Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've only had it 6 weeks. First of all, don't be foolish like me and start cranking it seconds after unboxing. Mine came with the ceramic grinding elements closely adjusted and touching. I probably grinded a little life off of them whilst dry-testing it. I don't see the damage done, but something had to of been worn away. Open the grinder and back off the adjustment nut before cranking. To adjust for a percolator grind I turn the nut back really far. The nut clicks as it is turned. It takes 8 clicks to turn the nut one revolution. Each click separates the grinding elements very little. This minute adjustability allows for fine tuning. The results are not perfect, but they are perfectly acceptable. The ease/difficulty of cranking is determined by the coarseness of the grind and the hardness of the bean. The bean becomes more brittle as it loses moister. I roasted one batch to a black, oily, almost charcoal state. Those beans grinded very easily. A fine espresso grind is tougher to crank than a courser percolator grind because the grinding elements are closer together. During grinding, coffee beans channel into the grinding elements well. If there is a coffee bean out there that is too large to effectively feed well, I haven't experienced it. The Kona, Guatemalan, Columbian, Ecuadorian, and Jamaican Blue Mountain beans I grinded work well. Tidbits: *One ceramic grinding element is fixed. The other is moveable and pushed by a spring. Time will tell if the spring can withstand the stresses put on it. *One ceramic grinder has a plastic insert. Time will tell if the plastic can withstand the stresses put on it. * Little plastic ridges are the source of the clicks when nut turning. Don't make a game of turning the nut and making the clicking sound. This will force undue wear on the plastics ridges. *The grinder's top half will hold enough beans to make our (his and hers) morning coffee. We each drink a big cup (about 12 ounces each) of liquid coffee. I grind coffee almost daily. *The whole grinder is about 7" tall and about 1 ¾" diameter. It has a very smooth finish, making it a little difficult to hold on to. Also, the bottom half doesn't mate as securely as I would like. I find myself having to keep an eye on it and my hand placement as I'm grinding. I guess I can wear an anti-slip glove on that hand. *Grinding manually can be too much effort for a busy person to do daily. It takes about 150-200 turns/cranks/revolutions to grind one batch. Most people will be happier purchasing a good electric grinder. *This thing would be great for camping. The Japanese Instructions claim: *Ceramic grinders won't affect flavor of coffee, as could metal. *Ceramic grinders won't rust, as can metal. *Max capacity is 30 grams. *Ceramic grinders wear very slowly. *Easy to disassemble for cleaning. *Can grind roasted soybeans to make kinako powder. *Will grind espresso, fine, and coarse. * [...] 11-2013 Update: I stopped using this little gem about 6 months after purchasing for fear of developing tennis elbow. I was experiencing elbow-area pain AND grew tired of cranking every day for two. The pain eventually disappeared. Also, the "corners" of the 5-sided crank end of the steel shaft have "rounded" a bit. The crank rounded them a little to the point where the crank sometimes slips off during grinding. Oh, some grounded, powdery, coffee slipped in-between the two mating stainless steel halves and caked itself onto one mating surface, thus providing the friction needed to keep the halves mated whilst using it, thus me refusing to wash it off. Unsanitary? I doubt it. It's only coffee. Wonderful, life giving coffee. It still works. The ceramics are fine. I still love it. I haven't contacted the manufacturer. I still recommend it for someone that won't use it daily or that isn't as wimpy as I.