Major V

3 that are actually in use: -MC6 and Major with ssps for espresso -Bunn with ssps for drip More that aren't: -Hobart grocery store grinder -zassenhaus knee mill -baratza encore

Espresso machines and grinders still have significant manufacturing in Italy and other western countries. None of my equipment is made in China. Mazzer, Kafatek, LA Marzocco, Elektra.

Yas! I have a mazzer major v with 83mm HUs which are somewhere between 64mm HU blendyness and 98mm HU clarity and get some incredible shots on the Argos. Slightly modded retention is only 0.2g or so.

Mazzer Major V Electronic, Mazzer Philos, Fiorenzato All Ground Sense, Baratza Forte AP, Baratza Encore ESP Pro Bunn GVH-2 (and a few more)

I bought a used Mazzer Luigi for $200 and fitted it for single-dose use and threw on SSP MP-style burrs (cheap knockoffs cuz I’m broke). Best decision I’ve ever made. She’s a tank, has less than 0.5g retention, and the coffee is on par with that of $2000+ grinders. I will probably die before this grinder and am considering trying real SSP burrs just to see. You can probably find a good deal on a Mazzer near you on FB marketplace and even with the real SSPs it’ll likely be less than $400. There are single-dose kits online but they’re kinda expensive to purchase (I think around $150); what I did was have a friend with a 3d printer make the parts in exchange for food lol. Not for everyone but if your goal is quality coffee for low prices, I recommend one of the old tanks.

Mazzer is really worth it. Trust me.

Definitely get them to look at the used market. There are always loads of used Mazzer commercial grinders on the used market and they are built to last and will be within budget.

FB Marketplace for a used Mazzer. That's how I did it, 300 for a used cafe-quality espresso grinder