Customer Reviews

Hario Coffee Hand Grinder Skerton

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a fabulous grinder, hands down. Ceramic conical burrs literally last a lifetime, very easy to clean and adjust to very fine or bigger grind. Be aware though, the design of this grinder allows for too much play in the shaft for bigger grinds and becomes inconsistant. Google skerton hand grinder mod for a cheap effective modification that vastly increases stability of the upper burr. You cannot buy a better grinder for espresso. ZERO grind retention, very low static, and the glass catch bin fits a portafilter perfectly for mess free dosing.

At first, i was met with disappointment. I didn't realize it was going to take a minutes to grind coffee for my french press. But in reality, it takes a long to grind as it does for your water to boil (it is just something you get used to), and this grinder is of excellent quality. For coffee connoisseur wanting a conical burr grinder for under 50 bucks, this is your answer. Its electrical equivalent averages $200 in cost, making this a great money saver. Grinds fine enough for espresso and turkish grind (though turkish takes a long time to grind) and coarse enough for a french press.

A quality grinder makes a difference. Prior to this, i was using a mr. coffee blade grinder, which doesn't crush the beans just cuts them. The coffee oils were released, and I wasn't getting the full flavor of the coffee.

I was looking for a coffee grinder to grind coffee for a chemex drip. I have a Mazzer Super Jolly at home for espresso, and it was a pain to dial it back in everytime I wanted espresso. I didn't want to spend a whole lot on a grinder, so I picked this up.

I am glad I did because it grinds the coffee and I have no complaints with it. Yeah, you get a little workout, but nowadays, a lot of us do. :) It probably takes about 200 cranks to get ~50 grams of coarse ground coffee. It sounds like a lot, but it's really not bad.

I'm glad I bought this and would recommend it. The seller shipped it and it got to me quickly. The only thing I can think of to make this product better would be include english instructions. I could figure it out from the pictures and playing with it a little, but I can see how people may get confused.

I've had this grinder for about 3 months and its medium-fine grind is pretty consistent. However, like other reviewers stated, it does NOT make a coarse grind consistently at all, due to a significant design flaw/oversight in the plastic housing through which the ceramic grinder is attached to the handle.

The ceramic grinders are nested like two inverted ice cream cones; the larger piece of the ceramic grinder is nicely fixed into the bottom of the plastic housing but the other piece, the one that actually moves, is attached to an axle that just floats around in the hollow tube that rises up into the center of the bean receptacle to support the handle and grind-adjustment mechanism. The top of the axle is threaded through a flat, geared washer that just sits on the top of the tube in the housing, and bean grind is adjusted by how much or how little the axle is threaded into the washer. The gears are there for a non-threaded washer with downturned tabs to hold it in place, relative to the axel. The handle goes on top of the washer, a solid nut goes over the handle which holds the whole unit together, and this **metal** unit spins around directly on the plastic housing. Hmm, metal grinding on plastic...
The reason I'm giving this item two stars instead of one is that it can be improved with simple mods: A spacer that supports the axle can be put inside the hollow support tube, and the top can be protected by placing another smaller washer between the housing and the geared washer. But for close to $50 these mods shouldn't have to be done. If this grinder was $20 bucks less, I'd call it a great deal, but at this price point, you may as well spend another $30 for a decent electric burr grinder, as there's not a lot to choose from in this market

If you're buying this as a low cost, high quality grinder for French press brewing... walk away. Seriously. The major design flow you've read about is true. To supply high quality ceramic Burrs and wrap that into a cheap plastic housing is just poor quality control. The wobble the poor design creates produces inconsistent course grinds, analogous to that of a $15 blade grinder. And forget about the modifications posted. They only improve the grind slightly and still leave you with a cup of sludge at the bottom of your mug. The issue is not present when you're enjoying finer grinds from espresso or drip but seriously-- if you're using a French press I urge you to walk away and keep shopping.

I was given this grinder as a gift, and actually went on to buy one one for my brother because I was so pleased with it. I have have found that this grinder provides a consistent grind and is of good construction. True, it does contain plastic parts that connect directly to metal parts, but it is definitely durable. I've used mine just about every day (and sometimes several times a day) for over a year so far and its still great. It still provides a consistent grind. There is SOME WEAR on the connection point between the handle and the grinding mechanism, and eventually it WILL become stripped for sure. Sometimes the nut needs to be loosened with pliers. Some of the plastic at this junction point has been worn away as well, but this is more cosmetic damage than structural. The ceramic burrs have held up well so far.

