The best burr grinders under £100 in the UK, and what they can't do

Looking for the best burr grinder under £100 in the UK? Here’s the honest bit most guides skip: at this price, almost every grinder is really built for filter coffee, cafetières and pour-over. A few can manage espresso with the right machine, but none of them will match a £200-plus espresso grinder. Knowing which camp you’re in before you buy will save you money and frustration.

The best burr grinder under £100: the short answer

• For filter coffee and cafetières (electric): the Krups GVX231, at £62.99 and in stock at Currys on 28 Sep 2026. It has 17 grind settings and a 225g bean hopper.
• On the tightest budget (electric): the Melitta Molino, at £40.00 and in stock at Melitta UK on 28 Sep 2026, with 17 grind settings.
• For filter coffee by hand: the Timemore Chestnut C3 Pro, at £74.95 and in stock at Redber on 28 Sep 2026.
• For basic espresso on a budget: the Kingrinder K6, a hand grinder one specialist review rates as espresso-capable at a basic level. It was £92.00 at Sigma Coffee on 28 Sep 2026, but sold out.

Filter or espresso? What £100 can and can’t do

The biggest question isn’t which grinder, it’s what you’re making.

Filter coffee, cafetière and pour-over use a medium to coarse grind, and most decent budget burr grinders do this well. Espresso is much harder. It needs a very fine, very even grind, and small changes make a big difference to the shot.

It also depends on your espresso machine’s basket. Pressurised (or dual-wall) baskets are designed to be forgiving, so they cope with a less precise grind. Single-wall (unpressurised) baskets are what baristas use, and they need a fine, consistent grind to work properly.

UK guides don’t agree on how far £100 gets you. One, Coffee Gear 360, says budget grinders can manage pressurised baskets but that single-wall baskets need something nearer £150 to £200. Balance Journal gives the Kingrinder K6 a “yes (basic)” for espresso. My view, from those sources and the specs, is that under £100 you should buy for filter first and treat espresso as a bonus, unless you’re using pressurised baskets.

Best electric burr grinders under £100

Krups GVX231. An electric burr grinder with 17 grind settings and a 225g bean hopper. It was £62.99 and in stock at Currys on 28 Sep 2026 (Currys lists it as the GVX23140). It’s a straightforward choice if you want to tip in beans and press a button for filter or cafetière coffee.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants to pull proper espresso with a single-wall basket.

Melitta Molino. At £40.00 at Melitta UK (in stock, checked 28 Sep 2026), this is the cheapest option here, with 17 grind settings. View the Melitta Molino at Melitta UK

Who it isn’t for: anyone making espresso. It’s a budget electric grinder for filter and cafetière, and if you can stretch to the Krups (£62.99 at Currys, checked 28 Sep 2026), you get a bigger 225g hopper.

Wilfa Svart. An electric grinder that was £88.00 at Zealots Coffee on 28 Sep 2026, but out of stock, so check before you set your heart on it.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who needs a grinder this week, and espresso makers using single-wall baskets.

Best hand grinders under £100

Hand grinders are quiet, compact and often better value for grind quality than cheap electric ones. The trade-off is effort and time, which adds up if you’re making coffee for more than one person.

Timemore Chestnut C3 Pro. This is the Pro version of Timemore’s popular C3, with 38mm steel conical burrs, and it was £74.95 and in stock at Redber on 28 Sep 2026. I haven’t found an independent espresso verdict on the Pro, so I’d buy it for filter and pour-over.

Who it isn’t for: espresso drinkers, and anyone making several cups every morning.

Kingrinder K6. It has 48mm burrs, and Sigma Coffee describes its range as “pour-over to espresso”. Balance Journal rates it as espresso-capable at a basic level, which makes it the one to consider here if espresso matters to you. It was £92.00 at Sigma Coffee on 28 Sep 2026, but sold out, so you may have to wait or shop around.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who doesn’t want to hand-grind a fine espresso dose every morning, which is noticeably harder work than grinding for filter, and anyone who needs a grinder this week while it’s sold out.

Downsides at this price: noise, mess, retention and speed

Budget grinders cut corners somewhere, and it helps to know where.

• Noise: electric grinders are loud, especially early in the morning. Hand grinders are much quieter.
• Mess: ground coffee can cling and scatter with static, so expect some tidying.
• Retention: some ground coffee stays inside the grinder, so your first dose may include stale grounds from last time.
• Speed: hand grinding a fine dose takes real effort. Electric grinders are faster but less precise at the fine end.

What to skip: blade grinders

Blade grinders are cheaper, but they chop beans rather than grind them, which gives you a mix of dust and chunks. That uneven grind makes coffee taste muddier and less consistent. If your budget allows even the cheapest burr grinder here, it’s the better buy.

If you’d rather not buy a separate grinder at all, a machine with one built in may suit you better. See my guide to bean-to-cup machines under £500. And whichever grinder you choose, fresh whole beans make the biggest difference, so have a look at my pick of coffee subscriptions.

FAQ

Will a grinder under £100 work with a Sage Bambino? Possibly, depending on the basket you use. The Bambino comes with both dual-wall (pressurised) and single-wall baskets, according to Sage UK. With the dual-wall basket, a budget grinder that goes fine enough, such as the Kingrinder K6, may work. With the single-wall basket, you’ll probably need to spend more. My Sage Bambino vs Bambino Plus comparison covers the machines themselves.

What’s the difference between pressurised and single-wall baskets? A pressurised basket has a second wall with a tiny hole that builds pressure for you, so it forgives an uneven grind. A single-wall basket relies on your grind and tamp to create that pressure, so it needs a finer, more consistent grind.

Is an electric or hand grinder better under £100? For filter coffee and convenience, go electric. For quieter grinding and a better shot at espresso on a budget, a hand grinder usually gets you more for the money. And if you like milky drinks, a milk frother pairs nicely with either.