DISCONTINUED Lelit PL53 Doserless Stepless Espresso Grinder
Please visit one of the links below for more comparable products.
Check out the new PL044MM model.
This model has been replaced by the new Fred grinders PL044MM-120 and PL043MMI.
Lelit PL53 Fred Doserless Stepless Espresso Grinder
Do you want the best value in an espresso coffee grinder? This grinder produces a good consistent grind quality that no almost no other espresso coffee grinder can in this price range. The Lelit PL53 is the only all stainless steel, polished body, doserless, conical burr espresso grinder with stepless adjustment for under $300.00. Can we say more? This grinder is mainly for grinding espresso only. Although it ‘can’ be used for other coffee brewing methods, the turning of the knob on the stepless adjustment can be cumbersome to rotate many times for different brew methods. When we say many times, we mean hundreds of rotations. This is why we recommend to use the grinder for one brew method only – espresso.
Features:
- The powerful 150-watt motor activates through the use of a microswitch that you can press your portafilter right up against and get freshly ground coffee directly into your portafilter.
- The stepless adjustment allow you to fine tune your grind for the perfect espresso grind. This is different than stepped adjustment where one can use only setting #8 or #9, but no in-between!
- Conical burrs with the larger burr outside diameter size measured at 38mm.
- Burrs made of hardened steel.
- Approximate tinted plastic bean hopper capacity: 150 grams (5.29 ounces).
- Bean hopper which is easily removable for hand cleaning (not dishwasher safe).
- Standard 110 volt outlet comes out from back of unit.
- Compact size makes it even a great grinder for traveling!
- Doserless chute on front is removable for cleaning.
- The bean hopper now has numbers written which you can use a “guide” to see your current setting. Please note there is no indication on the grinder itself to line up with the numbers.
- Removable stainless steel catch tray allows easier cleaning versus a fixed tray.
- Accessories included: removable stainless steel catch tray and instructional sheet.
- “Weird Al Yankovic has been satisfied with the performance of the Lelit PL53 grinder!”
- Warning: Be careful to not allow the burrs to touch and lock up the grinding burrs. This will not be covered under warranty if you lock up the burrs.
- Warning: If there are coffee beans in the hopper, the grinder should be turned on and running when changing settings more than 1 knob rotation. The reason is that the grinds can stick to the burrs – especially when turning the knob finer.
- Brewing methods: This grinder is designed for espresso grinding ONLY. It will not grind beans for American (aka brown) coffee. Try on of our Baratza grinders if you are looking for a home grinder for both espresso and regular coffee.
- Doserless chute: It can be a challenge to place the chute back on after removal. The chute needs to be held extremely firm against the body, and sometimes the screw needs to be positioned at a slight angle when inserted and tightened.
- Upon first use: Every grinder gets tested by Lelit. Every grinder will arrive with coffee grinds. This grinder also comes factory set 4 full rotations finer than necessary. We recommend turning the knob 4-6 full rotations coarser before using it for the first time.
- PL043 model: There is another Lelit grinder named PL043 which is brought into the United States by another importer. Please note this grinder is not the same as our PL53 which has a stepless adjustment feature to fine tune the espresso grind fineness settings and has metal guides for the portafilter.
- 220 volt version: Sorry, we only carry the 110 volt version.
- Environment: This grinder is intended for household use only. Commercial use will deem this product as non-returnable and will void the warranty.
- Grinding adjustment: This grinder uses a stepless worm-gear adjustment. This gives you grind adjustment to the nth degree, but also means switching from espresso grind to drip grind is quite a chore. Commonly, this adjustment requires 50+ turns of the knob. For most users this is an unacceptable ammount of dialing for a quick swap. We recommend using this grinder dedicated to one brew type. This means set it for a certain type of grind and leave it. You will still have to adjust (usually 1 to 5 turns) to compensate for bean type, oils, humidity, etc. If you require a grinder that is easily swappable from drip to espresso or any other type of grind, consider one of our Baratza grinders.
- Bean hopper: The only recurring complaint we’ve received about the pre-2011 PL53 grinder is the bean hopper. Removing and replacing the hopper requires a gentle touch on pre-2011 models. Several customers have experienced the neck of the hopper cracking. We offer an upgraded hopper for the Lelit for this reason. Some folks may still want to order this smaller bean hopper as the optional one is smaller. To order this stronger upgraded hopper, please purchase SKU: MI110. Please note however, while less prone to cracking- this hopper is not tinted and sunlight may affect your beans faster.
