Hario Skeleton (Skerton) Coffee Mill

I have never counted the turns but I have learned to judge the amount I need in the jar. I got really tired of the mess that my fancy expensive grinder makes and like the physical process better. I don't miss the noise either. All around good experience for me each morning for about a year or so now.

(Posted on 2/7/13)

I use this grinder for Turkish coffee, and it works very well for that. The burrs are excellent, but only attached at the top, so for coarse grinds the inner burr will wobble and give inconsistent results. At finer settings this wobble is reduced and results are very consistent.
The plastic construction isn't going to last as long as metal, but has held up very well so far. I've been very impressed with this little gem.

(Posted on 12/20/12)

I use this every morning for my one perfect cup of drip coffee. Like one of the other reviewers, I count the turns, around 75. It's good exercise for arms and abs. I wouldn't want to use it for more than one cup, and I'm thinking of graduating to an electric burr grinder. I was surprised to find the rubber base was glued on, meaning I couldn't really wash the whole glass container. I decided to remove the rubber base, destroying it in the process. But on my wooden cutting board it works just fine, no rubber needed.

(Posted on 9/27/12)

Finally I have a grinder that can give me control over the grind. If you don't have the funds for a $300 + grinder, this is a must have. The grinding is not that hard. The advantages of this grinder are: less noisy compared to an electric one, the coffee beans won't be heated by the grinder, and low cost.

(Posted on 9/4/12)

I wanted to buy 'this' grinder and couldn't get it at Coffee Gear during the holiday due to inventory being sold out... but I would have. the video demonstration sold me on this unit. If you are shopping for this grinder... buy it from Coffee Gear, its a great burr grinder and the coffee is better when freshly ground with a burr grinder. I have always purchased store ground and sometimes used the cheap blade grinders and was skeptical that a burr grinder would matter.. but the first cup of joe I went.. uh really is this possible. My experience is that the burr grinders are better. The question you have to ask yourself.. are you ready to hand grind your coffee? What I discovered is that to get my double shot expresso, and make 2 drinks (one for me and ome for my girlfriend) takes 280 turns... start counting 1,2,3,4,... ? for [$] you might want to push a button. I don't mind so much but sometime when you are running late for work.. 140 turns takes a minute or so.. just saying. Your hands feel the love holding on to the jar and making the motions, I switch to left hand and really mess things up for fun. Some people may struggle with the physical aspect. Suppose if you are grinding for drip the turns are cut in half maybe??? this unit doesn't suffer the coffee dust mess problem that other suffer. you have to set the grind head down so as to not tip out left over beans, but the jar container functions flawlessly.. no dusty problems. I love it and highly recommend it given the side notes provided considered.

Pros:
Easy To Use, Easy To Clean, Grind quality is great

Cons:
Can't be in a hurry, Requires physical work

(Posted on 2/4/12)

I use this grinder a few times each day -- it is quiet and produces a very even grind in a short time, less time than it takes for me to heat the water for my AeroPress brewer.

Pros:
Great Taste, Easy To Use, Quiet

Cons:

(Posted on 11/20/11)

This grinder produces a good quality grind but it takes forever to grind enough coffee to fill a small 2-cup bialetti. Seriously! I'm not up for such a work out first thing every morning.

Pros:
Great Taste, Consistent fine grind

Cons:
Too much work

(Posted on 11/17/11)

I wanted an extra grinder to take to work with me and figured I would give the Hario 'Skerton' a try. At home I had gotten used to the Le'Lit PL53 and was pleasantly surprised at how well the Hario performed. Little to no clumping when grinding for espresso and espresso came out tasting great with plenty of crema (used fresh beans). This is a stepped design since you are required to lock it in at various intervals but it seems to be sufficient for even the dialing in of various espresso blends.

I think this would also work for other forms of coffee making as well since there is no limit to the grind setting. You can make the burrs touch and lock up or have a large gap between then so any coffee should work great.

To grind enough coffee for a double shot of espresso (~19 gm) it took between 30s and 1 min of grinding which was not difficult at all.

Next step: Trying to hook this up to my power drill to see how that works out.

Pros:
Easy To Use, Well made, Inexpensive, Easy To Clean, Glass container, Small, Good burrs

Cons:
Hand operated

(Posted on 11/7/11)

This Hario Skerton was everything that I had been looking for in a coffee grinder. I have a decent machine but the grinder I had died and frankly I didn't have the money to afford a new one that would grind a great grind for pouring shots. The grind is very consistent, and when precisely dialed-in, pours a great shot with solid crema. It has become my new morning ritual; grinding a noisy grinder, waking up my better half in the process, and continuing on with my espresso endeavors.

Great buy. I would recommend this to any recessionista.

Pros:
Easy To Use, Easy To Clean

Cons:
Messy

(Posted on 5/19/10)