this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2026
11 points (100.0% liked)
Buy it for Life
8137 readers
57 users here now
A place to share practical, durable and quality made products that are made to last, with an emphasis on upcycled and sustainable products!
Guidelines:
Things that are well-made and durable (even if they won't last a lifetime) are A-Okay!
Unlike that other BIFL place, Home-made and DIY items are encouraged here, as long as some form of instruction is included in the body of the post.
Videos links are not allowed as post titles, but you may use them in a text post.
A limited amount of self-promotion is accepted, IF the item you are selling aligns with this criteria:
- The item must be made with sustainable or recycled materials.
- If electronic in some way, the item must be open-source.
- The item must be user-serviceable (if applicable).
- You cannot be a large corporation.
- The post must be clearly marked with a [Self Promotion] tag in your title.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Baratza's lower models work ok when they are new but I wouldn't call them durable. Hario Skerton is crap. If I can find mine, you can have it for free. I'll give OP first dibs though, and will say I don't recommend it except as a backup. Rancilio Rocky is a reasonable choice I guess.
What would you recommend that not Baratza for a, sub-$100 grinder that's repairable and maintainable?
Baratza grinders are not the nicest grinders known, but they do sell every part and you can replace the burrs.
Like I recently sold a KitchenAid double burr grinder that runs double the price of a Baratza Encore. New burrs are not available and all the parts of the KA are breakable glass and unobtainable for repairs. That to me seems crazy, but the flip side is that a $60 Encore is a screaming deal at that price level, for the features of being 100% repairable.
I've refurbished about a dozen Baratza grinders (many old and heavily used) but I have only ever seen one with a motor issue (worn brushes). The most common issues are damage to the plastic exterior parts from being dropped. The main mechanism is surprisingly durable.
Is there a better $60 grinder you're aware of?
https://www.baratza.com/en-us/landing/product/parts
Part cost is VERY reasonable and they ship cheap and fast
As far as I can tell, the top line Baratza models use the same gearbox and motor as the base models
Baratza will sell you the main circuit board for under $15 and the gear box rebuild for like $10. In my opinion that's admirable. Talking like BIFL ethics, the company obviously wants you to be able to repair any issues, versus being disposable.
( Silly question: why do you own a Skerton, and why isn't it broken?)
If you've had to refurbish a dozen Encores, that doesn't sound very durable. Bunn G1 = buy once, use forever. It's a commercial grinder like you'd see in a grocery store. No home user will ever cause significant wear on one of those things. I've seen them on craigslist in the 300 range fairly often. I don't have one because it's too big for my tiny kitchen.
I don't know where to get a Baratza Encore for $60 even used. They are $150 new. Hmm I do see one on Craigslist for $75 right now, so that's pretty close. It's a good value in a cheap grinder, but it's not BIFL in any meaningful sense of the word that doesn't include "keep fixing it forever".
Re Skerton: I don't remember exactly how I got it, but I didn't understand at the time what crap they were. I used it a few times and got an Encore which I still have, which has broken twice so far (once replaced under warranty, once I bought a repair part from them). The Encore doesn't suck but it's light duty and semi-disposable IMHO.
Skerton is good for a backup and camping / traveling and the like.