- Electrical cord: The electrical cord is placed between the packaging (foam or cardboard) and the underside body of the grinder. During shipping, it is normal for a bend or insignificant blemish/slice to damage the cord.
| Brand | Lelit |
|---|---|
| Height (inches) | 12.5, approximate |
| Width (inches) | 5, approximate |
| Depth (inches) | 8.5, approximate |
| Weight (pounds) | 6 |
| Wattage (watts) | 150 |
| Voltage (volts) | 110 – 120 |
| Burr size (mm), Type | 38, conical |
| Grinding speed (RPM) | 570 |
| Country of manufacture | Italy |
4 reviews for DISCONTINUED Lelit PL53 Doserless Stepless Espresso Grinder
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Dawn L –
First, the negative: I guess the designer spent so much time on “”function”” that there was no room left for “”form?”” I little color consistency would have been nice, e.g. black screw and smoke gray hopper or clear pyrex. The hopper doesn’t fit “”perfectly”” so if you’re a zombie like me in the morning, do yourself a favor and just respect the fact that the hopper isn’t supper glued in there so you don’t end up knocking it off the grinder and having to pick up all your beans off the counter and floor. So with that out of the way…
This grinder is truly incredible. It clogged up my espresso machine with it’s capability to grind coffee so fine as to make it unusable. So I dialed it back little by little and now I have the perfect setup. The grind is fluffy and fine like powder and combined with a decent quality espresso machine, you’ll have a fantastic start to your morning. I was very lucky and asked some sales people at whole latte love and here for advice with my espresso machine and grinder, and I was so fortunate to get advice from people who really know their stuff! I wanted top of the line, but I don’t have money to burn. Well this Lelit is proof that you don’t have to spend the equivalent of a mortgage payment to get a top of the line grinder. Really, just buy it. Unless you just have to get a Mazzer so all the plastic on the grinder matches, you’re nuts if you think you’re getting more by spending more. There is no way these other MUCH more expensive grinders are better, unless they do something else I’m unaware of like wash your car and mow the lawn. Seriously, someone is going to have to prove me wrong because I absolutely love this grinder! Like others I have a separate and less expensive grinder for making french pressed coffee. The Lelit is definitely the perfect espresso grinder for the home (or even a small cafe).
April (verified owner) –
Great grinder for the cost. Tinted hopper that fits snuggly to the grinder, and a beautifully consistent grind. I’ve read reviews where people complained about the pitch while it grinds – I don’t have a problem with it, but maybe I was used to really cheap grinders so this is a step up for me. It gets done what I need at a good speed and quality. It’s not a multi-use grinder, but it’s a good workhorse for one use. I would highly recommend this if you are buying a grinder on a tight budget. My friend has an earlier version of this model and has used it for years; I forsee getting years out of this grinder too.
tjgilbertsonstudio –
I bought this grinder in 2010 with my Rancilio Silvia. The “Fred” grinder has been perfect for me. I only use it for my espresso grind. Once its dialed in you may need to do minor adjustments for a change in beans…. to decaf, etc. I paid less than a friend and fellow coffee weenie paid for his Rancilio, and I think this is far superior if you are willing to put in the time to get it calibrated for your machine. Now for the negative and the reason for only 4 stars….. sharp edges on the body and especially on the ‘chute’ are dangerous! No need to say more about that then to be sure and have bandages handy. My biggest complaint is the removable chute. I have had nothing but trouble with it plugging up while grinding. It doesn’t fit especially well and seems to block the pathway for the finely ground beans, resulting in blockages inside the machine. I finally took it off and now I grind into a old lidded can so the coffee doesn’t go all over the place. Other than that I believe this is a machine that does what it needs to do, and no more. That’s enough for me because of the low price. (I paid about $100 less when I bought it.) Oh, and this is its 9th year of daily usage….. not bad.
victor.silverman –
I bought a Lelit PL53 from about 10 years ago. It has been an excellent grinder. The grind is consistent and fairly quick to come out. In fact, it has outlasted two espresso machines. It is a bit noisy-especially if the burrs are getting worn–but I put it on a folded dish towel and that helps somewhat. Maintenance is fairly simple–unscrew and remove the little spout (it is a little tricky to get it back on sometimes) clean out the shute with a brush or compressed air. The burrs last a long time. Three or four shots a day for ten years, let’s see, 10-15k shots ground for $269. that comes to about 2-3 cents per shot. Not bad at all.