GSI Outdoors  JavaGRIND Coffee Grinder

Like the others before me, it is tough to use as it has a cone shape that hinders the ability to hold onto the grinder as you grind. Note that the grounds fall from the bottom, as I was not aware of this at the time of purchase (I thought the ground just chilled in the grinder 'til you were ready to brew). Also, I am not the conventional user of this piece. I bought the grinder because I am moving to rural Kenya, and needed a grinder for my french press. So, all in all, when using the grinder (as suggested above), take a seat, put the grinder between your knees, have a can or bowl just below the grinder (at your feet) and grind away! Happy brewing.

The first morning using this, the black rubber handle snapped right off. Extremely disappointed with this item. I was still able to use this despite the defect so it did do what it was suppose to do. I thought this would be cool but in the end its not. I will just get my coffee ground before I leave on my trip. Its really not worth my time to sit and have to grind that much coffee by hand, we'd be enjoying our first cup of coffee before finishing grinding the right amount needed otherwise. I am basing this off of making enough grounds for a carafe not a single serving. So for me its one less thing to bring and have to deal with.

I've only used this at home so far for French Press. Grinding can be a little difficult so sometimes I hold the crank still and rotate the saucer. It is very well built will nothing flimsy or riveted. There's nothing wrong with the screw. The upscale grocery stores near me have a "coarse" setting on their grinders, but this grinder will let the whole beans through if you like! I found that if you line up the wingnut with the slot in the screw (you'll see what I mean) and then tighten it by six full turns I got too much dust in my coffee. But at five full turns I can get an extra coarse grind with little dust. A narrow particle size distribution!

I work for the government and am deployed frequently to some fairly austere locations. I have used this grider so far in Laos for 45 days straight and the Philippines for about 30 days or so. I am also a coffee snob, so being in the woods drinking folgers was a less desirable option. This little grinder is a great option for a burr-grinder even for your house. Folks complain about it being unstable on the press, but in my opinion if you can't hang on to this thing you have no business in the woods in the first place. Its neither ungainly or difficult to operate. Grind is exceedingly easy to adjust, results are consistent, the thing is a performer. Best option for the super-duper lightweight folks? Probably not, but its doubtful theyre bringing whole bean coffee out anyways. This is in my standard kit for deployments from here on out.

This coffee grinder has been a life saver. I travel a lot outside of CONUS and have problems taking enough of my favorite coffee with me. I frequently have translation problems getting the coffee beans I want ground to the consistency required to meet my caffeine requirements! I am currently using two coffee presses, one at home and one on the road, both of which, I purchased at Starbucks. They appear to hold about 950 ml or 32 ounces of water. This press offers the opportunity to change how coarse the grind is. People are as different as coffee is. When you figure out where you need to set your grinder for your desired consistency, there are no more adjustments required. Once it's set, it's set. I read on another review that the "wing nut" adjustment is fragile, but' I'm not buying it. I haven't had any wing-nut problems. I AM NOT A STARBUCKS FAN. Actually I find their refusal to use common American vernacular in describing their drink sizes revolting. Having said that, I am occasionally forced to pick up caffeinated beverages for Her Majesty. The two coffee presses I have are the Starbucks "Green" presses which contain X% of recycled materials. Whatever! They work very well and disassemble at the sifter end of the press for ease of cleaning. That makes cleaning extremely easy. With my 32 ounce press, I use two table spoons of coffee beans per press cycle, heaping spoons for a strong pot of coffee. I have used this grinder with another smaller press which had a entry circumference of 2.5 inches and a length of 7 inches. Again, it worked well, although I couldn't spread my hand in the "C" index finger and thumb circle around the top of the grinder. It has been easier to grind my own beans on the larger circumference container. That only makes sense. I had no problems grinding my own beans on a counter top easily every day. I have also had no problems with this setup grinding my morning brew holding my press between my thighs. The smaller diameter container required a little more attention in grinding. It only makes sense. I have been using this coffee grinder for almost 4 months every day. I have no problems with this unit and don't anticipate any.

I love this grinder cause it is adjustable. I can tighten the wing nut down and get ultra fine grounds. Or I can loosen it up and get really coarse grounds. I think having the grinding handle flip around when not in use makes it a lot more versatile for packing around. The only thing that would make this better is if it had a second handle allowing you to hold it with your non grinding hand. It is difficult to keep it steady while grinding. In my opinion that is no big deal compared to the delicious reward of hand ground coffee beans though. This is a very durable product, very simple, and does a great job of grinding some coffee beans. Highly recommend.

I've used the Javagrind daily at home for the last 18 months and it shows no signs of giving up anytime soon. If only used for weekend car camping trips this thing would probably last a lifetime! I agree with the instability cited in the previous reviews. The relatively low clearance of the grinding arm makes it difficult to grip the hopper while you're grinding unless you have skinny hands and long fingers. I find the product works best with a french press as you can grind right into the press and grinding is easier with courser grinds. All in all a very good product and a great price too!

The handle is removable/reversible, which is great for compactness, but the threads were quickly stripped now there is no adjustability for the grind. The best grind possible is too chunky for even a french press to produce a weak cup o' joe. Two rocks would produce finer grounds. Also, the unit has to be completely emptied before storage otherwise the rubber cap over the output WILL FALL OFF and scatter coffee everywhere. I little reworking and this could be a great product. Sorry to be harsh GSI. Rock on.

Doesnt grind beans well. The wing nut for the shaft has stripped. Poor quality device. Weird to hold on too and no reservoir for the ground coffee. Who designed this poor excuse for a grinder. Didn't anyone actually try and use it before you put it on the market?

Needs new Handle Tip technology. Otherwise, good grinder.