Breville BarVista Coffee and Spice Grinder BCG300

Unacceptable Quality – Deafeningly noisy. The unit had to be covered with a hand towel to damper the clamour. The lid mechanism broke after a few months meaning it had to be forcefully held into place by hand for the grinder to operate.

Unreliable from the start – This grinder has a ‘safety feature’ that the lid must be correctly closed for it to work. This has been fiddly and dodgy since day 1 and now the grinder doesn’t start at all. We have used other grinders when it’s been temperamental, but I have managed to get it working again in the past just by unplugging it and plugging it in again and by undoing… Read more

and reseating the lid multiple times. Alas now it remains completely inert. There is also an odd cord retraction mechanism on the bottom - maybe that’s also a culprit, I don’t know. Overall, I feel like they added badly engineered extras to this device that were bound to fail.

I doubt I could find the receipt at this point (chances are it was printed on thermal paper anyway so would be blank) and would fully expect Breville to make the process as unpleasant as possible. The price of postage would probably be equivalent to a cheap replacement (e.g. a very similar grinder is in K-Mart for $19).

As a grinder, this device did its job (when it worked). The settings for number of cups and coarseness don’t correspond to exactly what you want, but with experimentation you can find the right ones.

It is inexplicable though how this product can be so unreliable compared my friend’s simple Krups grinder from the 1970s which is still going strong. More or less set and forget Didn’t always want to start - now doesn’t at all

Great nut and seed grinder – After 2 cheap kmart grinders broke within 3 months of each other, I decided to buy a more expensive but quality product. I use the BarVista grinder almost everyday for 3 months to grind various nuts and seeds for breakfast, and it has been a pleasure to use. The quickest setting is adequate to grind flax, chia, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin seeds.… Read more ·  1

Almonds maybe just a bit longer will do it. The grinder isn't too loud and is well within my tolerance levels - bought another grinder before that was promptly returned as it sounded like a jet engine and gave me a headache.

It's easy to clean as you can take the cup out and wash separately. A little brush is provided, which I use to clean the bits of material that drop into where the cup is placed. The electrical cord is short, but you can wind it up inside the grinder for neat cord storage when not using. Detachable cup, easy to clean, 6 preset time settings (quick to long), reasonably sized cup, grinding noise isn't too loud

Looks Great! Works Well! Very fast! Perfect finely ground coffee! – I have owned my coffee grinder for approx 6 months now so I am yet to comment on how long it will last, however what I can say is that it has worked perfectly every single time I have used it. It is so very quick to use..just set your level between 2-12cups and press start. The fine setting is just perfect for use in the Breville Platinum coffee… Read more

machine and like anything (to do with grinders and coffee machines) you have to keep them very clean to get the best results. I am sure you would be able to grind nuts and other seeds etc with no problem at all. I actually got mine as a package deal at Target and saved a lot of money, however I have not yet found any fault as I see some people have commented on. Almost all of my kitchen appliances are 'Breville' and I have never had any complaints at all, so you need to just decide for yourself if this grinder will suit your needs and if so use it properly, keep it clean and I can't see there being a problem. Looks cute and stylish on the bench, works fast and great results Nothing at all

Lasted 8 years – Am looking at a new coffee grinder ours just stopped working, probably just worn out. I hope we have as much success with the next one. We used it weekly preparing for our morning coffee. Had no issues with cleaning, very impressed. Show details

Simply the best – Thank you. I have been wanting to buy a good brand and came across this. A friend actually recommended it. It was really a good choice to make. We have been using this for six months with no problem. Love this i bought this for my mom as well. She even loves it. Goos to get the spices grinded fresh and aromatic when added.  Show details

Great for small quantities – I've had this for a few months now, I've had no problems with it. I bought it to grind flaxseeds and am very happy with it. I've also ground cinnamon. It's very easy to use. Doesn't take up a lot of room. It could be easier to clean. Great for small quantities. Effective, reliable, small size to store in cupboard Would be great if you could remove blade for easier cleaning

Stopped – I have gone through 2 of these. First one replaced under warranty. Second has just stopped after about 4 years service. It does a good job but find it hard to recommend because of this. Show details

They don't make 'em like they used to..! Disappointing – Bought the BCG300 at The Good Guys, since the salesperson was full of praise for this product. Good: easy operation, grind selector and cup slider control. At first it worked fine, but after a year(!) it started overheating because the start/stop button would get stuck. So we always made sure that while the grinder was not being used that it was… Read more

disconnected from power supply (we also used an additional safety protection plug, as recommended). The rotating cord storage only worked occasionally until it got stuck...useless! And now, after 3 years and 5 months the grinder gave up the ghost - compared to the Krups that lasted us for over 35 years a bit of a bad joke...The electrical appliance repair shop round the corner told us they don't "do Breville" (imagine why?). Sorry, Breville NOT good enough.

