Barista EL60 Conical Burr Grinder

Bartaza is fantastic. Built like a tank, highly repairable/replaceable/modifiable. Encore for basic grind - drip, pour-over, etc. Sette if you want a highly capable espresso grind. Vario if you're going upscale.

I have the Royal Grinder and am wondering if it is all that. I have an old electric burr grinder from Starbucks (like 1990s era) that doesn’t go fine enough so I bought the Royal to pair with my new Classic setup. I’m having a lot of trouble dialing it in though. One click CCW and I can’t squeeze the coffee out without significant force and my pressure gage in the danger zone. One click CW and the coffee is sometimes ok, but one more click CW and it flows out too fast. Fresh beans, everything else held as consistently as I can. I thought I needed a “better” grinder but maybe there’s something I’m doing wrong. It is highly frustrating and makes me want to blame the grinder. What is your experience?

There are many second hand machines available here in the uk. I’d look out for the Baratza more than the Sage if you’re looking to get into espresso.

They are both owned by Breville however the acquisition is fairly recent so your second hand model may be from before that. The Baratza has a solid reputation as an espresso grinder and is a newer model than the SGP (which is 10+ yo I believe). Reviews are pretty unanimous that it helps you dial in better.

All of the Baratza conical-burr grinders have that. It’s a safety feature so that the gear (a $4 or so part) will break before the motor or burrs ($40 parts) break. Easy to replace if you’re handy. That’s their approach—not bulletproof, but fixable.

Baratza is a workhorse. It is not a quiet workhorse but it is a good machine