OXO 8717000: A Close Look at OXO's Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

There's a reason the OXO 8717000 keeps showing up on kitchen counters everywhere. At around $100, this conical burr grinder hits a sweet spot between the cheap blade grinders that destroy your beans and the $300+ prosumer models that most home brewers don't actually need.

I've been using this grinder daily for about four months now, and I have a clear picture of what it does well and where it comes up short. Let me walk you through the details so you can decide if it belongs in your setup.

Design and First Impressions

OXO has always been good at making functional products that don't look like science equipment. The 8717000 follows that playbook. It's a stainless steel and black plastic body that blends into most kitchen setups without drawing attention. The footprint is about 5 x 7 inches, and it stands roughly 14 inches tall with the hopper in place.

The hopper holds 12 ounces (about 340 grams) of beans and has a UV-tinted cover to protect them from light degradation. That's a thoughtful touch, since many people fill the hopper and leave beans sitting for several days. The tinted cover slows down the staling process, even if a sealed container would still be better for long-term storage.

The grounds bin is a clear plastic container that holds enough coffee for about 12 cups. It uses a static-reducing insert that OXO calls a "grounds container with integrated grounds rake." The rake breaks up clumps as coffee falls into the container, which helps with consistent dosing. Does it eliminate all static? No. But it reduces the mess compared to grinders without any static management.

The 15-Setting Grind Dial

OXO gives you 15 grind settings on a simple turn dial located on the front of the machine. The dial clicks firmly between each position, and the settings are labeled with icons showing cups of coffee at different sizes, which is a nice visual guide for beginners.

Fine to Medium Settings (1-7)

Settings 1 through 3 produce a fine grind suitable for cone-filter drip machines and AeroPress. These settings work reasonably well, producing a fairly uniform particle size with moderate fines. At setting 4-5, you're in flat-bottom filter territory. Settings 6 and 7 are good for Chemex and other pour-over methods that call for a medium grind.

I found the sweet spot for my V60 at setting 5, which produced a brew time of about 3:00-3:15 for a 300ml cup. Your results will vary depending on bean density and roast level, but this gives you a starting reference point.

Coarse Settings (8-15)

Settings 8 through 15 move into French press and cold brew territory. At setting 10-11, I got a solid French press grind with minimal silt in the cup. The coarsest settings (14-15) are genuinely coarse, suitable for cold brew immersion and cowboy coffee.

One limitation: 15 total settings means the jumps between each position are relatively large. You don't get the fine-tuning ability of a Baratza Virtuoso (which has 40 settings) or even a Baratza Encore (which has 40 positions with micro-adjustments). For most home brewers making drip or French press, 15 settings is plenty. But if you're the type who likes to dial in recipes precisely, you'll feel the constraints.

Grind Consistency

The 40mm conical steel burrs in the OXO 8717000 do a respectable job at the mid-range settings. When I compared the particle distribution to my Baratza Encore, the OXO produced slightly more fines at all settings, but the difference was subtle. In the cup, I couldn't consistently tell the two apart in a blind tasting with drip coffee.

Where the OXO struggles is at the extremes. The finest setting isn't fine enough for espresso (and OXO doesn't market it as an espresso grinder, to their credit). The coarsest setting produces an inconsistent particle mix with some medium-sized fragments mixed into the larger pieces. For everyday French press, this isn't a dealbreaker. For cold brew, the inconsistency actually doesn't matter much since the long steep time compensates.

The grinder retains about 1-2 grams of grounds between the burrs after each use. This is pretty standard for grinders in this price range. If you switch between beans frequently, those stale retained grounds can muddy the flavor of your first cup with new beans. A quick purge (grinding 2-3 grams of the new beans and tossing them) solves this.

One-Touch Timer Feature

The standout feature of the OXO 8717000 is the built-in dose timer. Instead of grinding by weight or volume, you set a time duration (from 1 to 30 seconds), and the grinder runs for exactly that long each time you press the start button.

Here's why that matters: once you figure out how many seconds produces your ideal dose weight (for me, 7 seconds = roughly 21 grams), you just hit the button and walk away. No scale needed, no babysitting. The consistency is solid, typically within plus or minus 1 gram.

The timer is set by a dial on the side of the machine. Turn it to your desired time, and it remembers that setting until you change it. Dead simple. I set mine on day one and haven't touched it since.

Noise and Motor

This is a straightforward electric grinder with a direct-drive motor, and it sounds like one. At full speed, it generates around 70-75 decibels, which is comparable to a normal conversation. It's not whisper-quiet, but it's quieter than many competitors, including the Baratza Encore, which runs louder and at a higher pitch.

The motor runs at a low RPM to reduce heat buildup. After grinding four consecutive 20-gram doses, the grounds temperature increased by only about 3 degrees Fahrenheit. That's excellent heat management and protects the volatile compounds in your coffee from thermal damage.

How It Stacks Up Against Alternatives

At the $100 price point, the main competitors are the Baratza Encore and the Capresso Infinity Plus. The OXO holds its own against both, with the timer feature being its biggest differentiator.

The Baratza Encore offers more grind settings and slightly better particle uniformity, plus the advantage of Baratza's outstanding parts availability and customer service. If long-term repairability matters to you, Baratza wins.

The OXO fights back with the timer, a more modern design, and a quieter motor. For set-it-and-forget-it daily grinding, the OXO workflow is tough to beat. For a deeper breakdown, check out our best coffee grinder and top coffee grinder comparison guides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the OXO 8717000 grind for espresso?

No. The finest setting produces something closer to a fine drip grind. OXO designed this as a filter coffee grinder, and it works best in that role. For espresso, you'll need a dedicated espresso grinder with finer adjustment steps.

How do I clean the OXO conical burr grinder?

Remove the hopper and twist out the upper burr ring. Brush out the retained grounds with the included cleaning brush. Do this weekly for best results. Never wash the burrs with water. The grounds container and hopper lid are top-rack dishwasher safe.

Is the OXO 8717000 worth it over a $30 blade grinder?

Absolutely. The difference in cup quality is noticeable from the very first brew. Burr grinders produce uniform particles that extract evenly, while blade grinders create a chaotic mix of powder and chunks. If you brew coffee daily, the upgrade pays for itself in better-tasting cups within the first week.

How long do the burrs last?

With normal home use (grinding 20-40 grams daily), the burrs should last 3-5 years before showing noticeable dulling. OXO doesn't sell replacement burrs separately, so when the burrs wear out, you'll likely need to replace the entire unit.

Wrapping It Up

The OXO 8717000 is a well-designed, reliable conical burr grinder that excels at daily filter coffee grinding. The one-touch timer sets it apart from competitors at the same price, and the grind quality is competitive with anything under $150. Its main weaknesses are the limited 15-setting range and the lack of replaceable parts. If you want a grinder you can set up once and use every morning without thinking about it, the OXO delivers exactly that.