Customer Reviews

Mr. Coffee IDS77 Electric Coffee Grinder with Chamber Maid Cleaning System, Black

5 star:		(139)
4 star:		(78)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(54)
1 star:		(47)

 

 

This coffee grinder was an impulse purchase and I was fully prepared to return it because I didn't expect it to work as advertised. To my astonishment, the darned thing actually does a pretty good job. I have tried several coffee grinders over the years and have ended up giving all of them away to friends and family. I gave up on burr grinders because they are messy, hard to clean, produce a bitter powder, and are so noisy you almost need earplugs to use them. The blade grinders I have tried produced an inconsistent grind size and you have to experiment with the number of seconds it takes to get the grind right for the quantity of coffee you want to make. If you want to make more cups or less, you have to experiment all over again with the number of seconds you need to grind the beans. I ended up just having the coffee shop grind my Kenya AA beans for me and I buy smaller amounts so the coffee won't go stale before I can use it all.

This Mr.Coffee grinder is the only one I've ever tried that I think I can live with. First of all, this is a $19.95 grinder and not a $300 precision instrument designed to produce a perfect cup of expresso. Within those parameters, it does a really good job. The electronic grind and cup quantity settings take all of the guess work out of using a blade grinder. With this grinder, you use the guide on the side of the unit to measure your beans, choose a grind setting and the number of cups of coffee you want to make and a processor apparently calculates everything for you. You just hold the grind button down and the machine turns itself off after the correct number of seconds. No grind time experimentation is needed and the machine seems to get the grind just right all by itself. Cleanup is a snap, just remove the bowl from the base unit and put it on the top rack of your dishwasher. The ground coffee is actually easier to empty from the bowl than with most blade grinders. Rather than having to turn the entire unit upside down and shaking the grounds into your coffeemaker, you just remove the grinder bowl, turn it upside down in a small plastic bowl, and tap it against the counter to get the coffee out.

The reviewer who complained about the short cord length apparently did not realize there is 3 feet of hidden cord wrapped around the inside of the base of the unit. All you have to do is pull it out.

While durability must be proven over time, I'm most impressed with this $19.95 grinder. Even if it only lasts for 2 years, you could afford to buy 30 of them for what a small professional grade burr grinder would cost and it's actually easier to live with than the pro grade grinder would be.

This review refers to Mr. Coffee - Coffee Grinder With Chamber Maid Cleaning System"

I received this coffee grinder this past Christmas, and have been using it everyday since. Sometimes, depending on how many people are drinking coffee, twice or more a day. I loved it so much from the start and wanted to review it right away, but managed to restrain myself, and after three months of everyday use, I think I can safely say, this grinder is great!

It's nice to have freshly ground coffee at a moment's notice. Even the smell is enticing. It allows you to measure just the amount of beans you need from 4 to 12 cups, and then you set the grinder to the amount and the grind - fine, medium, or coarse - depending on how strong you like it. This may take some experimenting to see get it exactly to your taste. For example I have found that 4 cups for me is actually closer to 2(or less), as I drink from a large mug and not a 6oz cup. There are recommendations in the instruction book and on the grinder as well for how many tablespoons of beans per cup. I find I need a little more then suggested. There are indicator lights to help you choose the setting you want. Although you have to hold a button down, during the grinding process, it will automatically turn off when it is done according to your setting. If you lift your finger, it will also turn off. Occasionally there are a couple of beans not grinded, so shake it around and press for another second or two. The actually grinding process takes maybe 15 seconds for a full 12 cups. another nice thing, is that you can have a few different flavors on hand, and freshly grind, whatever you are in the mood for..Forget Starbucks!

The grinder has some very nice features. Inside the bean chamber, which also has a fill line, there is a cleaning system that scrapes the coffee of the sides and the bottom. Sometimes, there is even enough scraped off to make an extra cup. The pieces fit together easily, and come apart easily for washing.At first, I thought the cord was very short, and for weeks had to keep the grinder very close to to the electric outlet, but then I discovered(DUH!), the cord lifts out of it's holder and around the bottom edge, giving it quite a bit of length. Then is easy to recoil to keep the grinder wherever you want. It's slim and nice looking and doesn't take up much space at all. My only little complaint, and reason for four stars instead of 5, is that it is very loud. The first few times, it startled me with the racket. I'm not sure if much can be done about that, but I try to remember to grind my beans the night before, as I am an early riser and don't want to wake the rest of the house, or for that matter, my neighbors! The lid on top stays tightly closed for freshness.

Read the instruction book for use and care. It has French as well as English directions, a one year limited warranty, troubleshooting advice, and phone numbers for questions.

All in all a great little item that works great for a fresh tasting and smelling cup of coffee anytime.
Enjoy....Laurie

When I look for a coffee grinder, I look for 4 things:

1) Noise: This grinder is fairly noisy, but then again, so are most grinders. On a scale of 1-10 as far as noisyness goes compared to other grinders, I'd give it a 7.

