I finally picked a hand grinder over a $200 electric one and I'm not going back
I'd been using a cheap blade grinder for about 2 years and could never get a cup that tasted the same twice. So I saved up and stood in the kitchen staring at two options: a $200 electric burr grinder or a $65 hand grinder from a shop in Portland. I went with the hand grinder because I only make 2 cups each morning and didn't want another thing on the counter. The first week my forearm was sore and I almost returned it, but by day 10 I could grind 30 grams in about 45 seconds. Now my pour overs taste way more even and I can actually tell the difference between the beans I buy. Anyone else switch to manual and stick with it, or did you go back to electric after a while?
Kept mine for 3 years now and the sore arm thing is so real, nobody warns you about that first week. One tip that helped me a lot was holding the grinder at more of an angle instead of straight up and down, takes some of the load off your wrist. Also do the math on how much coffee you actually drink, because if you ever start making 4 or 5 cups a day for guests or whatever, hand grinding gets old fast. For 2 cups though you're totally fine, that's the sweet spot for manual.