There are two types of home coffee grinders - blade grinders or burr grinders. With a blade grinder the blade chops up the beans until you stop the blade. However you get grounds of different sizes with a blade grinder and an inconsistent brew quality. If you're using a permanent filter you might get "dust" which ends up as sludge in your coffee. A paper filter can take care of this problem though.

A burr grinder crushes the coffee bean between a moving grinding wheel and a fixed surface. It's the distance between the grinding wheel and the surface that determines ground size, so it is much more consistent.

Burr grinders tend to be much more expensive than blade grinders.

One of the first things to think about when you buy a home coffee grinder is the number of grind settings. If you like to make espresso than you need a coffee grinder with a fine setting. If you like to make your coffee with a French Press then you need a coarse setting.

You should also think about how much coffee you need to grind and the capacity of the coffee grinder. If you're makeing a 12-cup pot of coffee every morning make sure that the coffee grinder you buy will make enough. If you only make one or two cups then almost any coffee grinder will do the job.

 Is the coffee grinder quiet or noisy? This is a very big problem if you get out of bed and want your coffee before everyone else is awake. Some coffee grinders sound like a jet plane taking off.

If you have to watch your coffee being ground, and decide when to stop grinding, is it easy to see what you're doing. If not, you could easily overgrind your coffee.

How easy is the coffee grinder to clean? Some models let you take out the grinding bowl and put it in the dishwasher or submerge it in hot soapy water. Some don't. Other than the time it takes to wash a coffee grinder, clean becomes an issue if you want it to double as a spice grinder. I guess if you can put it in the dishwasher you'll be okay. But I'm a fussy coffee drinker, and I don't want spice odor and taste in my lattes.

Quickly and quietly grind up to 3 ounces of coffee with the Fast Touch Krups Coffee Grinder. A 160-watt motor provides all the power you need to quickly grind your coffee in the morning. The oval design and strong stainless steel blades ensure uniform grinding. You can also grind spices, nuts, and grains.

This classic oval-shaped white coffee grinder compliments most kitchen decors and doesn't take up much counter space - measuring only 6 inches x 3-1/6 inches x 3-5/9 inches.

It's best used with paper coffee filters, because the blades create some dust that gets through permanent filters creating sludge in your coffee pot. And this coffee grinder makes great finely ground coffee. But if you're okay with paper filters, then you'll be okay with the Fast Touch Krups Coffee Grinder.

This Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder can grind between 4 to 12 cups. There are 3 grind settings: coarse, regular and fine. It's easy to fill and empty because of the flip-top lid. And it's easy to clean because the of the trade-marked Chamber Maid system which scrapes coffee from the grinding area. You can even put the grinding chamber in the dishwasher so it's easy to clean.

You can easily grind 2 ounces of coffee beans - enough for 12 cups of coffee in the Cuisinart Coffee Grinder. All you have to do, is decide how many coffee beans you want to grind, put them in the bowl, put the lid back on, and hold down the button until the you see the coffee grind you want. You might have to open the lid and peek in to see how ground up your beans are. This coffee grinder is made to last with durable stainless steel blades and bowl.

This attractive black coffee grinder, has a compact design allowing for the cord to be stored in the base of the unit for easy storage.

Do not immerse in water, just wipe in off with a damp cloth. So while you could use it to grind spices, I don't think it's a good idea, because you could get some lingering odors and tastes.

Easily grinds enough coffee beans for 4 to 12 cups of coffee at one time. There are 5 different settings. The grinding chamber is removable so it's easy to fill with beans, empty, and you can put it in the dishwasher to get it really clean. It also comes with a little brush to get all the ground coffee out of the basket.

Once you selected your desired grind, you can push the button and it does the rest. On others you have to hold the button down and estimate when it's at the right grind.

Grinds enough beans for up to 12 cups of coffee quickly and evenly. The power 150-watt moter and stainless steel blade work quickly so the Braun coffee grinder won't over heat your coffee beans. You can accurately judge the amount of beans to put in the coffee maker with the graduated measuring scale on the transparent lid.

You can quietly grind coffee coffee to 15 different grind settings with the KitchenAid Pro Line Burr Grinder. From coarse ground for your French Press to very fine for espresso. The 7-ounce capacity of the bean hopper and coffee bin reduce static cling because they are made of glass. The DC motor is designed to be very quiet. The cutting burrs turn at only 450 rpm to minimize the frictional heating of the coffee ground. This preserves the aroma and flavor. The bean hopper, hopper lid, and coffee bin are all dishwasher safe.

There are several different KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinders available. They are shown to the right.