2) Consistency: I like to grind my coffee coarse for french press; this grinder isn't very good at making a consistent coarse grind. However, if you want a regular grind for drip coffee or a fine grind for expresso, it does a really good job at that.

3) Static: I hate it whenever you pull the top off of a grinder to get the coffee out and tiny grind go flying everywhere--I've never had a problem with this grinder. You can open the top and pour the grinds out (which is difficult to do if you're trying to get it into a small container because the spout itself is not much different from the lip of a cup) or you can scoop the grinds out, which I preferto do anyway to double measure stuff (old habit).

4) Cleaning: This grinder has a removable top that you can take apart, which makes cleaning very easy. It also says it has a "Chaimber Maid" system...all that is is three thin plastic "claws" that hug the inside of the grinding chamber which you rotate awkwardly so that they scrape the sides of the chamber. It's neat, but unnecessary.

Other features:
There is a "cord storage" system that is a bit of a hassle to use because it requires you to coil the cord into a groove under the grinder (when you get the grinder only a short bit of the cord is shown, and the rest is coiled. It doesn't look like you can uncoil the cord from down there, and unless you're crazy enough to pull the cord out of your brand new grinder you'll have no clue that the thing is actually 37 inches long)

It has an "auto off" feature...I've never used it because my grindes always reach the coarsness I like before the timer shuts off the grinder.

The measuring system that the grinder uses is marked on the sid of the grinder which is very helpful (you don't have to pull out the manual every time you want to know how many Tbsp of coffee you need to make # cups of coffee)

It's about 8 in. tall with the diameter at the top being 4 in. (it's wider at the top).

Overall:
I like the grinder. I'd rather have a pull-cord-storage and a quieter grinder, but for the price that I paid, I'm a happy customer.

First off, I have to say that many of the people who have complaints about this grinder may not have actually taken the extra few seconds to read the manual and understand how the device works. The grinder does a great job and my coffee is always perfect.

to address some issues that others had:

1. The plastic cleaning blade inside the grinding bowl needs to be manually spun (with your finger) to loosen the packed coffee grounds. Usually a single revolution will accomplish this task, then you can put this coffee in the maker!

2. This grinder makes it easy to get the coffee into your coffee maker -- someone was complaining that it was more difficult to clean or use because it comes apart -- this makes it really easy! Detach the bowl from the motor assembly with a short, counter clockwise turn of the wrist, and do the same with the lid (extremely easy, I assure you) -- then dump the coffee from the grinding bowl into your filter, use your finger to agitate the plastic cleaning blade for a second or two to get as much usable coffee out of the bowl as possible, then wash out the bowl with a little water, and dry it with a towel (it is important to dry it immediately to avoid any chance for oxidation) - and you're done! I am not sure why a previous reviewer was using a spoon or scoop to get the coffee out of the bowl -- that's why it detaches from the base! The bowl is marked on the side so you will know what amount of beans to use -- after a few experiments, it is very easy to judge how high to fill it. I just can't understand how it could be more difficult to clean the bowl when it is separate from the base than to clean a grinder that does not detach from the electrical portion...

2.1. if you need to grind your coffee coarsely for a percolator, you should not be buying whole beans - buy your coffee from in large cans from companies that have television commercials and easy-listening jingles, as the end result is going to end up tasting awful, no matter what, if you put it in a percolator.

3. The power cord - other people have addressed this -- the cord is tucked up inside the bottom of the grinder -- simply pull it out, and it is plenty long.

4. Another reviewer said he preferred a different grinder that shuts off automatically -- this grinder does that as well -- put in the beans, choose your settings with the buttons on the side of the unit, and then hold down the grinding button -- continue to hold the button down until the grinder automatically stops -- it will stop when it has achieved the level of grinding that you selected with the buttons.

5. Lights wasting electricity - the reviewer who wrote that the grinder's lights are just wasting electricity is just a sillypants and wants to nitpick. The reality is this: the 2 LEDs that would be lit up while this device is plugged in would draw an almost nominal level of current. At 3.3vac a 100 Watt light bulb uses 30.3 Amps (30,300mA). At 3.3vac each LED would use 20mA -- so, both LEDs would use, at most, 40mA - which is less than 1/750th the amount the 100W bulb would use. You would have to leave the grinder plugged in and turned on for over a full month for the LED lights inside to use the same amount of current (electricity) used by turning on that 100 watt bulb for a single hour.

I have been using this grinder every day for 3 years along with a swissgold coffee filter (if you are still using paper filters you are just wasting trees and missing out on better tasting coffee...) and I have not had a single problem with it -- it grinds the beans consistently to the settings I punch in, and my yield is a delicious pot every morning.

