Chefman Conical Burr Coffee Grinder - 31 Adjustable Settings from Coarse to Extra Fine, One-Touch Digital Control, 9.7oz Bean Capacity - Perfect for Espresso, French Press & Pour Over Coffee - Black

After reading through the reviews of MUCH more expensive burr coffee grinders, and owning a comparably-priced Mr Coffee burr grinder for a couple of years, I decided to take a chance with this one from Chefman, a company I had never heard of before.I received it yesterday and put it through some tests. NOTE: This unit appears identical to the Secura branded unit, which is similarly priced.1) It is quite a bit quieter than my Mr. Coffee grinder but still somewhat noisy, as the grinder operates at a high speed, not slow speed like the Capresso and Baratza grinders advertise. Not sure I buy the "slower grinding keeps cooler so it won't overheat your beans as they grind" claim-of-superiority (Baratza and Capresso) since coffee beans are first roasted at much higher temperatures than the grinding could possibly induce, then you immediately pour really hot water over them - so why would essentially warming the beans during grinding make a difference? Logically, it would not. Seems like coffee snobbery to me.2) It does not bounce around the last couple of beans like the Mr. Coffee grinder does (which is frustrating to me) - they all go through the Chefman grinder properly in a short time3) It has about 1/2 the footprint of the Mr. Coffee grinder, and is much shorter - fits in my tiny kitchen well.4) The adjustment for grinding is easy (a dial on the side of the unit) and from what I could see the grounds were fairly uniform (I test-ground medium and dark roast coffee on settings from fine to medium to coarse, and there was a decent range of results). Capresso, Baratza, Quisinart and Mr. Coffee have the upper grinder plate attached to the top hopper and you set the grind with how far "in" you screw (tighten) the hopper. I don't know which is more accurate, but I like the dial adjustment of the Chefman.5) You set the duration of the grinding action via a dial on the front above the "on" button. It would be great if it had a 1-cup setting, as I usually grind just one cup worth of beans at a time (2 cups is the lowest setting for the time it remains on). Not a huge deal, as you can press the Start button again to stop the grinder or just let it run empty for a few more seconds before it automatically shuts off.6) It has a pretty interesting construction for the grinder assembly - you remove the stationary upper half of the grinder plate with a quarter-turn to the right (CW) and it lifts out. You can then use the (somewhat chintzy but reasonably effective) included brush to clean out the lower grinder and the upper half can be washed as needed. To replace it, just set it in and tighten to the left (CCW). Brainless.7) The lid on the top (beans) hopper appears to have a safety interlock to prevent the grinder from starting without the lid securely in place, though I have not tried operating it without the lid in place. Yet.8) The grounds exit into a clear plastic container with a clear lift-off lid, similar to how they exit the Mr. Coffee grinder. There is some static build up that makes the fines cling to the plastic, but I expect ground coffee to cling to plastic. It's easy to wash the catch container and to pour out the ground coffee into your Aeropress, Chemex, whatever you use.While I hope that this thing lasts, as I expect to use it daily for a few cups, it is off to a good start with what I consider a solid design and easy operation. And an attractive price compared to Baratza and Capresso. Unless you need to impress yourself, your family and/or friends with an expensive brand name device, The Chefman is a solid choice.