It's a huge help and so much more gentle on my hand, arm, shoulder. My only criticism is if you go to slow or two fast, the puck will pop the top layer of ground coffee up. I've learned to go for 1-2 seconds and to give it a little twist on the way up, and then it almost always works.
This machine is very good!
High quality build and it looks super sharp on my counter
Very well made. Looks and feels great. Recommended!