If you couldn't tell, I am quite happy with this grinder. So buy one already!

My husband purchased this product for my birthday a couple of years ago. I always grind my own coffee for breakfast and sometimes grind it for lunch. After a year I noticed the plastic arms (or scrapers) were getting very thin and one of them had even broken. I emailed customer service about the problem and they sent me a new grinding bowl. I looked at the new bowl, saw the arms were thick and thought the company had realized there was a design flaw and changed it. I began using the new grinding bowl and now it is a year later. I just noticed that the plastic arms are getting thin again. This could only mean that this grinder slowly grinds the plastic arms. And that you are drinking very finely ground plastic every time you drink a cup of coffee made from the beans you have freshly ground. Is this healthy? I think not!

Length:: 2:59 Mins

I have tried several types of coffee grinders, but the Mr. Coffee Grinder is the best! It not only grinds coffee, but is also awesome for making pesto and other quick spreads! It's easy to use and easy to clean.

When our expensive Braun grinder went on the fritz we needed a new grinder which was significantly less expensive. This grinder fit the bill and the reviews on here were pretty good.

I like how easy it is to use. It has 3 settings, fine, med., and coarse. It also has cup settings so it will grind it just right. I use to grind coffee for 2 weeks- now I just do a daily grind and I love having such fresh coffee.

I also love throwing the top in the dishwasher. Very nice feature! The cord is short but it's not a problem in our kitchen. Excellent value!

***UPDATE 7/18/07*** This grinder still works fine and no major complaints but it has one flaw that the supports inside the grinding cup have all been cut by the blade so they no longer twist. I have to twist them manually once I grind the coffee to get all excess grounds out. Not a big issue but annoying and I will be getting a different grinder once this one goes. Just an FYI...Still a good grinder for $20.

It is not as noisy as other grinders I've owned, grinds beans to the perfect consistency for espresso, and is *very* easy to clean. The only drawback is that the "convenient" pour spout is not that convenient. It's pretty large and the lid will not stay up unless you hold it at an awkward angle. It's ok for the cofee maker basket, but when I try to pour the grounds into the little basket for my espresso maker, I still tend to spill coffee all over the countertop.

I am quite the coffee conisseur, and thus am pretty picky about my coffee products. My husband bought me this for my birthday, since our last "cheapo" coffee grinder was not grinding consistently anymore. I was skeptical, as I had been in the market for a burr grinder this time around. I thought I would try it anyway, and save the difference in money that it would cost to upgrade to a burr. I have to say, I was very impressed! While you do have to hold the button down the whole time it grinds, it does shut itself off when finished, which is nice. The selling feature for me is the removable coffee chamber. You don't have to tip your grinder upside down and tap the coffee into the lid. Nor do you have to hold the entire unit over the sink while you wipe the inside and around the blade with a paper towel, hoping you don't nick your finger! You just pop out the cup, open the spout, and pour your grinds into your filter. Then comes the best part...you just wash the cup in the sink or place in your dishwasher, and voila! Clean as a whistle. And it seems to produce a very consistent grind, which makes me happy, knowing I will get a great cup of coffee. For you other "coffee snobs" out there, the grind chart is obviously way off. Unless you like your coffee to taste like Folgers, use more than the 3/4 tbsp per cup that they recommend! All in all, I am very pleased with this product, and for the price, you can't beat it!

I bought this product after looking at reviews of other products. I chiefly wanted it to grind spices, but was wary because it was not listed as a 'spice grinder'

Not only does it perform quite well on spices, the fact that its an easy clean means you can switch back and forth between spices and coffee quite easily.

1) Every spice I put into the machine came out adequately. It has three settings, so you can have a course, medium or fine grind. The fine isn't magnificent, but if you put it in a bag and sold it, I doubt anyone would notice.

Thus far, I have ground chiles, seeds and even fresh lemongrass. I got the results I wanted each time.

2) It also grinds coffee well. Put the beans in, hit the button, and it looks like the stuff you buy at the store. I don't know if I would call it really produces esspresso-grade grinds, but I have gotten my regular coffee buzz every morning.

3) This is the biggest selling point. IT IS FRIGGIN EASY TO CLEAN! It has a detatchable grinding cup and dishwasher-safe lid. But seriously, you don't even need to go that far. Since the cup is stainless-steel, and since it has this plastic rig that lets you sweep loose grinds, all you need is a small-cicular brush and hot water to get it clean.

The time? About 15-20 seconds. No leftover grinds.

Because of this, you can grind multiple fresh spices rather quickly without worry of cross-contimnation. I can also say with confidence that I have had no fennel-tasting coffee. The fact that it is so easy to clean makes it versatile.

Is it loud? I guess. And you may have to grind more than once to get a desired texture.

But the fact that it does what I want it to do and cleans easily makes it worth it.