Baratza - Forté

Mazzer Major V Electronic, Mazzer Philos, Fiorenzato All Ground Sense, Baratza Forte AP, Baratza Encore ESP Pro Bunn GVH-2 (and a few more)

* Forte BG - First electric and still use it * Comandante MK4 - travel and PO * Niche Zero - 1 year old and espresso * Philos- got it during pre order and it’s great for almost everything * I haven’t got around to selling my NZ or forte BG as I still use them here and there. 😂

I do something pretty similar to what you describe (although for different reasons) on a Baratza Forté BG. The big downside is it does have retention, but I bought bellows from Introvert that have eliminated that issue. I do (single dose) pour over in the morning, espresso in the afternoon. During the summer the pour over becomes cold brew. On the side, we run a very small coffee business that sometimes requires to grind a few pounds every week or two for clients who don’t have grinders (with the big hopper that fits a bit less than 1lb of beans). We’ve been doing this since we got it in 2020 and it has been a tank. It did fail once (the axle/shaft that drives the belt cracked), Baratza said the new ones have a new design and sent the whole motor assembly at no cost (love their support, although they are a bit slow). If I must say something, I’ve been doing espresso for a year and it’s been a bit challeging sometimes to find the exact setting for each bag, but it may be user error. This is a pretty older model that hasn’t been significantly updated, so I’m not saying it’s the strongest option, but I do love that thing.

With that budget I'd want a refurbished Baratza Forte BG. Extremely self-serviceable, replacement parts easily obtained from Baratza, and built like a tank.

I second this suggestion! OP, if you can swing it, the Forte BG offers everything the Vario W+ does, but with a more robust motor and build quality. As it should, because it’s designed to handle light commercial use.

Baratza forte would be great, grind by weight, fantastic filter grinder. Maybe a bit over your budget. Also good support if it breaks, easy to fix yourself. DF64 would be fine if you get a good unit. I've had df64 that was ok but had a very stiff adjustment colar, and currently have a df54 that I love, no issues whatsoever. The df64 did around 10-20 espresso shots a day without issue in an office.

Depending on how much you want to spend, i love the Baratza Forte BG i bought 10 years ago. works great with the Moccamaster!

The Forte BG suits your budget, and outperforms its class by far. I actually prefer it over several of the more popular "endgame" grinders which I have. Enough so, that I have one in my home kitchen and in my cupping lab.

I have two regular Vario and a W+ also. The Forte is an incredibly better build. It's heavier and stronger, it feels better, it sounds better, it's nicer to use. The user experience is night and day between Vario and Forte. Forte is definitely worth the extra cost if your budget allows.

If you like the Vario, and can afford the upgrade - get the Forte BG (still well within your budget). The build quality and user experience is well worth the upgrade.

I've had Forte BGs for roughly 12 years - no problems, even using one to grind pounds at a time. The Vario I've broken multiple times with light home use.

If you want a noticeable step for pourovers on that budget, check manual Comandante C40 or a good 1Zpresso (JX/JP) — burrs are top-notch, low retention, super serviceable, and honestly they beat a lot of electrics for pour-over. Electric picks if you want motor consistency: Sette 270Wi or a Baratza Forte BG used, look for big flat or high-quality conical burrs, low retention, stepless adjustment and easy parts to swap/clean.