The famous hario!!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001802PIQ/r...X110_SY165_QL70

Do you time your shots or weigh them? This is because grinding your beans fresh, with specific settings for the beans you're using will definitely affect the taste of your espresso. Then you have to check for channeling, tamping techniques etc.. but the most important component is the grinder. If you're pulling ristrettos or lungos.. you will notice that you can't skimp on a grinder. This is because grind consistency is very important.. it's a little notch from being too sour, or too bitter. In the end, it's really down to your taste buds 

If you like what you're having, then why not? But if you have a Krups GVX2, and considering the Akira grinder, I would suggest you to keep your existing one. They will work in the same way, and I believe the Krups has 17 steps? If yes, it's better than the Akira, which only has 9.

Anyway, you can read some of the following pages regarding the importance of a grinder and how it affects your espresso:
http://coffeegeek.com/guides/howtobuyanesp...ine/getagrinder
http://texascoffeeschool.com/blog/coffee-c...-brewing-setup/

i plan to get another new grinder for my home use, i will keep krups in office
i read alot article about the importance of grinder.
i do plan to get a better grinder
too bad malaysia grinder prince is sky high, barazta encore is selling 699 here @ pulp , its selling 129usd @ amazon now
anyone know where to buy barazta grinder @ lower price?
my budget for new grinder is around 500
thanks

barazta encore isn't that good of a grinder for espresso using unpressurized portafilters.
according to reviews it great for pressurized portafilters.

buying on amazon means u have to get a power transformer 3X the wattage of the grinder.
do factor in the cost. or hunt for used

i saw taobao is selling encore for 800rmb which is around rm450
its 220v unit , i think still able to save 200bucks compare to buying locally
just pray the grinder is fine and working well for the rest of its life
i wish i could fork out extra cash for grinder , but 500 is the max im able to fork out for a grinder

Shipping from taobao include?
Warranty?? Usually big crack down of parallel importer in the region unless u know how to fix it yourself. Parts they don't sell to u have to source overseas...

200 rm isn't big savings to me
My pal get me buy irobot ship to China savings is a few thousand RMB. Then again local dealer refuse to sell parts or filter.

Yeah, those are pressurized baskets.. for the PF, is the diameter 49mm? I think you can just replace the baskets with non-pressurized ones. As for the steam wand, has it got a removable nozzle? I think it's one of those that you just steam the milk without having to let air in.. if not, try to let air in slowly till you get a muffled noise instead of a high pitched one while steaming the milk.

Can't find any measurement for the diameter in my instruction book but I use ruler to measure i think is 60mm. Yea I can remove the black thing is that the nozzle you mentioned? But after I remove the black thing and steam the steam sound very high pitch and it won't go down LOL

Try to measure the inside wall.. Wall to wall.. I think should be 58mm then. If it is, then you have more choices of filter baskets because 58mm is the standard size. As for the steam wand, the removable part is actually a nozzle which aids you with letting air into the milk. This part is useless if you want to learn how to properly steam and texture milk for latte art.

I've looked up a video which might help you understand how to steam milk after removing the nozzle. It's a delonghi, but they should work the same way with the same technique applied.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhEBKf7tqZE

Wow thanks dude that video is very useful. btw that's the high pitch sound I get all along the steaming process until I cant stand and turn it off and use battery milk frother where the video only have it  when starting LOL. I tried to measure wall to wall from above of the basket it's around 53mm. I not sure accurate or not 

You will get that high pitch sound unless you lower your pitcher down slightly whereby there's just a small tiny gap between the tip of your steam wand and the milk surface. This is to let the air sip into the milk.. After the milk expands about 1cm or 1.5cm, raise your pitcher to continue swirling the milk up to temperature. This is the texturing process.. It will help blend the air and milk together while creating microfoam and you won't get the high pitched noise..

of course included shipping
there must be some risk if you import the stuff
im fine with it , its almost 50% of saving , worth the risk

Yeah, those are pressurized baskets.. for the PF, is the diameter 49mm? I think you can just replace the baskets with non-pressurized ones. As for the steam wand, has it got a removable nozzle? I think it's one of those that you just steam the milk without having to let air in.. if not, try to let air in slowly till you get a muffled noise instead of a high pitched one while steaming the milk.