Cheap grinder started overheating after 2 months of daily use

I picked up a $30 blade grinder from Target back in September and it started smelling like burnt plastic halfway through my morning beans yesterday, so I rigged up a little cardboard funnel and started pulsing in 5 second bursts instead of running it straight through, and it actually gave me a more consistent grind for my Aeropress - anyone else found a workaround for cheap grinders dying on them?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_bell2d ago

Pulse method is the way to go with those cheap blade grinders. I had a similar one that started smoking after like a month and a half of using it straight through every morning. What really helped me was taking the lid off and shaking the whole thing side to side while pulsing. That got the beans moving around more and kept the motor from bogging down. Also started letting it cool down for a full minute between batches when I'm making enough for my french press. Still ended up replacing it after about 6 months but at least it didn't die on me in the middle of a morning rush.

cora4002d ago

My buddy had the same issue with his budget grinder and he started putting a spoonful of rice through it every few weeks to clean out the coffee oils... said it kept the motor from working too hard and stopped that burning smell from coming back. Those cheap blade grinders really just need a lot of breaks in between use to keep from frying the motor, plus the beans get less heated up that way which is better for flavor anyway. I've been doing the pulse method for a few weeks now and it's way better than trying to run it straight like a normal grinder, almost like you have to trick the thing into working right.