SHARDOR - Conical Burr Coffee Grinder for Espresso with Precision Timer

I liked my shardor, but I had a deep and narrow (40mm) basket (a Flair Neo Flex) that allows for a coarser grind size. There’s a chance it wouldn’t grind fine enough for a standard, non-pressurized basket.

$30 bucks Shardor on Amazon prime sales. Easily modded to grind finer. Didn't know if I'd stick to this hobby, and I did. During the time my (replaced and twice fixed) old machined died, so upgraded to a Delonghi Dedica. So was trying out a cheapo. Thought of upgrading but no need to. Challenges of cheap machines are... never consistent. Espresso is actually VERY easy if you have the right machines, beans, etc. Usually expensive equipments will cover for little variables and mistakes. Kitchen appliance cheap machine is the hardest to make a good cup, IMHO. So don't go too cheap. 😁

I just bought a shardor and it works great with a bottomless at setting 3. I was going to return it on day 1 if it didn’t and thankfully it’s all good. I’m starting to think that a lot of these “rules” about grinders people have held for years now are starting to fall apart as new products hit the market. I recall a few years ago being told you can’t make espresso in any machine under $300 (used) and a friend of mine recently got one of those cheap $130 CasaBrews with a bottomless portafilter and it makes great espresso. Yeah, it’s cheap and probably won’t last many years, but it completely defies everything I had read on this sub a few years ago.

How do i fix this? I bought an OEM version of this machine with a different brand logo, but it's exactly the same factory machine as the Shaedor. It cost me only around $83 at my local store. It works pretty well, but this is my first time using a grinder machine, so I’m not sure what might not be working well or how to improve it.

I got the Shardor 52 step with he PF holder, $160 CAD or so, prime day $130. It was... Fine. Made some good shots with bad beans, so I know it can only get better. And suddenly it seems to have slowed down grinding, and grinds aren't ejecting they way they used to. I have to pump the damn bellows the entire time or the whole thing jams up. Open it up, clean and inspect. Hopper bypass to check motion, everything is turning, don:?'t know what the hell. It used to have some retention issues, couple .1s here and there until the nooks and crannies are filled, but suddenly it's like... 3 gram retention unless I beat the snot out of it. And I'm like 3 days past the Amazon return window, so fuck me. Still waiting on Hong Kong customer support but I don't have high hopes. Knowing what I know now I would probably spend a bit more money. Df54 at $300+ is just too much for me to swallow though.

As much as I dislike the DFs for their teething issues so far, I will concede that they have a decent grinder in the DF54, for the price point. However, not a lot of choices in 54mm space, so you're a little bit stuck unless you perform [some surgery](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADnoqcns4dc). The other contender is the Encore ESP. So much plastic. But a respectable burr for a broad range of espresso and filter roast levels. I would avoid the Breville Smart Grinder for its jankiness. It makes passable cups for dark roast only, and has poor prospects for repairs/upgrades. Similarly, I think Eurekas in general are quite overpriced and hard to use because of their antediluvian grind chamber design (lots of retention) and what might possibly be the industry's most user-unfriendly grind adjustment knob (tiny diameter, unable to calibrate/zero, small adjustments all but impossible due to thread lash, easy to lose track of revolutions). Also, Eureka seems insistent on undersized, under populated, (and underperforming) burrs of proprietary specs, so upgrading/exploring other burrs is not possible. Kidding-not-kidding recommendation: amzn has a $170 grinder from Shardor that can host standard 64mm flat burrs. The grinder itself is a plastic copy of a Mazzer Super Jolly, down to the aggressively sprung but huge grind adjustment dial. However, the grind chamber and carrier are well machined, with a properly sized exit path/chute. Save a few bucks, invest in a pair of SSP MPs or Ditting Cast LS, and call it a day. Hope that helps, let us know how you get on

I can confirm that in my early espresso days I tried to reduce the cost by buying Shardor grinders. I bought one. It failed. Their aftersales service was excellent, I must admit. They sent me a replacement without needing a return. The replacement failed. I got a refund after returning the second. Because of the after sales I thought "3rd time lucky" and gambled on a more expensive Shardor. It failed.... Total months from 3 machines that failed. Only 15 months in total for 3 machines. To me, that is not good enough.

I’ve been using the shardor for a week now and love it. 160$ on amazon

Funny, I'm making good espresso in a bottomless with a Shardor. Finest setting chokes the machine with a moderate tamp, so I'm playing with 3 and 4. Precise dosages based on timer settings (0.1 sec intervals.) I like simplicity, don't want to deal with weighing every time and transferring grounds that a manual requires. Beans in hopper, insert portafilter, press button. precise, uniformly ground dose every time.

I'll third the Shardor, but I got the one with the SS bin. (As Steely Dan said, no static at all.) Also has 51 settings, probably the same burrs, but it's $20 less. Also handles the portafilters with room for a funnel. Timer can be set by 0.1 sec, and I get uniform doses within about 0.1g. I'm on the 3rd finest setting.

I have the model with the SS cup, 51 settings. It has a bellows to blow out dust (not much) and the antistatic feature seems to work well. I was able to dial it in (local beans), not really tempted to upgrade. Precise dosing (I no longer weigh them). Can get fine enough to choke my bottomless basket, #3 hits the spot. The portafilter cradle holds a funnel too, autogrinds when you insert the portafilter. Super convenient. https://www.amazon.com/SHARDOR-Precision-Electronic-Adjustable-Stainless/dp/B0DRVDN15C

I went with the Shardor with the portafilter attachment on the front. Seems to work great so far. I've upgraded to a bottomless basket and a scale with a timer. https://preview.redd.it/eeeskdlx5ljf1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f0cb82147771a2f6e1826e7a673630f6233e51d