The upper burr is difficult to remove for the first few times of use. I have had to use long reach (2 inches or so) thin pliers to span both ends of the arched handle on the upper burr, using brute force to twist the burr anti-clockwise to release the burr and clockwise to re-attach it securely by clicking it into place. Such extreme measures really should not be necessary to make a household product work. Also, you need to be assiduous in cleaning, after each use, the grinder chamber and the chute to the grinder's grounds hopper. An unbent medium-sized paper clip is a useful supplement to using a small brush. The OXO customer service agent was particularly helpful in offering advice on solving these problems.