Manual vs. Electric Grinding? Experts please

[autzennoise14]

Afternoon - New to the forum and wanted to solicit opinions and experiences on manual grinding vs. electric.

My mother in law refuses to drink coffee that was ground electrically for a variety of reasons, some ridiculous, some credible. She uses an old cumbersome hand grinder, and I'd like to get her a gift that is comparable, and convincing her that there are electric grinders out there that do the trick.

I'd also like to argue that manual grinding is not necessarily superior, and would like to solicit opinions one way or the other. There are a few resources, but they are limited:

Manual Grinding 101
https://www.homegrounds.co/manual-vs-electric-coffee-grinder/
https://handground.com/grind/5-reasons-why-a-hand-coffee-grinder-is-right-for-you

Anyway, I offer this debate in solidarity with those who hold all opinions on which is better. If there are other resources you could point me to, that would be appreciated as well. Any connoseurs with a strong opinion? My mother in law loves to argue and so do I.

 

[John P]

Everything is based on the quality of the grinder - burr set, chassis, other mechanical parts. I think it depends how many cups and whether you are at home, traveling, or in the forest.

If you are comparing apples to apples (same quality of burrs (or same burrs) and burr stability) the best argument I can make for electric vs. manual is consistency. An electric motor is spinning at a specific and consistent rate and cutting beans with same force every pass. It's nearly impossible to have the same consistency with manual grinding. But a manual grinder is (usually) portable, and much more suited for travel. And I can get a good manual adjustable ceramic burr grinder for $30, where an electric capable of producing the same quality of grind will be $85+.

 

[shadow745]

I'm a fan of hand grinders, but they aren't for everybody. Some people lack the strength and agility to hand grind, especially when grinding for espresso with an aggressive burr set. There are workarounds such as using a cordless screwdriver or drill to motorize the grinder. This will give you consistency with less effort.

 

[Moreshots]

Agree hand grinders work great I have a Pharos conical
they are also slow revolution
a new Compak e10 is great as I have one of them also, but $1800
low speed large burr is best