Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I almost returned this thing after about two days of use; it had completely stopped working due to an internal clog, and the included de-clogging instructions were useless. However, with a little experimentation, I found a method that works reliably, and without as much fuss as I'd expected. 1) Empty any remaining beans from the hopper into another container and set aside. Set the hopper aside as well, but empty; you'll need it again soon. Set aside the grounds bin as well, also empty. 2) Remove the top burr grinder piece (its handle rotates up, and then you can twist it out) and set aside. 3) Dump remaining loose coffee bits from around the burr grinder at the top of the machine into your separate container (just like from the hopper) and set that container aside. You won't need it again until after you're finished de-clogging. 4) UNPLUG the machine. and get ready to make a bit of a mess (these next few steps are worth doing over a sink if you can, in order to reduce clean-up). 5) Using a soft, non-metal utensil so as not to damage the burrs (I had a soft plastic lab pipette nearby which was perfect), gently scrape out any packed coffee grounds from around the bottom burr grinder on top of the machine. You won't get it all on the first attempt, just get what's easy. 6) Using the same or similar utensil, poke up into the chute that coffee grounds normally come out of. Dislodge as much of the packed grounds as you can, then shake gently so that the stragglers will fall out. 7) Taking the grinder back to its usual home, plug it back in and replace the bean hopper and the grounds bin but NOT the top burr grinder piece. 8) Run the grinder like this, in short (5 second) bursts until grinds stop coming out. 9) Remove the hopper and bin, then follow cleaning steps 4-8 once more. By the time you've done that second run, the machine should be mostly de-clogged. 10) Scrape any caked-on coffee grounds from the top bur grinder, and put it back where it belongs (you'll need to remove the hopper to get access). 11) Run one or two 5-second bursts to make sure everything's worked its way out, but your grinder should now be ready to use. Return your container of beans and bits to the hopper and grind away! How does this thing get clogged in the first place? I was trying to grind enough coffee to fill a container to take to work, and the lid on top of this grinder's grounds bin does not provide a good view into the bin. When the grounds pile up to high, the machine backs up and will just keep compressing grounds together inside until it's totally jammed. Having learned my lesson, I now take the lid off the grounds bin whenever I need to grind more than a single pot's coffee. This puts me at a slightly higher risk of mess, but the grounds don't shoot out badly and I can see when i need to dump the bin out into another container.