Grind consistency: The coarsest that I grind for is a french press, while the finest that I grind for is a mokah pot. I have had great results with both. Consistent in both cases. This grinder is capable of grinding fine enough for turkish coffee by my estimates. Beats the pants off of any blade grinder for sure... as well as most non-commercial burr grinders.

One complaint that I have is the entirely open-top which allows for beans to easily be added for sure, but just as easily to be showered all over the kitchen if you are not careful (which I am frequently not). This can be a pain to clean up as beans like to skittle all over the place... But its apparently really funny to watch (at least I have been told by my onlooking friends). It can be avoided with slower grinding, but I still sometimes have difficulty striking a balance between grinding my coffee quickly and not making a mess. Would it have killed them to make a little cap for the thing to prevent bean showers?

That said, I love this grinder. It's the best hand grinder that I have seen. And I think there is something to be said about manually grinding your own coffee. I find that it actually helps me appreciate my coffee more, even early in the morning when I am pressed for time.

This is a nice, cost-effective coffee grinder for anyone who doesn't mind expending some elbow grease before getting that first sip of freshly-ground, freshly-brewed coffee. I basically agree with all the favorable things folks have said in other reviews for this and the similar Kyocera model. What I personally like is the very evenly ground coffee (for drip), plus the fact that the grinder is very easy to clean, with almost no place for stale coffee grounds to accumulate.

One thing I would suggest for anyone buying one of these: visit your local hardware store and get a split-ring lock washer (preferably stainless steel) to put under the top cap that screws down on top of the crank handle. The top cap seems to loosen easily and repeatedly during the grinding process, which probably puts needless wear and tear on the grinder handle and shaft, as well as the plastic bearing that holds the shaft. Adding a lock washer has solved this issue for me.

I can't tell you what size to buy, unfortunately. I just found one that fit, and didn't make note of the size. It cost all of 20˘, including sales tax.

I have been using one of these for a couple months now. I use a fine grind (2 turns looser than the tightest setting) and brew with an Aeropress. Really amazing Americanos!!!
The problem is that when you loosen the burr for a drip or French press grind, it becomes very unstable and the grind is very inconsistent.

It does have ceramic grinding parts so it should last a very long time.

I received this grinder for Christmas and I've used it almost every day this past week. I have been able to adjust the grinds consistency for use in drip, french press, percolator, and the Moka Express "Espresso" maker.

It's very easy to make the adjustment, just take off the handle and turn the "star" nut clockwise (down) for a finer grind, and the opposite for some more grit.

The construction is very good, Stainless metal pieces, ceramic burr grinder of course, glass catch and storage bowl. and the plastic, while not particularly fancy looking is plenty tough, easy to clean and does it's job very well.

I don't believe this will wear out before I'd end up dropping the glass somehow and breaking it. This however does not make me wish the bowl to be made of plastic. You wouldn't be able to as easily clean plastic if you were using different coffee's.

I believe this item is very good, I couldn't imagine waking my whole house every morning with a power tool, so this works very well for my own needs.

As you can see from the multiple reviews, this does take some time to use. I use it for single cups (e.g., Aeropress) up to a 6-cup moka pot. Anything more and you'll quickly tire (meaning: do not get this if you regularly need to grind beans for a 10 cup maker).

It fits about 4 Aeropress scoops of beans (maybe 6-7 regular Tbs), so any more will require batching. The finer the grind, the longer the time to finish. Grind is better the finer you set it. The coarser you set it, the less precise (probably not the best grinder for press pot coffee, but it would do the job, if you drink it quick and don't mind the sludge).

Speaking of grind settings, this is something you'll just have to test and work out for yourself. There is no simple answer to this. For repeatability, the Hario Skerton is tricky, and they do not provide a guide (well, maybe they do, but it's in Japanese) but not unmanageable if you've got a sense for precision and how things work (and a budding interest in coffee, or need for a portable grinder).

Be careful not to chip or break the glass catcher. Emailed Hario and apparently they don't offer replacement parts! That alone causes this to go down in star rating. Best bet is to save the cracked catcher and repair with packing tape or something else. Not the best, but certainly better than having to grind over an open bowl.

Frankly, it's a no-brainer purchase for someone who wants small amounts of coffee (1-6 cups) ground with a burr grinder at a cheap price. And for someone who's not clumsy.