Customer Reviews

Factory-Reconditioned KitchenAid Pro Line Burr Coffee Grinder, Nickel Pearl

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this grinder to replace my aging and ailing Solis Maestro and so far, I'm delighted with it. The thing I noticed right off the bat is that it's much quieter than the Maestro and it's far easier to adjust the grind. All in all, it seems more straightforward and less finicky than my old grinder. It's very solidly built and fairly heavy, giving it a substantial feel. I really like the fact that the hopper and the receptacle are made of glass, not plastic; the ground coffee doesn't cling to it and it's easier to get it really clean with no old oil residue. Finally and most importantly, its 15 settings produce the perfect grind for a variety of brewing methods and there are even instructions provided for adjusting the burrs if the factory settings aren't to your liking.

The first day I got it I thought I was in trouble - it stuck and started smoking. I cleaned it out & it seemed to work fine, and has in fact worked like a dream ever since. After my last grinder, where I had to physically jam the beans down into the burrs to get them to grind, the occasional nudge with a chopstick is a breeze. And I think the coffee tastes better - cleaner and more alive. Kitchenaid support is terrific. I called to ask about the smoking and to request a missing brush; the rep spent 15 minutes checking to make sure I could go on using the grinder and the brush arrived promptly. (And btw, they tell me the warranty on this is a year, because it's a pro product, not six months). I am very, very happy.

The grinder arrived yesterday...washed and dried it right away so I could make a pot of coffee with the pro line coffee maker I got for christmas. First thing I noticed was how much quieter it was from the models I've had in the past! Every grinder is going to be noisy, but this one is quiet enough that I can be on the phone while standing next to it!

Everything about this grinder is quality. My reconditioned one came in PERFECT condition (not a scratch or spot on it). I was so excited when I saw the price drop on this (finally an excuse good enough to convince my husband we needed it).

I think I will be adjusting the burrs for a finer ground (espresso) since the factory setting is just a bit too coarse on the finest setting. At first I was a bit annoyed I had to adjust it for that, but then I thought about it...most machines aren't adjustable at all and having that option is wonderful. I am completely happy with this purchase.

Reconditioned price made this affordable enough. Appears to grind to a consistent size. I've noticed a difference in the taste of the brew using a burr grinder over my previously used whirly chopper. Appears very heavy duty except for the bottom jar. The bottom jar doesn't always easily pull out to empty or slip back into place. Seems to bind up on seal just under where burrs are. Is inconsistent as a problem. A small amount of grounds tend to drop out after jar is removed, but is tolerable. Tapping or rocking grinder doesn't appear to have an affect on dislodging these rebel grounds before removing the jar. These grounds are maybe part or all the problem of the above mentioned.

I have contacted customer service and they're sending a new replacement jar. Process of elimination she said. I suppose there could be a slight difference in the size of the jars to make a difference. Very friendly customer service and was connected with rep very quickly. Seems they will remedy the problem satisfactorily.

I've just started home roasting and these beans tend to feed themselves easily. The pre roasted beans I had been using don't so easily feed on their own and need some help through using the small brush included. The pre roast beans are a dark roast with an oily coating, so that maybe the problem of them feeding easily on their own.

Over all, I am very happy with this grinder.

Up date: The problem was solved with the new bottom jar, though now I need to be careful as I have broken two jars because they slipped out too easily.

I've been using this grinder for about a year, and I highly recommend it. Just a few small complaints though, and for these reasons, I can't give it a full 5 stars:

1) A small amount of 'grindage' (as I call it) always falls out when the glass receptacle is removed, no matter how violently I shake the machine to ensure that every last granule is in the receptacle before I remove it. There is NO WAY to avoid this issue, so every day I'm cleaning up grindage from the bottom of the grinder, which inevitably gets on the counter. A damp paper towel works fine, but I think Kitchenaid should ship a year's supply of paper towels with the machine just to be fair. An even better idea would be to have the bottom of the grinder be removable, so that you can easily dump the grindage in the trash. But do they think of these things? No. They're content to charge $200 and let their customers clean up grindage every day of their lives.

2) The grind is not as uniform as it should be for a machine of this price. For $200 I expect every granule to be the same size, but alas, it's not. However, it's close enough for my satisfaction and far better than the large earth-like clods you get from cheap blade grinders, which require a hammer to break apart.

3) For some dumb reason there's slightly extended edges inside the hopper, where a few beans always get stuck. Not a big issue; just shake the machine. Some people might prefer to use a sledgehammer, but I don't recommend that because although the machine is sturdy, it might not stand up to a sledgehammer's blunt force trauma. Better to shake it, and if anyone asks what you're doing, don't be embarrassed that you're rocking an appliance back and forth - simply tell them the truth: "I spent good money on these coffee beans, and I don't want them to remain stuck in the hopper." Any logical person would understand and not mock you.

On the positive side, the use of a glass receptacle means NO STATIC CLING, which was always my main problem with all other grinders. Words can't describe how wonderful it is to grind coffee and have it fall peacefully to the bottom in a loose heap, instead of clinging to all sides of the container. Very easy to scoop out.

The machine is fairly quiet, reliable, and extremely well-built. As mentioned above, it could definitely use some refinement in the future - but even as is, it's by far the best grinder I've ever owned and if this one broke, I'd buy another without a second thought.

