Customer Reviews

Krups GVX2-14 Burr Grinder, Metal and White

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I bought the Krups GVX2-14 to replace a Braun burr grinder that I have had for about 8 years. The Braun was still working, but it was getting slow and noisy.

The Krups is a well-engineered, solidly-built unit. It has a range of settings for producing grinds of different fineness consistently from batch to batch. A little experimentation will give you the results you want, and the instruction booklet gives some helpful hints. There is also a setting that controls the length of time the grinder operates before automatically shutting off. This is given in "cups" of beans being ground, and may or may not correspond to your own definition of "cup" with the measure that you use. A little experimentation, though, will allow you to pick a setting that grinds all the beans but doesn't run long afterward. There is also a separate on/off switch. The unit is pleasantly quiet.

Removing coffee is easy and the grinder comes with a small brush for cleaning out coffee that collects around the opening from the grinding chamber. Cleaning the removable plastic hopper that holds the grounds is likewise easy. I haven't yet tried cleaning the hopper that holds the whole beans.

My only complaint, and it is a small one, is that a safety interlock prevents the motor from operating unless the cover for the bean hopper is on securely. This seems like overkill to me, since getting your finger into the grinding chamber would be nearly impossible.

All in all I am very pleased with the Krups, and hope it will last as well as my old Braun, which I've decided to keep as a back-up.

This grinder seems well made, and I agree with the positive comments of other reviewers, but if you're making drip or press coffee it may not suit you. The coarsest grind is ok for my cone-filter drip machine, but just. At the coarsest setting the least you can grind is 5-6 Tbsp - fine for a small pot but too much for a small press. That said, for espresso and larger quantities, it's teriffic! The small degrees of adjustment allow you to find the perfect grind.

Thankfully more manufacturers are starting to make products in all stainless steel look or stainless look and white, rather than combining stainless look and black. We are re-doing our kitchen and we'd like to minimize the black as much as possible. As a result, we swapped out our Cuisinart burr grinder for this number and are quite pleased for having done so.

Aside from color-coordination, we like this model because it is quieter than the Cuisinart (so long as beans are running through it), and it grinds the beans *much* better. The aroma of the beans was stronger and the coffee, upon brewing, had more body and flavor. It is also easier to clean.

The one area where the Cuisinart beats the Krups is in the amount of mess per grind ("AMPG"). The AMPG is noticeably more with the Krups than with the Cuisinart (which was more than with a traditional bean grinder). For me, that just means a few more swipes to the counter with a paper towel (and only four stars), but if you are particularly fastidious, you may not like this model. Overall, though, it's my favorite among the "affordable" burr grinders.

OK, for the price. It grinds coffee beans, this much is true. But three things "grind" me the wrong way. With the fineness selector cranked all the way to "coarse," the output is still pretty darn fine. I have no need to select "fine" because I do not have an espresso maker, but I imagine the "fine" setting must produce the consistency of flour. "Coarse" grind only good for drip makers -- not good for French press method because even the coarsest grind easily clogs the mesh filter -- you're better off with the control found in a blade grinder at one-quarter the price. An actual coarse grind might be achievable once the grinding elements become dulled somewhat. "Quiet" is a relative term. I can only say that this grinder is a little quieter than my vacuum cleaner, which leans toward not so quiet in my book -- you hear the motor whine/hum more than the grinding noise. I like the exterior styling of this grinder, but the brushed steel element (the cup selector) easily shows fingerprints that require firm buffing to remove. Although the longevity of this grinder is yet to be determined, the construction seems sturdy and should withstand average use.

This little machine is a honey. I've owned 3 other grinders before this and none of them come close. It's fast, it's easy, it's clean. It grinds to perfection. I have to give it a shake occasionally to get the beans flowing down into the burr, but it's no big deal. Highly recommended.

The first one they sent me didn't work at all, but they sent a replacement immediately and paid for the shipping both ways.

I have to amend this review by saying that within a year the on button broke and it was such a disappointment. I hope this saves you some grief . DON'T BUY THIS GRINDER, IT IS A DUD! I really like this coffee grinder, but it took a while to get there. After reading the instruction booklet I followed the instructions to the letter. This resulted in the coffee grinder not working. It just sat there. After reading the directions again and going through the trouble shooting, it still did not work. Then with another try it did work. Just when I was ready to turn it in, it started working fine. It grinds the coffee just as you like it and without sounding like a weed blower in your kitchen. The only problem I have now is that sometimes I have to shake it to get all the beans to go through the grinder. It is a really fine grinder if you can get past the quirks.

After I used this thing I sent it back and got a refund minus the shipping. On its coarsest setting it was still way to fine a grind for a press coffee maker. The thing also has a tendency to gum up. I was not impressed.

I got this grinder to use with a Bodium press I got at Amazon. I would like the grind to be a bit more course but it still works with the press. Perhaps this is because I only set the grinder for 3 cups for a 12 cup press. Any more coffee is just too strong. I guess my wife and I are just typical Americans. The grinder is not too noisy. There are times that I have to shake it to get the beans to start going again but to me this is not a big deal. The grind is consistent and the timer accurate.

To save money what I do is buy beans in bulk at Costco or Sams and store the unused beans in a vacuum canister. I take out a weeks worth and re vacuum the rest. This way the beans stay fresh over time.

I've owned this burr grinder for about a month and, if someone were to ask me if I would purchase it again, the answer would be a resounding NO! Sad to say I tossed the box, so I can't return it--but would, if I could. So I'm stuck with a product that I cannot depend upon. Here's why: The on/off button works sometimes, and sometimes not at all. The only way I can get it to operate each time is to either apply a lot of pressure (and I mean "a lot") on the switch, or to push real hard on the ground coffee container. Either way, it's always a pain. The ONLY reason I purchased this particular item was because of the generally great reviews it received from other buyers. My advice? Think twice about buying this one.

I've owned this grinder for over a year now. My husband and I are coffee junkies. The two of us will drink 3 to 4 pots a morning and more on a cold winter morning. I just ordered a new grinding head for our machine. I took it apart to clean today and found that the burrs are wearing down. A quick search on google and I found a site that sells replacement parts. [...]

We don't fill the hopper with beans. We use a scoop to measure the beans then grind the coffee for each pot. Our machine has never jammed, but I think it may have something to do with not having any coffee beans in the hopper. The noise level is not that bad. I get up at 4 am, my husband has never woken up when I grind my coffee beans in the morning.

I love this coffee grinder. I think it's a great product for the price. I would buy another one tomorrow if this one burned up.