Multiple Brands - DF64V V3

I have the DF64 with SSP Sweet Lab V3. Grinder is ubiquitous enough to not present any surprises. With burrs, I do not recommend the Sweet Labs - it struggled to get fine enough for traditional pressure profiles. I've shifted to a 49mm stamped stepdown from Sworks, and it's just enough as long as I stay 18g+. I like the cast burrs in general though. I have both the V2 and V3 as I was hoping the latter would allow a dual purpose grinder.

If you have Niche Zero money, you can also look at the DF64V Gen3. Specifically **V** not the regular DF64, and specifically Gen3 for the new servo motor, flickable declumper flap, and external ionizer. As far as clogging DF54s, part of me feels like it is exacerbated by the number of units sold to complete beginners to coffee, rather than any “QC issue”. I can’t think of any manufacturing variance that changes things that much. The machines are also generally tested before shipping as far as I know, (they just clean them unlike something like the Philos so it’s not as obvious unless you take off the burrs and check the screw holes). In anycase, the DF64V won’t have that same problem. But you could always go with a Eureka if you don’t want to take the risk and just want a solid grinder. Less features, more retention, and proprietary burrs for the same price, but peace of mind has value too. The new Varia VS4 should also be a fun option with its variable RPM and more durable build than VS3.

> but it seems you get what you pay for with these And what do you mean by that (vs everything else on your list that are also made in China selling at the same price point)? Btw, I hear people saying the DF64V gen2 now is actually the gen3 just named wrongly in international markets. Hard to know what these distributors are doing with names but the gen3 should be the first one with the flickable declumper flap as the most obvious visual difference

No I’m genuinely curious if you’ve heard something specific. I very much agree with the general sentiment that “you get what you paid for” but what you are paying for may not always be stuff a user cares about, like branding, manufacturing labor costs, middle man distribution, import costs, and low volume production. Like the motor in the DF64V gen3 is on paper better than even something like the Zerno Z1. Obviously the Zerno is a better grinder but what you are paying for there isn’t the motor.

At that budget? maybe DF83V with some SSP burrs. A 078S with SSP burrs could be an option too but if you like playing around with swapping burrs, I’d wait for the 2nd Gen 078S later this year for the easier and likely more idiot-proof tool-less grind chamber access. Kind of funny to see you mention DF64 and build quality in the same sentence, and then also say mixed reviews on the Timemores. If you’re going to get a DF 64mm grinder, get the CF64V or the DF64V gen3, not the DF64 unless you are just looking for cheap. But if you’re looking for cheap Chinese 64mm, you might as well get the Mokkom 64 and still skip the DF64. Philos is over budget Mahlkonig X64 SD is over complicated in all the wrong ways in terms of how it’s engineered. But you do get the German brand at least. Eureka has retention issues on top of the proprietary burr size, but it’s made in Italy so that could be a plus for people that are really biased against Chinese manufacturing

What kind of espresso do you like? If you’re into classic full bodied espresso and want easy to dial in with a forgiving margin for error, but everything ends up tasting kind of the similar, you’d want a good conical burr grinder like: - Niche Zero - Lagom Casa - maybe Varia VS4 or VS3 if your budget is lower If you want more clarity (but requiring more precise dial in) for drinking more single origin coffees or want the flexibility of swapping out different burrs for different grind profiles, you’d want to look at a 64mm flat burr grinder. Good options here are pretty much all Chinese grinders. - Timemore 064S - Gevi Grindmaster - [white labeled] CF64V - [white labeled] DF64V, gen3 specifically since it has a lot of good upgrades The Eureka Mignon grinders are also popular flat burr options but they use 55mm and 65mm burrs so you can’t really just throw third party burrs in there as easily. They’re good but don’t have the best retention. I see absolutely no reason to still be buying a regular old DF64, especially when the CF64V is only $400 USD (for now), much better specs across the board, and made by the same factory. People naturally have concerns about the long term after sales support of the white labeled Chinese 64mm grinders, but they do offer a lot of value and they sell well within China as well (under the brands Creyke and Ranccea). Timemore seems to be the only brand that’s really taken off internationally, but the price is inflated more as a result.

