wingsbro Midas Upgrade-Grind - Strongest and Heaviest Duty Portable Conical Burr Mill, Whole Bean Manual Coffee Grinder for French Press, Turkish, Handheld Mini, K Cup, Brushed Stainless Steel

This small coffee grinder is in fact a 21st century recreation of a traditional Turkish hand-mill, usually made of brass (and still available at a much higher price). The fact that several sellers offer in effect the identical item suggests either that much copying is going on in China, or more likely that all originate from the same maker and are then branded by dealers for retail sale. In any mass produced item, there will inevitably be (very) slight variations in dimensions, and the quality of the finished product will depend on how carefully the components have been selected.The example (Midas brand) I bought is very well put together, and more than adequately strong for its purpose. The sliding-fit lid and hopper stay in place but are easily separated and there is only slight play on the spindle, as one would expect. It seems well-designed, doesn't look "cheap" and has proved very capable of producing powdered coffee (for Turkish brew) which is what I bought it for. (No electric rotating blade mill that I've seen can do this properly.)Yes, it is slow. It takes me about 2 minutes to grind sufficient coffee for a cup, but that is what should be expected of a hand-turned mill, rotating at about 60-80 rpm. An electric motor would be far faster, no doubt, but much bulkier and heavier. The speed of grind probably depends to some extent on the fineness of the coffee required, but I've not checked this.Yes, it is a pity that there are absolutely no instructions, though the illustrations which now accompany the item provide just about all you need. And it doesn't take much thought to realise that coffee goes in the top, fineness is adjusted by turning the knob on the shaft (you can see the part move, and if you screw too far the wrong way, it will spring apart!) and that on turning the handle the coffee will be ground and fall into the hopper - the bottom container. Not much more to be said. By the way, some of the other sellers also provide pictures of the mill disassembled, confirming they are all alike.As with all small mills of this type (a table pepper-mill is essentially the same) it is wise to do a reverse turn every few rotations, to help prevent clogging. And it will also help to remove the rotating element (burr) and brush out the grooves of both parts from time to time. A cheap small toothbrush (child size) is ideal for this. And there seems no reason why it should not occasionally be washed in warm water; there doesn't seem to be anything that would be harmed by that. Make sure it is completely dry, though, before re-assembly and use.One caveat: be careful as you unscrew the knob completely: it has quite a lively spring, and there are some small washers too, which can fly off. Be careful to note how they came out, so as to be able to put them back in the correct order!I have also tried grinding some spices, again with perfect success; powder-fine or fine grains, with little trouble. If you like cardamom or fig seed in your coffee, you could just put the requisite amount of whole seed (not pod!) in with the coffee and grind together.Altogether this seems a highly satisfactory little gadget and good value at the current price (though I doubt whether I'd have been willing to fork out the £25 - £55 at which some were earlier on sale!).Recommended!

A good grinder for anyone who wants to start grinding their own beans. Sure, it's manual, so it takes about 4 minutes to grind 30 grams of beans if you've got good arms (or less if you use an electric drill instead of the provided crank, which may or may not reduce the lifespan of the device so you probably shouldn't), but for fresh ground coffee I think it's worth the wait.My first issue comes with the number of parts. It's reasonably simple to take apart for cleaning, but there's a little metal washer that I took out while disassembling it that I haven't managed to fit back in, as I have no idea where it came from. Doesn't seem to have affected the operation of the grinder, but I kinda feel like something awful is gonna happen eventually if I don't find where this washer goes soon.My second issue is with the adjustment. While it does provide a good tactile click, and the grind adjusts from very coarse (perfect for cold brew) to very fine (great for espresso) with a good number of positions in-between, there's no indicator to allow for easily repeatable grind sizes. The only way I've managed to get a consistent grind between uses is to screw the adjuster all the way in, then count the clicks as I unscrew it. Easy enough, but not ideal.Still, I'd recommend buying this if you want to avoid the powdery mess that is a blade grinder.

This grinder was purchased for use in my motorhome where I may not always be connected to the electricity and still wish to have freshly ground coffee. On initial inspection the mill is made well with all component parts fitting together as they should with adjustment to the coarseness or to how fine you like your coffee ground being very easy to achieve. Grinding takes a while but is somewhat soothing to the mind while turning the crank handle and gripping the the upper part of the body presents no problems due to the size of the mill. I have on occasions got over enthusiastic and over ground the amount required, surplus coffee can be left in the lower part of the mill in a reasonably air tight container.I am happy with this mill and look forward to being able to use it every day for years to come,I only have two areas which would cause concern me, 1) how long will the sealing ring last? 2) how long will the burrs last. Naturally I would like to know if spares are available and would be prepared to ask for a couple of rings and one burr set for future use.

Really wanted a manual grinder for taking hiking and camping. Enjoyed using for the first few months, then the coffee beans started getting stuck in the mechanism and it jammed. Quickly deteriorated to the point that the whole upper mechanism moved as one, so coffee wouldn't grind. Tried various grind inconsistencies, but all the same result. Resorted to electric grinder and now just grind ahead of time. Disappointing.

This grinder works well. It's quite compact, and easy to transport as the handle just pushes on and pulls off. Made from Stainless Steel, so easy to clean (although due to the nature of the shape it could be hard to get into all the crooks and crannies without a suitable small brush). Overall quality seems to be pretty good. The only weak spot may be that the handle mounting could wear and become loose over time, as it's just a hexagonal shaft that pushes into a hex-shaped hole in the handle, and you have to pull the handle off the shaft every time you use it in order to remove the top cap for filling up with beans. I guess that's the price of portability, though, and the fit seems pretty good, so if you are careful it may last a long time.