Proctor Silex E160BY Fresh Grind Coffee Grinder Review: What You Need To Know

Proctor Silex prides itself with its “built to last” electric appliances. Their latest take on the electric coffee grinder is known as the E610BY.

For avid coffee drinkers and businesses, anything lower than the $200-mark naturally warrants a bit of skepticism. But Proctor Silex is known for its rigorous testing and overall good track record, and the E610BY is worth the try.

Let’s take a closer look at the Proctor Silex coffee grinder, shall we?

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Proctor Silex E160BY Fresh Grind: Details

Although endorsed as a precision grinder, the E160BY Fresh Grind doesn’t have what you would expect in terms of grinding settings as compared to more expensive machines.

However, given its very cheap price, it does a fair grinding job. Grinding using this unit depends on how long you press the button on the latch.

The finest ground you can get is by pressing it for 25 seconds. Anything less than that gives you coarser results.

It can get tricky to use if you’re not familiar or comfortable with electric grinding, but with its attributes and specs, we’re under the impression that this is meant for fast and effortless needs.

It can also be used for seeds, herbs, and spices. The multipurpose use is quite convenient compared to heavier counterparts, even when the grinding capacity is limited.

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Best Features of the Proctor Silex E160BY Fresh Grind Coffee Grinder

How is the Proctor Silex Coffee Grinder in terms of performance? Does it provide value or make you wish you hadn’t bought it? Here is an assessment of its consistency, precision, and overall quality.

• Compactness

This Proctor Silex coffee grinder is small and lightweight, which makes it portable and very easy to store away. It does not lack grinding muscle, however.

In fact, this grinder’s design is great for fast and easy coffee grinding jobs. If you’re a frequent traveler, you might want to check this out.

• Consistency and Versatility in Grind

Considering the compact nature of this Proctor Silex grinder, capacity isn’t that huge.  Precision grinding means doses on the smaller side, which could be a disadvantage if your setup requires lots of pour-overs.

The upside is that you can use it to practice perfecting small doses. In general, this grinder can either give you fine, medium, or coarse results, which is already quite versatile even when applied to coffee beans alone.

• Design Quality

An abundance of style, in some circumstances, can override a grinder’s performance or make way for design flaws.

Aesthetically timeless, the Proctor Silex E160BY Fresh Grind is great for anyone who wants to stick to simplicity.

We think that the see-through cover is a great plus if you enjoy watching coffee being ground. Who wouldn’t right? That sight and the aroma of fresh coffee being brewed is heaven!

The safety latch, meanwhile, is a wise measure against possible mess, as it prevents you from starting the grinding process until the lid is properly closed.

The device also has a retractable cord that does away with the cord-wrapping or tying chore, again making it perfect for easy storage.

• Durability

It’s natural to assume that anything simple, small, and easy to operate won’t last very long. That may be true in some cases, but this product begs to differ.

Users particularly commend how long they have used the EB160Y – months and years – without any incident or prompt for returns. For its retail price, the durability score on this one is quite high.

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Suitable Coffee Brewing Types for the Proctor Silex Coffee Grinder

Given this product’s precision grinding capabilities, you can explore or start with your standard three – espresso, drip, and French Press.

Espresso shots require a fine grind since espresso machines use pressure to force hot water through the coffee granules.

According to coffee grind charts, the medium and coarse grinds from this grinder can help you start with cold brews.

The coarsest will get you started with French Press and medium-coarse grind is advisable for percolators or drip coffee methods.

You can do more with the coarse grind setting, too. You can go for cupping instead of French Press. Alternatively, you can try vacuum pots and Siphon brewers for a medium-fine grind.

In short, lots of coffee possibilities are opened up by this little Proctor Silex product and we definitely love it for that!

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How to Make the Most Out of This Grinder

As you already know, this product is simple, so getting the best and making the most out of it shouldn’t be too hard to do.

First, don’t pre-grind all of your beans. Not only will this degrade the quality of your beans much faster, but it can also potentially overwork the grinder.

You don’t necessarily need to worry about this machine suddenly short-circuiting in the middle of grinding, but it’s always safe to keep heavy grinding to a minimum.

Don’t stick to just beans as well. There’s one effective way of testing a grinder’s precision, and it’s to test-grind it with other substances, such as herbs and nuts.

Lastly, always keep the E160BY Fresh Grind dry. A common mistake is exposing grinders to wetness. Bad idea.

If your kitchen is a busy place, chances are moisture could get to countertops or areas close to your grinder. It’s much safer to store away the grinder every after use.

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Potential Downsides

Like anything else electric, the E160BY Proctor Silex Coffee Grinder does have a few minor drawbacks. This part also includes disadvantages noted down by customer reviews.

Not built/designed for heavy operation

Acknowledging the grinder’s overall compact design gives us the obvious idea that it’s best for personal use. After all, cafes and other stores normally go for heavy-use grinders.

Popup coffee businesses, however, may consider this for its portability and fast performance. While standards differ among business owners, the majority may not choose it for its limited capacity.

Not enough grind features

Fine, medium, and coarse grind are the basic three settings you can get from this grinder. While it certainly does the job, it lacks the settings and attributes that more expensive ones have – burr grinders, for example.

The retractable cord has a potential design flaw

According to some users, an internal mechanism powers the cord to automatically retract. While this is generally convenient to have, the potential flaw is found in the mechanism’s tendency to strip the cord’s insulation at a certain spot two inches from the base.

Note, however, that this manifested after three years after use. To avoid this problem, users may have to check the cord regularly. 

An open seam in the body sucks in grounds

This seam only opens when you twist the top to let the cord retract. As the cord pulls in, it drags out particles and sometimes gets coated in them.

The solution may be to clean the grinder thoroughly, although it could still pose a problem to users who regularly produce fine grind.

There’s not much you can do for this downside, except hope Proctor Silex does something about this product. 

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How to Clean the Grinder

The EB160Y is, again, small and lightweight, making it extra easy to clean and maintain. You don’t need any fancy mechanical or tech knowledge to keep this one in shape.

Simply follow our guide below periodically – once every two months – and you should be able to make the most out of it.

1. Make sure the unit is unplugged when cleaning to avoid electrical accidents.
2. Take out a dry paper or cloth towel; don’t wet it. Wipe down the body and then do the same to the lid.
3. Wipe the lid clean in and out. Take out the container and carefully wipe everything off it.
4. Get a cloth and very lightly moisten it. This will help get rid of the remaining residue off the container.
5. If you’re using the grinder for other substances, make sure the blades and the container are thoroughly cleaned with the moist cloth. Doing this can help eliminate the smell of coffee for other fragrance-delicate substances.

During the cleaning process, make sure the grinder is situated on top of a dry surface. After cleaning, store it away.

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Main Competitors

Based on the cost and quality scale, these are the top rated alternative options that may also be worth considering:

• Baratza Encore
• LINKChef Electric Nut and Spice Grinder
• KRUPS F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder
• Mueller HyperGrind Precision Grinder
• Vremi Blade Coffee Grinder

You can check some other competitors in our round up review article here.

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