Baratza - Vario™ W+ (ZCG988WHT1BUC1A)

There is a comparison of many grinders you're looking at [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/LanceHedrick/comments/139zzei/addendum_to_sculptor_video/). There is a description of the coffee produced although they are very much toward Lance's preferences. I have a Baratza Vario W+ which makes excellent coffee and is relatively forgiving. While Baratza's are not the most trendy (single dose, low retention, static reduction, etc), they are very well built and have a history of reliability and support should something go wrong (you can actually buy nearly all of the parts or have them service the machine). With newer models you will likely gain features or lower the price but you run more risks on longevity.

Vario+W with steelies is probably all you need. Or one of the femobooks. Ode Gen2 is good too if you prefer the look.

They only sell the + now. One of the upgrades they made was to make steel standard since most people were upgrading to steel anyway

Yep you’re right I’ve been looking at the W+ and I think it was mostly because of the steel burrs. Thanks for all your help on this one

I had the Vario W+ for a while and liked it during that time. Although I have to say that I've abandoned automatic weight dosing by now.

It was convenient, but I would have occasional inconsistencies that led me to think it was part of the problem. Usually it was pretty accurate, but occasionally the weight would be off just enough to be annoying. Also, the grinder retained a fair amount, which was a slight issue the next morning because you'd get some day old grinds. I don't think it was bad at all, and it certainly was convenient... But in the end I started ignoring the weight function by setting the target weight really high, and then single dosing. It also means I can use a couple sprays of water to reduce friction. That being said, now I have a Zerno Z1 which was a remarkable upgrade, and I wouldn't consider going back. The Vario was great for its price range though. It made some good pour over as well.

Another vote for Baratza. I've had my Baratza Vario-W+ for going on 15 years and it has been flawless. Like others have said, parts and servicing is easy. I replaced the motherboard on it once, but that was due to a power spike after a power outage. Not a cheap date, but it'll give you many years of service. I also like it as you can get consistent weighs due to the built-in scale. Solid build, great service, easy maintenance...Just my .02

I am using my vario w+ sometimes for pourover. It might be not as good as Pietro, but tbh I feel it is good enough. I don’t use it often for pourover for it is set for espresso, and adjust back and forth will lose its espresso setting. I did consider timemore 64s at that time, but finally went to a grinder with good history of reputation

On the paper cf64v is the best, right? I almost bought it, but finally switched to vario w+ for I hope I can use it like forever :)

This. I have all the grinders for commercial use gb80 gbw , e65 gbw, varios, mazzer zm etc. For my home setup I just pre weigh and use a baratza esp pro. Extremely happy with it, especially at 179.00.

Flat burrs seem to bring out the fruit notes more. I have an opus, ceado, and vario.

🤣🤣 after a while I learned to recognize the difference. To me, I taste much more sweetness on the flat burrs.

On my bar currently is a Fellow Ode, Baratza Vario, and a Timemore 064s. Had SSP cast in the 064 but probably swapping them to the Ode now. All that to say, I could have just one of any of these and be perfectly happy. Timemore is probably my favorite as far as quality and workflow, plus it can genuinely pull double duty. Ode is great but obviously you’re not getting espresso there. Vario is an old design with clunky workflow but the burrs are great—in fact, the Mahlkonig X54 is essentially just an updated Vario. All these are great grinders.

I got one thats also 10 years old for free with a secondhand rocket r58 I was buying recently .. so far I only had to re-calibrate it and its working perfectly .. only issue I have is that that the grind size dials move a little during grinding, and if I am not careful they slide down.