I've finally decided that it was a great buy.

About two months ago I got fed up with having to deal with the stepless design of my old grinder. It was just really difficult to use, and I finally just had it. I had spent hundreds of hours reading reviews, going to stores to look at grinders, and asking others their likes and dislikes about particular models. Just as I was about to pull out my old Braun KMM-30, I found a good deal on this Infinity.

Capresso makes two different types of the same grinder. One is made with a plastic housing, and this model is made with a heavy duty metal housing. The differences are only in the material that houses the motor and burrs. I had wanted to avoid the plastic version due to all I had heard concerning the static. If I wanted static, I could just stick with my Braun. But, the folks I talked to who had this, the metal version, had far fewer complaints about static. So when I spotted one of these for under a hundred bucks, I snatched it up.

What I really like about this grinder is the way in which the level of grind finesse is adjusted. The bean hopper acts as the adjustment, just as on other grinders. But, the Infinity has four clearly lineated sets of marks that are broken down as follows; coarse, medium, fine, and extra fine. Within each of these are four settings, making for a total of 16 grind settings. The adjustment can be made quickly and easily by simply turning the bean hopper. To remove the hopper, you simply turn it to the right until the setting mark on the base of the hopper lines up with the mark on the far right of the machine, and the hopper lifts off.

I have seen criticisms of this machine that are really just nitpicky and dumb. Contrary to some people's observations, the Infinity's bean hopper is big enough. It won't get you through the week without a refill, but if you run out of beans in the hopper, pour more in. You don't want 1/2 pound to a pound of beans setting in a clear plastic container for a few days where light can deteriorate the flavor of the coffee anyway. Also, I have seen where some people claim that you cannot shut off the grinder part way through the grinding if you set the timer to grind too long. Nonsense; you simply turn the hopper all the way to the right, and the grinder shuts off. Just don't turn it back to the left, or it will turn back on if the timer is still going. Also, you can pulse the grinder by simply "bumping" the timer knob a little.

The hardened steel conical burrs in this grinder do a good job on the beans. The grind quality if fairly consistent, but can be less so if excessively oily beans are used. Grounds tend to accumulate inside the grinding chamber, and if the coffee is really oily, the accumulation can be enough such that the grounds will essentially get re-ground. But even so, the grind quality will not be so bad that you would notice for anything but a high end espresso machine. This brings up another unwarranted criticism of the Infinity; that it doesn't really grind fine enough for espresso. I'm no espresso expert, but this grinder will do the job for anything with a pressurized porta filter, and probably for most consumer espresso machines in general. But, if you are investing in really high end espresso equipment, you probably aren't looking to buy a $140 grinder anyway.

I grind for stovetop moka pot, a Chemex, percolator, and the ocassional presspot. The consistency of the grind is not quite as good as my old Ascaso, but the ease of use far outweighs this very small drop in grind consistency. The finer the grind setting on this grinder, the greater the tendency for the grinds to clump up inside the grinder. I don't think that this it is fair to criticize this grinder for that, as this is also common for concial burr grinders costing twice as much.

Static with this version is minimal to nonexistent. I live in the midwest, and so don't expect dry air to be much a factor most of the year. However, in the dead of winter with the furnace going, the air is bone dry. I have only had static issues when using dark roasted beans, which will tend to cause more static build up in any grinder. But even so, this rare ocurrance of static build up did not pose a significant problem; I didn't have grounds jumping out of the container onto the wall like with cheaper burr grinders.

Cleaning the Infinity is relatively quick and easy. I say "relatively" because there is bound to be someone out there who won't clean it for 6 months, and then when they do, it will be a little difficult. To clean, just turn the bean hopper all the way to the right (and make sure it's unplugged), and lift it off. You are then looking down at the upper burr; just lift it out. I like to use a vacuum cleaner to simply vacuum out the grinding chamber; it is much faster and easier than using a little brush. Reassemble the grinder in the opposite order that you took it apart. This can be done in literally under a minute. My only complaint is that the design of the bean hopper does not lend itself well to cleaning. It is entirely one piece (except the lid), and you cannot get into every part of it. It must be hand washed in warm soapy water, and then left to drip dry.

I feel that I have a good base of comparison with this grinder. I have used a Braun, Krups, Cuisinart, all low end burr grinders. I have also tested the Breville concical burr grinder, as well as the Starbuck's Barista (which is a rebranded Saeco Titan) and the Ascaso i-3 mini.
The Infinity offers the best balance of quality, ease of use, and price. It is a user friendly grinder that will meet the most demanding needs of the average coffee consumer.