What kind of espresso do you like? If you’re into classic full bodied espresso and want easy to dial in with a forgiving margin for error, but everything ends up tasting kind of the similar, you’d want a good conical burr grinder like: - Niche Zero - Lagom Casa - maybe Varia VS4 or VS3 if your budget is lower If you want more clarity (but requiring more precise dial in) for drinking more single origin coffees or want the flexibility of swapping out different burrs for different grind profiles, you’d want to look at a 64mm flat burr grinder. Good options here are pretty much all Chinese grinders. - Timemore 064S - Gevi Grindmaster - [white labeled] CF64V - [white labeled] DF64V, gen3 specifically since it has a lot of good upgrades The Eureka Mignon grinders are also popular flat burr options but they use 55mm and 65mm burrs so you can’t really just throw third party burrs in there as easily. They’re good but don’t have the best retention. I see absolutely no reason to still be buying a regular old DF64, especially when the CF64V is only $400 USD (for now), much better specs across the board, and made by the same factory. People naturally have concerns about the long term after sales support of the white labeled Chinese 64mm grinders, but they do offer a lot of value and they sell well within China as well (under the brands Creyke and Ranccea). Timemore seems to be the only brand that’s really taken off internationally, but the price is inflated more as a result.

So generally speaking, I would say if you are unsure, but think you may want to explore the world of coffee and the various different beans and roasts out there, go with a 64mm flat burr. There are flat burrs that can produce similar profiles as conical burrs and a little bit of vice verse, but in general, flat burrs can produce lower fines if you want to focus on clarity of flavors for tasting and exploring different coffees. So if you just want a trusted brand in that category, get a Timemore 064S (or 078S if you want to go larger), or the Eureka Mignon grinder that fits your budget. The Mahlkonig X64 might also be in your budget range here. If you want higher specs and value for your money, then you’d want to look at the white labeled Chinese grinders like the DF64V gen3, CF64V, or maybe even the DF83V gen3 if you want bigger burrs and budget allows. The **V** part of all of these denotes variable RPM and also means they use a more reliable brushless motor. They are completely different products from the cheaper not-V models. You’ll also notice how these tend to have gen1 / gen2 / gen2.5 / gen3. That’s part of where they save on R&D costs by partially using the consumer as beta testers but also to iterate and make QoL updates to drive consumerism and upgraditis/fomo among existing owners. The designs should be well vetted now, but try to get the latest version. Both the DF64V and DF83V received fairly meaningful functional upgrades on the latest version.

I’m super happy with my Casa for medium to light roasts, pour over and espresso are both very nice. I have a Niche (and a DF64V w/SSP MP) for darker roast espresso, and I’m happy with them all for their respective purposes.

I ordered a Turin DB with df64

If your most important thing is clarity, then you should be paying a lot of attention to the burrs. Unless you’re willing to swap them out. For example, a DF 64 with SSPMP burrs is going to have much more clarity than a timemore 64 with stock burrs. And visa versa.

I almost bought the opus before I bought my df64 because the reviews were good. Makes me wonder what they were smoking lmao

Hey everyone, I currently have a DF64 setup with the default DLC espresso burrs which I'm enjoying for espresso. However, I have a spare set of 64mm SSP MP burrs sitting in a drawer that I really want to put to use (mostly for pour-over) without swapping. I’m trying to figure out the most cost-effective way to get these running without buying another grinder. My current ideas: Picking up a used Fellow Ode (Gen 1 or 2?) on Marketplace, maybe one with damaged/missing burrs to save cash. Is there such a thing as a generic flat burr hand grinder body/carrier that fits 64mm burrs? Has anyone else done this? Open to any "hacky" or budget-friendly suggestions to build a secondary brew grinder. Thanks!

I think df64 with stock burrs are like 400 shipped. I get the whole bang for your buck on hand grinders but come on. I ain’t hand grinding espresso shots 2 to three times a day. 

I mean coffee at least good third wave coffee is inherently nerdy. But I really thing the df64 is the least you can do for yourself to elevate your daily cup.  not me getting down voted for not suggesting a hand grinder lmao

And if you get into the more upper range of this amount of money, the best options are probably a DF64 single dose or a Eureka Mignon model