Baratza Encore 485 Conical Burr Coffee Grinder & Brushtech Coffee Grinder Dusting Brush (Bundle)

Responding to previous review: the brush is made in the USA. The grinder is "designed and engineered" in the USA. Doesn't say where it is made.

NOT MADE IN UNITED STATESCalled Baratza. ALL their grinders are manufactured in Taiwan. Designed in US or Lichtenstein but put together in Taiwan.Imagine my surprise when I received the machine and the first thing I see is made in Taiwan.Returning item.

Not exactly sure why people are harping on this device not being manufactured in the US in the reviews, especially considering it never states such.Now onto the reason people would typically read a review - How does the grinder work?I ended up reading hundreds of reviews and watching countless YouTube reviews about entry level coffee grinders prior to purchasing this unit, and the majority all seemed to recommend the Baratza Encore Burr Grinder. After having the grinder now for about 6 months or so, I've found a lot of things I like with this unit, and one in particular I could live without. I think it's easiest to break out exactly what I was looking for in a grinder, as well as the pros/cons to paint a picture of the self-professed coffee snob I claim to be, so here goes.My Needs: A consistent & reliable burr grinder that needs minimal maintenance to produce a quality grind for every day non-commercial use. Also needed something faster/more efficient than the Peugeot Hand Grinder I'd utilized for the last decade, although it was a solid workout to start each morning.Primary Brewing Method/Brewer(s):-Technivorm Moccamaster KBGT 10-Cup Coffee Brewer with Thermal Carafe-Chemex Classic 8-Cup Coffee Maker-Saeco Via Venezia Espresso MachineThe Good:-Quality build, albeit primarily plastic components. Interested to see how these plastic components hold up over time. So far, they're doing well with everyday use throughout the 6 months I've owned the grinder.-Once calibrated, consistent and high-quality Medium/Medium-Fine grind. Fine grind left some to be desired, however, this was again expected with an entry level grinder. Still have been able to pull decent shots with Fine settings.-Noise - I don't feel it's any louder than the blade grinder your Mom used when you were growing up. Not sure if that's good, but lets put it this way, it could be a heck of a lot worse.-Not sure how much weight this should carry to prospective buyers considering I was using a hand grinder for a decade, but the speed at which it grinds seems to be quite rapid.-Very easy to operate - On/Off button on the right hand side of machine, and manual on/off setting on front of grinder. Turning the hopper adjusts grind size. Doesn't get much easier than that.The Bad:-Very Messy. I was aware of this one prior to purchasing, but I honestly didn't expect the need to wipe down my counters each morning after using the grinder. The grinds get EVERYWHERE. The ground bin being made out of plastic certainly doesn't help, as the grounds stick to the bin during and after each use. In addition, the grinds fall behind the ground bin during operation, meaning they pour out onto your counter when you remove the bin. The grinds also get caught in the burrs and will periodically dump out onto your counter and the ledge that holds the ground bin(I usually give the sides of the machine a firm whack to prevent this prior to pulling ground bin to dump grinds in filter/portofilter, and it seems to correct this issue. Would definitely be nice not to have to smack the plastic machine to prevent this.).-Brush that accompanies grinder is referred to in description as "Marvelous". That brush is so far from anything I've ever known as marvelous, and simply a way for this distributor to pull an additional $10 out of your pocket. Purchase the cheaper grinder option and buy a $3 paint brush at your local arts & crafts store, because that brush is hot garbage.