PS: if you own a Keurig coffeemaker and use the K-Cup attachment filter to make your own coffee (as opposed to using the pre-sealed K-cups), don't grind any finer than 6.5, otherwise the water won't flow through the filter properly.

This is a decent burr grinder for the price. It is not totally consistent, but I wasn't willing to spend over $400 for a grinder that is. My coffee tastes better than when I used a blade. The build quality is great, and reminds me of my KitchenAid mixer.

I purchase this unit refurbished for $120 about 10 days ago. I held off writing a review until I used it for a bit. So far my overall impression is very good. I feel I received a good value buying the refurbished product. To be completely honest I'm not sure my unit was even used once. The exterior of the box had a lot of wear, but inside the box everything seemed brand new. I smelled the burrs and there was no coffee smell at all. Was it even used?

It works very well. I have noted the same minor complaints as others. Mostly that the bottom glass jar feels like I could break it simply by holding it in my hand, and there is always a pinch of mess after grinding no matter what you do. I have one other minor issue to add to this list. When grinding there is a small row of beans that do not drop down into the grinder. They get stuck along the ridge of the glass at the top. I have to leave it running and try knocking them all down. This isn't really all that bad of a thing to deal with, but I'd prefer to walk away and come back to all beans completely ground.

I have found a way to minimize the mess when you pull out the bottom container with fresh ground coffee in it. Leave the unit running even though all beans have been ground. Then rock/slide the bottom jar back and fourth to jiggle the plastic plate where the grounds fall out through. When I do this I get a lot of extra grounds that fall through into the jar. A lot more than I'd expect. Then I shut off the unit and pull out the jar. The mess is significantly reduced. Just a few crumbs instead of a small pile.

I can't speak for life span of the unit. As others have noted, it feels very solid and of a high quality construction. If someone were to break into the house you better believe I'd be reaching for this grinder. Heck.. I might use it as an anvil when I need to do metal work.

I gave this a 4 star rating. I reserve 5 stars for a product that is perfect. If KitchenAid beefed up the glass thickness in the lower jar to match the upper bean hopper, did something about the slight mess, and removed the ridge in the upper hopper so all beans are ground I would have rated this a 5.

I am very happy with this coffee grinder. First, burr mill grinders are the way to go. After using a cutter grinder for several years, and based on the recommendation of a friend, I decided to try and buy this grinder. Wow, does it make a great tasting cup of coffee. I could never go back to preground or the cutter type grinder.

As for this KitchenAid grinder- it is excellent. I like the design, the looks and ease of use, and most importantly- the glass container does not let the grounds build up a static charge. Other burr mill grinders have plastic containers, the grounds build up a static charge while grinding, and then what a mess. The grounds jump to your hands, your coffee maker, and anything else nearby. But not so with this KitchenAid grinder. Plus, it is very quiet.

Here are my impressions so far:

Condition: It's refurbished, but if you wouldn't have told me, I'd have never guessed. It's packaged like a new product, and there's nothing that looks "refurbished" about it. Looked brand new to me.

Feel: Heavy, solid, die-cast metal.. just how you would expect it to be when you look at the picture. Right down to the heavy duty on/off toggle on the side. It just feels well built and industrial strength. Even the manual has metal rivets :)

Noise: The solid build absorbs a lot of the noise, and the glass feeder on top is pretty thick, which helps as well. Louder than the dishwasher, quieter than the garbage disposal.

Grind: I like a coarse grind for my coffee. There's 8 settings (plus a half step between each). One being coarsest, 8 being finest. I use number 2, and it's about perfect for me. It's also adjustable beyond what it says on the dial. There are step by step instructions for calibrating it - which basically involves removing the selection knob on the front with a hex wrench and performing a couple of simple steps. So if 8 isn't fine enough, or 1 isn't coarse enough, you can tweak it beyond the dial.

Power: I won't say that it's unjammable, but it seems to tear through the beans with power to spare. I mean, look at the thing.

Contents: Came with a really slick manual, and an instruction DVD. I haven't watched the DVD, but I did page through the manual.. answered the questions I had very easily.

Complaints: Really only two. Both of which are minor, and are regarding the bottom jar. First, the bottom jar seems a little thin. The top feeder, in comparison, is really solid. I'm afraid it wouldn't take much of an "oops" to break it. Second, as someone else mentioned, when you pull out the bottom jar, it inevitably spills grounds from the seal onto the counter, or base of the machine. That doesn't bother me so much .. if I wanted to have my coffee making squeaky clean, I'd buy one of those thousand dollar turbo robot coffee mega automatic things. Personally, I don't mind putting a little elbow grease into a good cup of coffee.

I don't want to over-tout this thing. But after a long series of cheap grinders, this thing just has me giddy. "Coffee Grinder" is now on my list of things to never skimp on.

I love coffee. When my last grinder broke, I decided to invest in a quality burr grinder. I typically brew my coffee in a french press or Cafe Solo (another product I highly recommend). This grinder was a very good value. From my research, it was the best burr grinder available for close to $100. This grinder does a fantastic job. It grinds so much better than my former blade grinders. My coffee is perfect every time. I highly recommend.