Forté (Modified)

* 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.

Underrated for sure...Its been out for awhile...Not as many good options from a swap out burr standpoint..but definitely performs great...

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