Err i would not recommend blade grinders!! u got a good bargain on the machine its good to get a good grinder! be it hand grinder if you are on budget or electronic!! Just make sure its burr grinder as oppose to blade!

Thats the thing about espresso. It's not forgiving when it comes to grind fineness and consistency so you don't get to choose the "cheap" option
Of course there's the pressurized portafilter machines which let's you get away with it but then the quality of the shot typically suffers

sure they would ask you to get commercial grade grinders like super jolly or least min baratza vario. Don go for home grinder or entry level grinders (mean forget about local known brand like breville, de longhi, krups)

A good grinder will not be overkill at all coz it last (some say 10 years?) !! but I'm more of a fan of conical burrs!! u can use you hand grinder to test out the shots and see if you like them before rushing to an electronic grinder!! I'm waiting for the baratza sette to arrive because it looks promising and i can retire my hand grinder for pour overs! MyEspresso said they will bring it in and should be expecting in sept!! not sure of pricing tho!!

hand grinder can get very tiring very fast 
In espresso preparation, there's constant need to change grind settings. Each time you get a new bag of coffee, there's dose and grind settings to tweak to figure out the shot parameters. This can take anywhere from 3-5 consecutive shots to figure out. If you use the same grinder to switch around filter/espresso, that setting will move every time too. So, watch out on how committed are you to hand grind through all that

My usual advice to home barista - save enough to get you close to a commercial level grinder. Before that, just enjoy your coffee with a hand grinder + aeropress/v60/french press

Take a look at the Breville Smart Grinder? BCG820

By the way, I'm looking to let go an old grinder. Motor is fine but lots of replacement/repairs needed. It's a 64mm flat burr though. Anybody up for the challenge can just drop by and pick it up from me - FREE
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=ST&f...0#entry73575667

I started out with a Hario, got tired very quickly but it's reliable

There is the Breville Smart Grinder BCG800 and the Breville Smart Grinder Pro BCG820. You want the pro version, currently going for ~RM1.5k, much cheaper if you're ever in Australia Not sure where you can get a commercial grinder for a few hundred more, can you clue us in?

Actually, for those who are considering Breville, I notice noone mentions the BCG600 Dose Control Pro. It sells at RM986 at Harvey Normans. Pretty good reviews all around; of course in terms of longevity would probably not compare well with the commercials but at literally half the price or less.

Now with the current 2 year warranty, I would say a very decent deal.

Good deal on those grinders on taobao.

Taiwan uses 110v/60hz if I recall so you need a step down transformer to get the grinders to work on Malaysia's 230v/50hz power supply. I assume there's going to no effect on performance, just wondering if anyone's done this before?