The Best Espresso Grinders Under $500

There's an age old axiom that says—"your espresso is only as good as the quality of your grinder." Okay, I admit that I just made that up, but I am right and there's a lot of truth to using a quality grinder to improve your espresso outcomes. With that being said, you don't need to spend thousands of dollars on a grinder to get great tasting espresso, but it's still well worth the investment. Take a peek at our top three espresso grinders that weigh in under $500.

Clive's Picks—Eureka Mignon Silenzio $429-$479

True to its namesake, the Silenzio is the quietest grinder out of the bunch—reinforced by noise dampening material in a solid stainless steel frame. The Silenzio's 50mm flat stainless steel burrs offer an extremely even ground distribution with low grind retention and low static and clumping. It's an excellent option for a beginner home barista aiming for a quality grind, or for those who desire a more manual grinding experience. The stepless micrometric adjustment dial makes making grind adjustments intuitive and fine-tuning more accessible. Don't just take my word for it, our expert machine technician can show you how easy the Silenzio is to dial in. The lack of screens or outward electronics is a welcome breath of fresh air. It does have a manual adjustment dial on the side of the grinder if you want to use timed grinding. The Silenzio is on sale through June 6th, so get them while they are hot!

• 50mm flat stainless steel burrs
• 1-14 second dial timer 
• The most “no frills” of the bunch

Eureka Mignon Zero $449-499

Runner Up—Baratza Sette 270 $399.95

Small burrs make for small retention. The Sette 270 in particular, with its conical burrs, has almost zero space to collect grounds thanks to its innovative shape—adding to the grinder's efficiency and saves on coffee waste. The lack of a burr chamber and an incredibly short vertical chute results less than a gram of grind retention on average, making it an effective single-dosing grinder as well. The biggest downside to the Sette 270 is that grinding noise is louder than average because the constuction of the grinder and the frame is mainly made of plastic. 

• 40mm steel conical burrs 
• 3 programable timed grind dosing settings 
• 270 macro & micro stepped grind adjustments 

 Budget Conscious—Fellow Opus $195

The Fellow Opus is not exclusively an espresso grinder, but it does the best job for espresso of any grinder on the market for under $200. The Opus is a versatile, user-friendly grinder boasting,  40mm conical burrs, 41 precise grind settings, a 110g hopper capacity, single-dose loading, timed auto-stop, anti-static technology, and a helpful grind guide. If you need to grind a little bit finer, there are a few internal burr adjustments that you can make to take your espresso to the next level. 

• 40mm steel conical burrs
• Anti-static technology 
• 41 grind settings

Are you still trying to decide which grinder is best for you? Perhaps you need a more in depth guide on how to choose your dream grinder. Remember fellow home baristas: the grinder is just as important as the espresso machine, so save yourself some coffee, time, and frustration, and land a great grinder right out of the gate.