Good product but has some flaws-Can breville help??? – Its been over a year since I purchased the Breville BarVista grinder.Was/is working fine ,does the job and I dont have any complaints with its functionality. BUT, the cord gets stuck quite often and it is a big hassle to pull it out. The rotating cord storage doesn't pull the wire out-ITS STUCK. the device still works but Iam just not able to use it since the cord doesn't come out and its terribly stuck inside. Can breville help me out?  Show details

It’s very handy – I have been using this grinder for years and had no problems with it but the lid isn’t working properly at the moment. Would be great if you could replace just the lid. Show details

Worked well but reliability issues – Overall lasted 7 to 8 month, gone through maybe 5kg of beans and some spice /oats in that time, frequently using it weekly. However it didn't, motor started to make burning smell and blades randomly got stuck without anything in it so returned for a replacement. Unfortunately no stock was available. Had to get a refund and buy from another store.… Read more

Grinding is fantastic but reliability is not the best and heats up very quickly.

Should be able to use it 2 or 4 times once a week without it having issues.

Disappointed – So far it's working well enough in terms of the motor but when I grind things (like flaxseed, for example) bits fly out of the removable bowl and fall underneath onto the grinder itself and the benchtop causing a lot of mess. It means I have to clean the lid, the removable bowl, the grinder itself and the benchtop. It's a pretty stupid design. My last grinder was fantastic but unfortunately it is no longer available in Australia.  Show details

It works well enough but is very messy – You could do coffee for about 2-3 cups worth at a time. The blade doesn't come out and gets in the way when scooping out coffee. This makes it very messy and I have coffee grounds split around my bench most of the time. Because it's hassle to clean I don't use it for anything but coffee so so much for being a spice grinder as well. And spices… Read more

would taint the coffee due to the cleaning difficulty. There is no way to adjust the coarseness other than how long you press. There's a burnt kind of plastic smell if you hold it on for too long, and the instructions say not to run it for more than a few seconds at a time.

Don't bother – I had 2 returned within the first year of warranty. One because there was a burning smell coming from the motor and the second replaced was due to the power cord not retracting. Now the third has stopped working. One point to note is that the manual says it can grind cinnamon quills (prepared in small pieces) however, I believe it may be to… Read more

difficult for the motor to handle. The purchase of this spice grinder is a waste of money on a product that has a life span of less than a few years. The grinder does not last the distance, it is unreliable and made to be disposed of earlier than later. They fail to be of an acceptable quality.

Completely stopped working – After just over 12 months of use, the unit is dead. No amount of cleaning or fiddling will get it going again. I'd personally would look elsewhere for a small grinding machine. It did work well when operating, but after a few months the plastic locking lid didn't lock into place meaning you had to hold the lid to have it operate. Even though this was only a $60 machine, to me it reflects on quality control as a whole. Not recommended.

Not happy, Jan! – I've had mine for a few months and only used it for coffee beans. Last week it simply stopped working. I have tried everything I can think of to get it working, but nothing works. It's just stopped. No warning, nothing. I can't find my receipt (although I have found the warranty and it's within the limit). Not happy :(

Absolute garbage – The blade assembly seizes up in these units and continues usage causes the unit to smoke and over heat ,a new blade/bearing assembly costs $56.00 . The grinder costs me $53.00 ,go figure that out ,when I rang breville to complain as the unit was just out of warranty they were not really interested , I am still using my old 38 year old unit, it works excellent.

Kaput after four uses! – Wish I had read these reviews sooner. Fourth time I used this Breville 'grinder', after a few seconds it smelt of burning and then stopped working. Lost my receipt so could not get a refund. Breville Grinder now in the bin! Kaput after four uses! Useless! Back to the mortar and pestle.

Unreliable – I have bought two of these in recent months. The first one worked but after three uses I accidently dropped it from a height of 6 inches. It stopped working. I used it to grind spices. It did a reasonable job. So I bought a second one. After two uses and very careful handling, it has stopped working. My old spice grinder was a cheapie that… Read more

lasted 20 years. That really says it all. Quality control is non-existent. I will not be buying anything Breville again.

Dreadful – After only 3 months it just stopped working completely. Unfortunately I bought it in Australia and then returned to the UK so had no opportunity to return it. Why does no one make a decent spice grinder these days? While it was operational it was fine, but if it's only going to last for 3 months it's obviously not built particularly well. Don't bother buying.

