Kuissential EvenGrind Review – The Best Budget Hand Grinder?
Many hand grinders look the same.
They are either skinny or rounded. Some are metal – some are plastic and glass. They all feature a hand crank somewhere on the top of the device.
Hand grinders can seem unappealing. Electric grinders are better and easier to use right?
Wrong.
Certain $20-30 hand grinders outperform $100 electric grinders. This is due to the difference in particle size distribution (how different one ground coffee particle is from another) between electric and manual grinders.
Good hand grinders have superior burr control compared to the average electric grinder. Kuissential’s EvenGrind is a prime example of this fact.
The design, performance, and quality of hand grinders make them integral tools to the home barista. A cheap electric grinder simply doesn’t compare to a hand grinder with the right features.
If you care about coffee quality, this grinder should be on your radar.
EvenGrind Particle Size Distribution
As mentioned earlier, this grinder has better particle size distribution than any grinder we’ve seen under $100.
Sure, it’s not perfect. There are boulders and fines here and there, but overall, it outclasses any hand grinder in its price range.
We chose to feature variances of fine, medium, medium-coarse, and coarse grinds in the photos above. These are all 2-3 knob settings coarser (left on the grind setting screw) than the last.
Out of the 18 or so feasible grind sizes one could use with the Evengrind, at least 15 are consistent enough to brew with. For a hand grinder, this is an incredible feat.
Design
The Evengrind is not glamorous.
It looks like the standard, clunky, plastic hand grinder available at any grocery store. It doesn’t have many features, and it’s hard to hold if you have small hands.
It takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, the design is overshadowed by the great performance.
The top half of the unit is strong plastic / polymer. This is where the “brains” of the grinder are held.
The bottom glass half of the grinder is the grind “reservoir.”
Detaching the reservoir can be arduous, especially if you have small hands. You must work to unscrew it from the plastic top.
There is, however, a rubber sleeve that Kuissential includes to hug the bottom of the reservoir. This helps with attaching and detaching.
Grind Adjustment and Grinding Speed
Many grinders must be completely taken apart in order to adjust grind setting.
Instead, the EvenGrind allows access to the grind settings from the top.
There’s even a clever locking mechanism that helps one keep track of the multitude of settings.
To start adjusting the grind, one must simply take off the locking screw. Then the hand crank slides off to reveal the “U” shaped locking mechanism. From here, the user can turn a metal cog left or right to adjust grind.
To accurately dial in the grind, start by tightening the metal cog screw all the way. Now that it is at “0,” count how many times you loosen the screw.
Each section of the cog represents 1 size. Take notes as to which sizes work the best for your brew method, re-insert the locking mechanism and hand crank, and get back to grinding!
You can use these settings as a guideline:
The hand crank is attached to the grind setting knob – allowing for a sturdy grinding experience.
This location of the grind setting knob is a major plus. This grind dialing system is intuitive and effective.
Regarding grinding speed, this is a really fast manual grinder but the Handground is a little faster.
According to our tests, to grind 20 grams of coffee it takes:
- Coarse: 37 seconds
- Fine: 58 seconds
Overall, the design is simple. Though, the performance is something else entirely.
Performance
Kuissential believes that combining a good brewer with a bad grinder is counter-intuitive.
The company thought through the major problems found in hand grinders. They came up with the revolutionary patent that puts the “Even” in EvenGrind.
Kuissential incorporated a stabilizing cage that sits over the ceramic burr.
This seems like a simple idea, but it’s incredibly effective.
The removable stabilizing cage basically hugs the burrs – keeping them from wobbling around. Axle and burr wobble is one of the main drawbacks of hand grinders. When the burrs wobble, boulders and fines are created. These inconsistent grinds will ruin a potentially wonderful brew!
Along with the stabilizing remedy, Kuissential added extra lower and upper bearings to enhance support and smooth grinding.
Everything about the performance of this hand grinder maximizes quality.
Conclusions
The EvenGrind is a durable grinder that grinds consistent coffee. It simply does what it was made to do.
Even though it is lacking the bells and whistles found in other grinders, it remains a top-notch choice for those wanting to optimize their brew.
Kuissential thought outside the box when developing this device. Instead of focusing on features, they cut to the root of the inconsistent hand grinder dilemma.
If you want better coffee, add this grinder to your collection.
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