Porlex Mini II grinder review
The Japan-made Porlex has been quite the cult figure for portable, travel-friendly coffee grinders. Small enough to slip into the hollow of an AeroPress, and light enough to pack in a daily briefcase, many grinders have tried to emulate its fame, but few have succeeded.
But alas, with newer offerings like the Timemore C2 and 1Zpresso Q2, formidable grind quality, compactness, and fit and finish can now be had at a comparable price point.
Shortcomings made plain, the updated Porlex Mini II came on the scene. Despite a similar design and footprint, it packs a few, thoughtful improvements. We review the Porlex Mini II to see how it stacks up against the competition.
Buy the Porlex Mini II Grinder (affiliate links support Pouroverproject at no additional cost)
Build
Again, little has changed from the original in terms of build and footprint. At around 250g (8.8oz), and just under 14cm tall, and less than 5cm in diameter, both the Porlex Mini II and the original are rather similar in form.
The cylindrical body of both grinders are constructed solidly from brushed stainless steel, and the crank arm from die cast stainless steel.
Despite the similarities, there we have the first deviation in design. Where the original had a pentagonal nut, the Mini II has a flat slot. This is likely in response to complaints about wear and tear.
The low manufacturing tolerances for the original Porlex meant that the pentagonal nut had suffered from wear issues that rendered it useless. The wing nut does, in theory, solve this, but I did find the material a tad bit soft, wearing a slight but detectable notch after my second 12g grind.
Apart from just changing the shape of the connector, Porlex had also slightly spiralled the flat wing nut. While applying clockwise torque, the anticlockwise spiral prevents the crank from dislodging unceremoniously.
Grind
Porlex proudly announces a new burr set on its product page for the grinder, and it seems to be true. Despite its accessible price point and compact size, the original Porlex Mini was plagued by poor grind consistency and grind times.
In response, netizens shared MacGyvered solutions to stabilise the burrs with rubber bands and business cards. Using the Mini II, the burrs noticeably chew through beans more quickly and steadily – the company claims 1.3x the grounds with the same number of cranks.
The outer burr, which used to jiggle wildly on the original, causing a wide grind variation and fines that clogged filter papers, has now been stabilised with the three notches (shown below). The bean hopper still maxes out at 20g, though, so the Mini II remains strictly in single-serve territory.
Conclusion: should you get the Porlex Mini II?
With local options that can be found under SGD 100, the Porlex Mini II is deceptively similar to the original – possibly why most reviews have not been updated to reflect these small but significant changes.
If your original Mini has given up the ghost with a worn nut or crank handle, the Mini II will feel familiar in all the right ways yet enhanced where it matters.
Thank for your review. I actually did convince my brother to buy a Porlex Mini II as I do think it is the best entry-level hand grinder for the price point. However, my own concerns have been that any entry level hand grinders do tend to have at least some burr wobble
Hi, I’m looking at getting the porlex mini because of James Hoffman’s reviews of cheaper handgrinders. You mentioned the timemore and aergrind, would you recommend those over the porlex?