My $180 grinder died mid-pour on Saturday and I finished the batch with a $12 backup from the grocery store
I was 20 minutes into a batch for my neighbor's birthday brunch when the motor on my main grinder just quit, no warning, smelled like burnt toast. Grabbed the cheap blade grinder I keep for spices, ground 40 grams in tiny pulses, and somehow the pour over still came out decent, maybe even a little sweeter since I could not go too fine. Took the dead one apart on the counter and found a strip of plastic gear worn down to nothing. So now I am shopping for a burr grinder under $150, anyone got one that survived more than two years of daily use?
A strip of plastic gear worn down to nothing, of course it is, because why would they put a metal part in a $180 machine when they can save nine cents and sell you another one in two years. My favorite part is the grocery store blade grinder saving the day while the fancy one is laid out on your counter like a patient on an operating table. Honestly the blade grinder forcing you to go coarse probably did more for that pour over than the expensive one ever did, uneven grounds and all. Anyway I have no useful answer for you because mine is on year three and I am now scared to look inside it.