Top Rated Manual Grinders 2023: Best Hand Coffee Grinders

Hey, I am looking to grind my coffee and would like to know what coffee grinders are a good purchase to consider, and whether I should look on ebay or amazon for a purchase. Thanks in advance!

Highly recommended entry level manual grinder is timemore C2.

Having said that, the cheapest Javapresse clone on Amazon for $16 is equivalent to the Javapresse for $40.

Also please see below:

I’ve been looking at the JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder. It gets good reviews and is pretty cheap, but is there a better one for a similar price ($40)? Am I better off just saving for an automatic grinder?

Hi! I am absolutely new to all of this and would love to get a good manual grinder. I would mostly need it for moka and espresso. I think I will choose between one of these ones:

Timemore S3 ESP

Timemore C5 ESP PRO

Kingrinder K6

1Zpresso J-Ultra

Or if you maybe have another one to recommend in the 100-200€ range. The only manual ones I am considering is the Baratza Encore ESP. But don't know if it's better getting a manual one.

Thanks in advance!

Forget about timmore.  The K6 is a beast. 

I’ve had Moccamaster for a month now but have been using ready ground coffee from Costco and want to get best coffee experience I can from this machine. I’ve never used a grinder so wondering what is the best grinder for the money. I live in a one coffee drinker home. Thanks

For under $50 the good ol Hario might be your best bet. But you'd want to pay more for better results pretty soon. Knock in the UK makes nice grinders for about $100 + shipping, and for $20 more you can get a 1zpresso JX (or Pro if you primarily drink espresso), both of which seem superior to Timemore C2 which cut corners in places it shouldn't, at least from what I've seen. The JavaPresse is a generic, cheaply made product that, as someone else have pointed out, JavaPresse printed their name on for a quick buck.

Sorry to add to the number of grinder recommendation posts, but I’d still love to hear everyone’s advice.

My budget is probably $150 AUD (about $100 USD) max. I was hoping to upgrade my old Breville machine for espresso-based drinks, but I’ve decided that for the somewhat tight situation I’m in now, I’ll stick to pour overs on my V60 and buy a new manual grinder (Less milk is better for me anyway haha). I did have a Baratza Encore which I would’ve stuck with, but I’m in an apartment now with pretty thin walls - and I usually only make one cup at a time, so I’d prefer manual anyway.

Based on some other posts I’ve looked at the KINGrider K6 and some Normcore ones. I don’t mind spending near the upper end of my budget if it’s a significant/valuable difference between cheaper ones. Also if anyone has a recommendation for an electric kettle in a similar budget please let me know. Thanks all!

I always buy my 250g beans pre grinded every 1.5 weeks. The coffee is always the best the first few days but then drops off fairly quickly.

I have always dreamed of having my own grinder but the grinders I see in coffee shops are like $80 for the stainless steel long handle ones. Are there similar ones that would do the job for me for under $40?

I brew my coffee with a plunger. I also dream of trying the aeropress too but that's after the grinder lol!

Considering you already own the K-max you're going to face severe dimishing return with either choice. The K max offers a 22 micron adjustment which is almost three times as much as the J max, however I rarely find myself adjusting my J max by a single step. If you find the adjustment too large, try changing your dose by half a gram or so and you should be fine. In my opinion, the J max is less ergonomic to grind with and requires more torque than the K Max (mine caused my carpel tunnel to flair up lol), and you will likely struggle if you have smaller hands due to the bigger diameter of the J max.

Have a Simonelli Nuevo (no model name. Probably considered an MCF), a Setti 270wi, and a J-max.

The Nuevo produces the best grind, infinite adjustment... but a batch to keep clean and retention is terrible. 18g in... fuck knows what will come out.

Setti is great, but grind is inconsistent. Great for multiple shots in a row. Scale can be inconsistent with .1 variations not uncommon. I grind light, bump to get it to spec

J-max is nearly as good as the Nuevo, just not infinite adjustment. Same grind quality. Most days I hand grind, but in a hurry or my shoulder hurts I use the electric grinder. Easy to clean, virtually zero retention.

