1Zpresso X-Ultra Manual Coffee Grinder-Midnight Black, Well-built Sturdy Metal Body, Assembly Stainless Steel Burr, Numerical External Setting, Magnet Catch Cup, Faster Grind Efficiency Portable Mil

I bought a black X-Ultra during black Friday '24 and spent the month of January traveling with it, so it's gotten a lot of use already. After getting back home, I found that the experience and grind quality is so good, that I favor it over my motorized burr grinder. I never write reviews, it just takes too much of my time. But this product deserves it, so here we go:User experience: 5 stars- The burrs are ridiculously sharp, the movement is smooth and solid, and the leverage from the handle is generous, so it just tears through beans. It takes me less than ten seconds [see edit] with minimal effort to grind a single cup for pour-over.- I don't have a way to measure grind size distribution, but my subjective experience is that it doesn't create excessive fines at all grind sizes that tend to clog filters. The small step size also allows you to really dial in the grind for every new roast.- The grounds cup doubles as a dosing cup and its clever magnet arrangement makes it super easy to remove with a small twist that doesn't risk spilling beans or grounds.- It is very easy to do a quick clean: the included brush with hard and soft bristles is fantastic for brushing sticky grounds off the burs and then wiping away the fines. The air blower is also handy to clear out most fines from the hopper chamber.- It is also very easy to do a thorough clean, since a clever shaft retention feature makes removing the cone burr tool-free, allowing you to clean every last bit of the grinder quickly and easily.Quality: 5 stars- Build quality is just incredible. Entirely made of aluminum and stainless steel precision machined parts, there's not a single part that they cut corners on.- The design is nearly flawless in my opinion. In case you've read this far, you won't be surprised to learn I'm a product design engineer. I can't remember the last time I tore a consumer product down and didn't immediately find anything I'd want to improve or change.Value: 5 stars- This isn't a cheap grinder, but given the materials, build quality, and accessories, I'm honestly shocked it isn't more expensive.- In an age of extremely cheap products from China that ship to your doorstep in 4 hours, it is great to see a product where quality and attention to detail were obviously important to the designers/manufacturers, and will actually last you a lifetime.Tips:- If you like a clean grinder, don't get the black color. It's the only thing I regret about this purchase. It looks great, but it makes it difficult to see when surfaces are clean of grinds. If you don't care much about grinder cleanliness, get the black color.- The first time you grind you want to put your hand up near the top, but then the bend in the crank arm hits your hand as you rotate it. So you adjust your hand lower, and maybe a little too low so when you start again, you accidentally pull off the magnetically attached grinds cup. This happens once, and then you learn where to put your hand and it never happens again. Let me assure you that it is a very good thing they put the bend in the arm, since it means grinding doesn't put off-axis torque on the shaft that would make it take more energy to grind and cause excess wear on the bearings.- You may get annoyed at first that there is no absolute scale to the grind size setting, since it takes multiple revolutions of the adjustment ring to span the entire range. I found that it doesn't take much time to get used to it; if you ever are unsure of the setting, it's very quick to rotate the ring until the burrs contact and then back off to zero it out. Most of the time you are just leaving the grind setting where it is after dialing it in anyway.- Don't be surprised when you find marks on the finish from contact with the counter, the brush, or anything really. This is a reality of aluminum finishes, embrace it. There's no way to avoid wear on the finish without adding coatings that you don't want in a food-safe product.- There's enough room in the case for my GreaterGoods pocket scale, which slips nicely into the mesh pocket on the cover. You can even fit some filters and a folding dripper if you want to use the case as your coffee go-bagEdit: I actually timed how long it takes me to grind my typical 20g of coffee and it's just over 30s on average

I bought this to replace a 1Zepresso JX from 2022. I was curious to see how different the new burr design was, and I'm not disappointed. The difference is night and day. Much smoother and much, much better grind consistency. The JX is still a good grinder, and I've enjoyed years of coffee using it every morning, but the X Ultra is a much improved grinder all around.

I/we have upped our coffee game!!! Really like the grinder… it is made very well, and works fantastic!

I bought this grinder specifically for travel. We drive to a vacation property for a week a few times each year. The kitchen is quite well-equipped, but a Mr. Coffee doesn’t cut it for me, so I bring and Aeropress or French Press instead. My travel grinder has been a Hario Skerton, but I had come to dread grinding with it. I’m 63 and have some early arthritis in my hands, so gripping that fat grinder and turning with a reasonable amount of effort for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably 3 minutes, was not how I wanted to start my morning on vacation. The grind was just OK. So recently, I had switched to a French Press simply because the coarser grind was quicker and less painful.I have been eying better manual grinders for a few years and decided that it was time for the Skerton to get out of my cabinet and head off to Goodwill. I landed on the X-Pro Ultra due to its comfortable diameter, reported superiority for pourovers, the magnetic grounds bin, and the case. Also, I’m not in love with any vinyl, silicone, or rubber material on the exterior, such as is found on the X-Pro. I think the X-Pro is quite handsome, but those materials don’t always age very well. By the way, there is a fairly narrow (1”?) and thin black silicone ring which comes with the grinder if you need a little extra diameter or grip. I left mine off.Well, I am just astounded at the difference in speed and effort required to grind with this buttery-smooth grinder. The large knob and comfortable diameter for gripping makes just holding this grinder just about ideal. It chews through medium roast beans in no time. The suggested setting for a pourover results in a grind which is appropriate for the James Hoffman V60 recipe or the Onyx Coffee Labs standard recipe, both of which are quite fine. 24g takes me less than a minute with little effort. It’s probably closer to 40 seconds. The resulting grind is shockingly even. I have a Baratza Virtuoso with upgraded burrs and this grinder produces a MUCH more consistent grind. With my Virtuoso, I will often use a grinds sifter to eliminate powder, but I see no reason at all when using the X-Pro Ultra.The build quality is stellar. With no beans loaded inside, the burrs spin with virtually no effort. The finish is excellent. Even the case is really nicely made semi-rigid model with an easy-to-use zipper. It holds the grinder with its folded handle, a surprisingly useful bulb blower, and a dual-ended brush. Static has not been much of a problem at all, but by experience, that will likely vary, depending upon the coffee that’s being ground.So, now I’m looking at that fine Baratza Virtuoso sitting on my counter and thinking that maybe I should retire it to the basement shelves next to my Moccamaster that I use only when having a gathering at my house. The X-Pro Ultra is so satisfying to use, produces a superior grind, and is so compact. My wife would definitely approve!

I was looking to add a manual grinder to my setup, mostly for travel purposes. I normally drink espresso at home but do pour over or French Press when traveling. After doing a lot of reading, the X Ultra fit exactly what I was looking for. The first one showed up, and the finish was really pretty awful. Directly from their FAQs: "Minor imperfections on the surface of the metal are to be expected during the aluminum anodizing process." I submitted for a replacement and received it quickly. It was better but still far from the quality I would expect on a product in this price range. The grind quality is on par with just about anything else. The adjustment dial is top notch as well as the magnetic catch cup. The carrying case is quite nice and includes the basic tools you need to keep it clean. They need to find a different finishing process though as it really takes away from the quality of the rest of the grinder.