The Timemore Go was our go-to budget grinder pick. Its successor, the Whirly 01S (sent as a demo), has landed in our hands. Here’s our straight take, Timemore fandom aside.
Positives
- Portable but capable: Works equally well as a home grinder and a camping companion
- Solidly built: Sturdy construction inspires confidence, could almost be called a traditional weapon for the home barista
- Impressive grind consistency: Rubbing the grounds between fingers, they feel and look super consistent
- Very little retention: What you put in, you get out, or within ~0.1g
- Clever top design: Doubles as an effective funnel, which makes adding the coffee into the grinder a breeze
- Good anti-popcorning cover: Keeps beans contained during grinding
- Relatively easy adjustment: Internal guidelines simplify dialling in
- USB-C rechargeable: ~20 espresso grinds or 35 filter grinds per charge (the grinder comes with USB cable)
- 58mm compatible catch cup: Attaches securely and is also easy to use on most scales.
- Easy to clean: With the supplied brush burrs clean quickly and thoroughly, we recommend doing this regularly.
- Great value: Competes with premium home and portable grinders, and is cordless to boot
- Rubber anti-slip foot: Stays planted during operation, ensuring that you can press the button to start the grinding with confidence, knowing the grinder will remain stable.
- Burrs easy to remove: Retention screw offers good clearance for reassembly, this sound silly, but it is something many conical burr grinders seem to fail at.
- Relatively quiet: when we monitored it we found ~75dB for espresso, dips below 70dB for coarse grinds. This was measured in a standard kitchen that has an ambient noise of around 40db, so probably 15-20db quieter in a sound-controlled environment.
- Lovely packaging, you can see some thought has gone into it.
- Not to comment on the taste profile, as this is subjective, but we were happy with it, especially at this price, the octagonal burrs do an impressive job.
Okay, but
- Charging port cover: Its a bit fiddly to open, we think it needs a recess for easier access. With this design we think its durability is questionable
- Adjustment location: Common gripe with most hand grinders, you set your grind by removing the cup. No external adjustment.
- Burr removal: To remove the burrs requires 16 full turns to unscrew, not sure why it had to be that many turns.
- Turn tracking: We wish it had a rotation counter for precise adjustments
- Grind speed: The grind speed is slow, but we think this is acceptable for portable. For filter coffees, about a minute (so a kettle takes longer to boil). For espresso ~2 min per dose.
- Weight: At 753g, noticeable for hikers but worth the “luggability”
- Status LED: We feel that the status LED is quite small and basic.
Negatives
- Button shape: For us, the on/off button has a weird valley design feels unintuitive
- Burr disassembly: When removing the burr it releases loose pieces – recalibration concern after reassembly (Tip: Keep upside down to avoid losing spring!)
- Burr alignment: Needs careful disc-to-hole matching when reassembling
- Disassembly screws: Uncommon fasteners make battery replacement look challenging
- Static discharge: Can deliver a slight shock if touched while charging
Overall
The Timemore Whirly 01S nails the “portable but capable” brief. It’s a proper one-stop solution for budget-focused coffee lovers needing quality grinds anywhere. The robust build and excellent octagonal conical burrs deliver remarkable consistency. While not speedy (especially for espresso), it makes up for it in grind quality. Ideal for pour-over and Moka pot, passable for espresso when needed. For daily use – whether kitchen counter or campsite – this capable portable grinder punches well above its weight.