Doing more than two or 3 shots it gets warm... so not the mass of an electric to soak up the heat of grinding. Blowing it out with compressed air cools it down tho. I prefer to grind all the shots and have them ready Mise en place style. Pull, dump, wipe, reload, repeat. Everyone gets coffee at the same time, more or less. The Setti is perfect for that.

Hi. I am a happy owner of a 1zpresso K Max multi purpose grinder.

I used to have great times using it with moka, french press and aeropress.

But after a while I have bought a good espresso machine and I am mostly drinking espresso.

Sadly, because the huge steps between clicks, it's difficult to dial in some beans so I am looking for the best manual grinder for espresso only.

Researching a bit I have found that one of the best is the 1zpresso J-Max and another excellent one is the Kinu M47 (Classic or Simplicity).

Some youtube videos says that the Kinu is a bit better and J Max goes into the 2nd place.

The thing is, J Max is 169 Euro in my country while the Kinu is almost 300 EUR.

So... is worth the difference? Are there any other alternative I am not considering?

I was just thinking today how happy I was with my timemore c2. It’s soo good to have a proper grinder. Your time and the 100s of coffees you will make is worth a better grinder. For me, the timemore is the sweet spot of value for money.

Manual hand grinders are great for most uses and often better value for your money than electric grinders BUT they can be a chore for espresso. Hand grinding for espresso quickly became a nuisance for me. For all other brew methods they’re great!

If you’ll be doing espresso often I’d recommend going with the Encore ESP for your budget. The Encore does a good job at just about all brew-types so you’ll find it’s a great value for an all-around electric grinder.

If you’re only doing espresso occasionally, I’d recommend getting the 1Zpresso X-Ultra. It’s my favorite all-around grinder for your budget. It can do espresso very well as it has very small adjustment sizes between clicks, and it also does excellent at pour over and other brew-types. I find it very comparable to the coffee I get from the K-Ultra. Keep in mind that the J-Ultra is geared towards more classic espresso, so if you prefer medium to dark roasts you’ll be fine with the J-Ultra, but I find the X-Ultra more versatile across different roast types and brew methods and well within your budget.

Another option that I see mentioned a lot which seems to do well for most brew methods including espresso, is the Kingrinder K6. I can’t speak to it, personally, as I haven’t used it, but I have used the Kingrinder K2 and K0 and I find them to be great value for very decent quality, which leads me to assume the K6 would live up to its hype.

Thanks for the many answers yesterday :)

Just wanted to list off what I've seen scattered around my post and others (either here on users or on some blog) for those who actually got them to pop in and say what they must!

1zpresso was the most talked about by far, seem to have a humongous lineup! Just wouldn't know the exact difference between the models as their website kinda shrouds it in mystery not directly comparing the 11 of them. But who also peaked my interest was ...

Kingrinder with their army of people swearing by the k6, the price point at $100 is just unbeatable, have heard no complaints!

Also thanks to for responding on a 2 year old thread within one hour to tell me that the POTU flat burr on Aliexpress was not half bad and gets some nice results especially for light roasts.

Timemore was a name thrown around a few times, but was among Comandante and Kinu with the least opinions on them - at least from what I've seen and read :-)

Are y'all passionate about any of these grinders, are any DEFINITELY worth the purchase over any other or better and more frivolous yet: did I forget any? :D Let me know, I'm curious.

I got a work prize and plumped for a c40 commandante. No regrets, easy enough to clean and the click system let's be honest is fine . Makes a tasty coffee

Would maybe buy one using my own work credits - tough call when it's your own money

Hi everyone! I’m looking for advice on the best manual coffee grinder to get for my partner as a Valentine’s Day gift. Ideally, I’d like to keep the budget under $100 please

I love the kingrinder k6, it's just fantastic.

k6 for lighter roasts and J ultra for darker. zp6 or pietro pro burrs for pour overs.

I have the Jmax and it's perfect for espresso. Ridiculously well made and engineered, as I'm sure you know from your K max. So many grind sizes to choose from and zero retention. Makes very enjoyable drinks

If you can stretch to the K ultra it will serve you well even if you want to stretch to pour over brews ( no looking back after that)

Looking to buy a good grinder, but I don’t have the budget for a Niche. A good trade-off for me would be a manual grinder, so I am looking for recommendations. I have a Bambino Plus as a machine