Product Comparison: Electric Blade Coffee Grinders

Freshly ground coffee smells and tastes lovely, and for those of us on a budget or with small kitchens, a compact electric blade coffee grinder is the perfect answer to achieving that freshly ground flavour. Blade coffee grinders are known to be not quite as good for grinding coffee beans as burr coffee grinders, but these items are generally bigger, more expensive and not capable of grinding anything other than coffee beans.

Below are three coffee grinders that we shall quickly compare for you using feedback from buyers on the UK Amazon website and from our own experience.

Bosch MKM 6003 Coffee Grinder

In our kitchen, we have the Bosch MKM 6003 coffee grinder in black colour. Although this electric coffee grinder costs more than the others shown here, it matches our Bosch kettle, hence the reason I purchased it – and I like the Bosch brand too. I actually use our Bosch grinder solely for grinding the chillies that I have grown in my garden and dried using the excellent Severin Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs Dryer.

Bosch MKM 6003 Coffee Grinder

I find that this coffee grinder perfectly chops up my chillies to both coarse or fine flakes, all the way up to a fine powder. It can also be used for grinding nuts and other spices and it does the job really well. The Bosch MKM 6003 coffee grinder is easy and safe to use and is available in black or white. It is quite easy to clean, but for obvious reasons it must not be submerged in water. The blade is very sharp so take care when cleaning this coffee grinder. The black colour is very classy, but I feel that the Bosch White Grinder doesn’t look quite so nice. I’m not keen on the green coloured switch, but that’s just a matter of taste.

At the time of writing, the Bosch MKM 6003 coffee grinder has received over 2100 reviews on Amazon.co.uk achieving an excellent 4.5 out of 5 star rating. A few people have experienced some minor quibbles but overall this a quality product made by a dependable manufacturer.

Because I use my Bosch grinder for hot chillies, I dare not use it for coffee, even after cleaning, so I am thinking of purchasing a coffee grinder solely for coffee beans. Two of the best value coffee grinders that have caught my eye are the VonShef Coffee Grinder and the Andrew James Coffee, Nut and Spice Grinder. Both are made by manufacturers we like, are excellent value, compact in size, and would be great for grinding coffee beans and nuts and spices. Let’s take look at these two coffee grinders shall we?

Andrew James Coffee, Nut and Spice Grinder

As with the other coffee grinders compared here, the Andrew James 150W Coffee, Nut and Spice Grinder has sharp stainless steel blades and capacity of about 70 grams. The Bosch has a 75 gram capacity whilst the VonShef coffee grinder falls behind with a 45 gram capacity. Many people that have bought the Andrew James grinder use it for nuts and spices and they are very happy with the results. A 2 year manufacturer’s warranty is included.

Andrew James Coffee, Nut and Spice Grinder

Most reviewers of the Andrew James 150W Coffee, Nut and Spice Grinder are happy with their purchase. The overall feeling is that this coffee grinder is a good buy, with its only fault being that it does not always produce an even coffee grind on just one attempt. Two or more whizzes are often required.

VonShef Coffee Grinder

Finally we look at the VonShef Electric Coffee Grinder. This is a very nice looking coffee grinder with a stylish design. Like the Andrew James coffee grinder, it has a 150 watt motor (the Bosch is more powerful than the other two with a 180 watt motor) and it also has stainless steel blades. The VonShef grinder has non-slip feet and an ‘easy-store’ power cord – both of which sound very handy.

VonShef Coffee Grinder

In the past VonShef grinder models were prone to failure but it would appear that VonShef has sorted out these problems and quality control has been vastly improved with this VonShef Coffee Grinder, the very latest model. The 2016 model had great reviews and this 2017 grinder is even better. It has had less buyers than the other two electric blade grinders here but current ratings stand at 4.4 out of 5 stars. Well done VonShef!

Coffee Grinder Conclusions

The Andrew James and VonShef grinders both cost less than £17 at the time of writing so I consider both to be great value and both worthy of my hard-earned cash! Those that are happy with the VonShef Electric Coffee Grinder have no complaints, especially at its excellent price, and the Andrew James Coffee, Nut & Spice Grinder has been for sale since 2011 so it has a very solid reputation for reliability.

As I mentioned earlier, I am very happy with my Bosch MKM 6003 Coffee Grinder. It is more powerful that the other two here, but also costs a fair bit more than the VonShef or Andrew James Grinders. Is it worth the extra money? No, I don’t think so, but I have no complaints at all with it!

I hope that this short product comparison helps you if you are looking to purchase an electric blade coffee grinder.