Whatever you get, get a burr grinder and not one of those ones that's got blades like a blender. Apart from anything else you can adjust the grind from espresso to French press.
I have a De Longhi which I believe is identical to the Krups. They were equal top rated by our consumer magazine when I bought it three or four years ago. It's still going strong and hasn't given me an ounce of trouble.

I've had a number of burr grinders over the years and none better than the Solis Maestro Plus. I have this one for about 5 years now and it gets used every day.

Ann

I don't know how much you want to spend but I had one of these Krupps grinders for 18 years before it broke. Then I bought another, which appears identical. It works great for me although I know coffee aficionado's prefer burr, this still makes very good ground coffee.

Here is a link that might be useful: coffee grinder

Hi ann t, I have been looking for a really good top of the line coffee grinder, I've never heard of the brand name Solis Maestco Plus, where did you get yours from?

Lacombe, I bought it off line. It was a while ago, but if memory serves me right, it was from this place.

Creative Cookware

Krups burr grinder. We've had it for 7 years, never a problem. And abut $100 less than the Solis.

Here is a link that might be useful: Krups grinder

DeLonghi for burr grinders. Solis is very good but much more expensive for not that much advantage.
Moulenex (spelling?) for blade grinders.

I prefer a burr grinder because it more evenly crushes the bean rather than cutting it into uneven pieces. However, if you decide on a blade grinder, get one that allows you to order replacement blades.

I disagree about Solis not having an advantage over Delongi. We use to have a DeLongi and ran too high speed which heated the ground beans and they had a lot of static so they would fly around when you tried to spoon them out - messy. The slower rotation of the Solis is better for retaining flavor and not producing static charge on the ground beans.

We use our grinder for expresso (fine) grind. If using a coarser setting, the static might be less of a problem but there still would be the flavor advantage of not over heating the beans.

If you want to go a bit cheaper, the Maestro is $50 less than the Maestro Plus. Our Maestro has lasted longer than our DeLongi so for a house where the grinder is used every day that offsets some of the extra cost.

Good point Cloud.

I think the only difference between the Maestro and the Maestro Plus is that the Plus is a heavier machine. I've been very happy with ours. I use a coarser ground most of the time, because I make coffee in a French Press.

Ann

You might take a look at a hand cranked coffee grinder. They do not generate the heat while grinding that an electric grinder will. It is really a very interesting web site. There are not many places where you can buy a wood cookstove or a natural gas powered refrigerator.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lehmans Country life

ann t, can you get replacement blades for the Solis?

I have a De Longhi and have never noticed either heat or static as an issue. I used to mostly grind for a French press but since January it's been espresso grind almost exclusively.

Lacombe, you won't need replacement blades with the Solis. It is one of the better Burr grinders.

Ann

Ann, I think the Plus also has better components in the motor. I'm a bit rusty on the details these days (selective amnesia perhaps), but seems like that was the case.

If I were doing espresso often, I'd go with the Solis. My comment about the Delonghi comes from using it about 90% of the time for French Press, Melitta drip and drip brewer.

The static seems to be a problem with all of them. I've not yet seen but one that didn't do that, and it was a $450 job. For that kind of money, I can wipe a few grounds off the counter. :)

The Plus is a great grinder although it has undergone a relatively recent change. The latest version of the plus has changed it's settings so it no longer works for a pro style espresso grind. But for all other purposes it's fantastic. Not only does it feature burr stones but those stones are conical which means it does a better job by shaving rather than crushing the beans, resulting in an evenly shaped and sized grind as opposed to various sizes from granular to powder.

All burr grinders including this one, wear down and stones are available although replacing them is a little tricky on this unit. For most purposes you'll probably never realize that a new grind stone is even necessary, so I wouldn't worry about it.

michaelp