this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2026
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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.
I resell electronics and a lot of related stuff so I have gone through a lot of items over my career. My insight into what breaks and what doesn't comes from seeing hundreds of used items weekly. I've handled many many brands of grinders and refurbished a bunch of them. I have 2 Baratzas I'm selling right now and sold a Hario earlier today. I also sold another Baratza part this week.
I never claimed the Baratzas don't ever break, but the motors last decades and everything else is cheap and simple on them, they are made to be serviced, which makes them extremely good value. This is why they are a good recommendation for the super cheap price. I know iof no sub $100 grinders that don't have some problem eventually. Think of the price tag. A $60 grinder is dirt cheap.
Baratza Encores currently cost about $60-75 on eBay on the lower side of the price range That would be a used working machine covered by a money back guarantee. A couple have sold for just $50-55 in the past 90 days.
I don't dispute some of what you're saying about a commercial grinder like that $1200 Bunn G1, but that grinder only has 7 grind adjustment settings. It's really not comparable to an espresso grinder. The special feature of the Bunn is grinding a pound of coffee in 30 seconds. Like you can't get an espresso shot calibrated with that style of machine. Of course, that's not a home machine and it's not really designed for the purpose of a careful grind size / weight. However, end of the day, that grinder is $475 for a used model. If a Baratza lasts 20 years for $60, is a Bunn 10X as good?
The OP question wasn't about seeking a cheap grinder, it was about seeking a BIFL grinder. I can accept that there's no realistic way to get both without being lucky.
I seem to remember there is a way to get stepless adjustment for the grind size in a Bunn. Also the Encore isn't much of an espresso grinder either.