With the exception of the OXO grinder recommended, there are no quality grinders on the market under $100 with a motor. There are plenty of Aliexpress style grinders available, but they are not machines we could recommend. The goal of our website is to promote excellent coffee; the grinder is a keystone of this tenant, and getting a good one, with milled and engineered burrs, will dramatically improve your home coffee and espresso. If you buy any of the typical sub $100 grinders on the market, you’re getting pressed burrs (very bad), blade grinders (worse), and a wildly varying grind distribution pattern.

Hi Keith, and thanks for the kind words and for reading!

This is tough: I’m leaning towards the Encore ESP as the choice for you, mainly because it seems like longevity in the grinder purchase is key for you, and Baratza’s excellent after sales service, and availability of parts are really fair rates down the road mean if you purchase an Encore ESP today, you can be reasonably assured it will remain working for well over a dozen or more years. The lack of a timer is an issue, but the output is fantastic. Also, you might want to consider the Smart Grinder Pro. It’s not going to be as good or fine tuned on output grind quality as the Encore ESP, but it offers a lot more options on timers, ability, and range for your use scenarios.

This is my long about way to say thank you for the information sharing and experience! Based on what is here, my choice is narrowing down to the Opus or the Encore ESP. Of the two, and based on our main use of auto drip in the morning, press pot for the fancy, which would you recommend?