I trust the 2 I mentioned above.

I think Kinu is great for espresso, and can be for filter if you prefer body over clarity. Comandante really good, but not very ergonomical, slow to grind, large difference between steps if not using Red Clix, and internal adjustment/counting clicks is kind of outdated at this point.

There's a reason K-Max/Ultra win these comparisons. They're the whole package. Fast, ergonomical, external adjustment, clarity (but still forgiving), can grind for espresso, large capacity.

You would rather this was not mentioned? I cited this video (Coffee Chronicler's) because it compared the winner from Lance's video with the more recent upgrade, and provided details.

I can give you my testimony of using the K-Plus for 6 months, after having used Timemore C2 for 2 years (and Hario Slim for 2 years before that). But it's not as objective as their reviews, because I haven't tested the insane amount of grinders they have.

I also watch James Hoffmann, Kyle Rowsell, Sprometheus, European Coffee Trip and Brazilian YT channels. I'm not rooting for any brand, I think that's silly.

I wanted a BFL grinder and got a C40. Tried 1z first and it didn't make the cut. I wound up returning that one. No regrets going with the C40. The company has been around for awhile, they service the grinders if necessary, and there are spare parts. Not so with many other brands.

The Kinu is a beast. I've got a Kinu and a C40, and I tend to use the C40 for pour-overs and the Kinu for espressos, but that's me. They feel built like tanks. Maybe the C40 tires my hand a bit more, the Kinu has never bothered me after long grinding sessions.

for life? I'd say Kinu or Comandante. 1Zpresso are nice and all but the untreated burrs will wear out much faster than the Kinu or C40 burr sets and I don't believe they sell replacement burrs. Because of the hardened burrs in the C40 or the coated burrs in the Kinu, would make either of those the better option for a life long purchase.

Kinu is not suitable for your needs. It’s an espresso grinder.

I was trained in U.S. law, not German or EU law. One thing I do know though, is without seeing the actual documents and being able to research case law and statutes on the matter, it's very tough to have an informed opinion about this stuff. Anyone that received a "letter" would be smart to retain counsel.

Now, back to the grinder itself. None of this has anything to do with the quality of the end product.

If we're going to bring up things that are beyond the scope of the end product, we could also talk about labor conditions and wages in China, especially at third party subcontracted factories which many brands use. Things aren't always so rosy at company owned factories either, depending on the company. That's before we get further down the rabbit hole into other related stuff.

its the same, just better built quality on the more expensive models. If you're looking for pour over/filter coffee, I'd go C40. If it's for espresso, the Kinu.

Waited for this video since the cheaper grinders review. Lost hope and got really tired of my old grinder, spent the morning googling and reading which one to buy. Ordered Timemore Slim.

Less than an hour later James posting this... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Let me know! I think deciding if you want to brew espresso is really key. If you do then I'd want the Red Clix mod for the C40. I wouldn't go Aergrind or Timemore.

If I'm making filter do you recommend timemore or baratza encore? Assuming I don't have the budget for the kinu or comandante

Thanks

I'm fine with my Hario Skerton... * ducks for cover *

james hoffman is the god of coffee

Copying my top-level comment in case people find it useful:

Summary:

James Hoffmann, 2007 World Barista Champion and Co-Founder of Square Mile Coffee Roasters, reviews six premium (>$150 USD) hand grinders: The Lido 3, the Commodante C40, the Helor 101, the Timemore Chestnut, the Knock Aergrind, and the Kinu M47.

Methods:

Subjective appreciation of materials, build quality, ease of use, and design. Hoffmann mentions using image analysis to examine grind size distribution, but does not share the data, citing insufficiently rigorous analysis to be responsibly shared. He also mentions taste-tests, but those also do not occur on-screen.

Results:

The Kinu M47 is the overall winner, followed by the Commodante C40 and the Helor 101. He notes that the Kinu M47 did not produce the most consistent grind distribution in his tests, but the overall workflow and design put it over the top. He compares all six to the winner of his previous video examining cheap handgrinders - the Porlex Mini - and finds that all six premium grinders dramatically outperform the budget winner. He concludes by noting that all six grinders perform comparably, and none would be much of an upgrade over the other.

How much in terms of Money are you willing to spend or is money not a factor ?
you can go for any Timemore and 1Zpresso Models if the Kingrinder doesn't work

also check out the grind sizes for each of the grinders on this chart website to compare them
https://honestcoffeeguide.com/coffee-grind-size-chart/

I hand grind with a Kingrinder K6 every day, for a 6 cup moka pot. And I grind light roasts, which are harder than your darker beans. You'd have to load twice, but otherwise I see no obstacle at all. And oh yeah, I'm 72, and fit but no bodybuilder... I don't believe this would be so much work as all that.

There are, but prices in the range of good electric ones

Edit: lmao, hope you have arms you can hit the downvote button with after grinding for a 12 cup with a 30g capacity grinder

I can't think of a grinder that's big enough to hold the whole dose at once. That's about 60 grams, right? Maybe an Orphan Espresso is big enough.

Better to get a good-sized 1ZPresso or maybe splurge on a Comandante C40 (really no need for the bigger Barracuda) and do it in two loads.

I hand-ground 80g for my cold brew pot using my little 1ZPresso Q2. I only did it once. Never mind having to reload it four times -- that was a LOT of hand-grinding. Haven't bothered to do it again.

Do you want to grind a 12 cup in one go? Because you can grind for a 12 cup in any grinder provided you empty the cup and add new beans.

A lot of high end gridners (Timemore etc m) can grind for 6 cups so it shouldn’t be too tiresome I imagine to empty and refill.

The time it takes to grind will be the same.

Go for the Timemore C3 ESP version—it’s a nice upgrade from the C2 and definitely worth the price. It gives you solid, consistent results. No need to chase pricier grinders unless you’re already comfortable with using a hand grinder and want to dive deeper into the hobby.

The Timemore C2 got top reviews in the New York Times consumer reports section. They said it was a budget tool that operated at the level of an expensive regular grinder. I bought one and I agree.

TimeMore C2 is completely fine

But there are slightly more expensive options suitable for espresso. Just in case. If you get to espresso, you won't have to buy a new one.

I have the C3 ESP Pro with the folding handle. Def recommend this as it takes up much less space and is more stable. Space is also my main consideration.

Hand grinding is a bit of a pain. Some days I enjoy it, others I’m cursing. Some nights I grind before I go to bed to save time in the morning.

Overall I’m very happy with it. I can’t justify the counter space for an electric. I have small hands. It’s comfortable to hold and has a lot of adjustments. Easy to take apart and clean.

Look at timemore c2, c3, c3esp The next more inexpensive option is timemore k4/k6