It's a mini blender! – By no definition, could this be called a grinder. It should only ever be called a mini blender. I bought mine from Hardly Normal, and was blown away by this blender hidden in grinder packaging. Put some beans in, watched them spin around with the blade. How does one extract use the "blended" beans? Do I scoop them out from between the… Read more

blade?

Do I pour the chunks into another container? It's crazy, not convenient.

On the second run, white smoke poured out of the unit and I had to journey back to Harvey Norman.

An ultimately hilarious experience; basic consumer rights aside on the smoke issue, the staff member was ADAMANT it was a grinder.

Fortunately we were in an aisle of blenders, and I was able to explain the difference between "To crush, pulverize, or reduce to powder by friction, especially by rubbing between two hard surfaces" and "chopping my morning beans with a fast spinning blade."

A Spice Grinder that doesn't overheat like the rest do! – Purchased to primarily turn rolled oats into oat flour. Great for smaller batches. Well designed with enough power to get the job done with a little sieving. I burnt out or overheated 3 other brands in about 15-30 minutes use. Easy to use and keep clean with a dry brush (dry grinding). Great cord retraction for neatness. Well designed with… Read more

sufficient power. Once the start button is pushed you dont have to keep holding it on like other brands. Removable lid and bowl. Nothing to speak of.

Im Happy – I just purchased this today, so its to early to review for its longevity. Not many people commented on its suitability for expresso machines on previose reviews so I was not sure if it was going to do what I was after. It does super fine for expresso and I am very Happy with this product. Fine Ground. Simple, Quick, Easy

Fantastic – I've had this coffee grinder for 5 years, it hasn't missed a beat and it still going strong. Occasionally the lid gets fussy but this is rare and it always does the coffee and spices perfectly. I need a new lid as a small piece broke off 2 weeks ago when I dropped it but after so long of near-perfect operation I can't complain, and the machine still works perfectly.

Smmmmokin – Was a decent grinder, though was using it once every week to 2 weeks, for the last 18 months - so not heavy use. THEN plugged it in to grinds some coffee, and whammo - smoke filled room, and as it was 6 months out of warranty, no assistance, and when I called customer care they we very nonchalant about it. Soooo...I would not recommend this unit, as for the possibility of owning a dud item. Compact Longevity

Breville BarVista Coffee and Spice Grinder – We got this to grind spices, after our trusty one finally died. Turns out it was a good thing as the Breville grinder BCG300 is the real god of grinders. After dry roasting spices including Cinnamon sticks the previous grinder left bits, the Breville ground all down to a delightful powder. The best I've had, would get another.

Amazing grinder, very pleased!!! – Bought this grinder about a year ago and noticed the negative comments. I had to write something to credit what a grinder this is. We use it daily, the measuring and grind level dials are great. We often cook curries and use it to grind spices also. Nothing better than freshly ground!! Tastes so much better!! For a kitchen grinder it is great… Read more

and has a designated place on our kitchen bench. Neat with the retractable power lead too. Great that the hopper is removable for cleaning also. Reliable, smart design, great function

Not great – We bought this grinder 18 months ago. It would often not work until you fiddled with the base and lid. It is very temperamental - which you do not want with a coffee grinder! I should have sent it back whilst still under warranty but it always started working again. Now it has completely stopped working. I would not recommend this coffee grinder.

It's junk – I bought one when I got coffee machean it hardly got used as my friends always bring beans ground for me . It stoped working 1 month in so is thought it must have just been the one off . I got anouther one the same and it stoped 1-2 months after its junk don't buy one It ground beans when it worked It just stoped working

Very happy with this grinder – Have had this grinder for over a year and I could say it's easily the best grinder I've owned. I have been grinding seeds and nuts for many years and gone through various different brands but none have been as good as this one. One of the advantages is that you can take the cup off and wash it. I use it virtually on a daily basis and find it always works well. Works consistently well. Easy to clean.

Not a bad product, good for those special herbs – Hey man, it was pretty expensive, but when it comes down to it, very worthwhile. I took it home unwrapped it and chucked a few buds in there. Now I have been through many coffee grinders like this before, however, this one is very easy to clean. A for product quality C- for price. Easy to use, looks nice, easy to clean. Expensive

Good until Warranty period expires – When it works, it is good. It stopped working a month after the warranty period. Looking at previous reviews, it is something that a potential buyer should be aware of. Range of settings Machine breaking after warranty period

Bad – While easy to use, a combined spice / coffee grinder is not up to the task. Will not be buying a Breville when I replace this grinder. You can select the amount of coffee beans to grind and coarseness of the grind. Am about to return the 2nd one in less than a year as both just stopped working. Doesn't seem to be a very robust device if used… Read more

regularly (on average twice a day in our house). Also I don't think that it grinds the beans finely enough for an expresso machine.