DF83 Gen 1

I’ve owned and returned a df64 and a df83 from the same family of grinders after playing around extensively with burr alignment, different burrs, clogging, overheating, and static issues (and not resolving them, at least satisfactorily). These grinders are inexpensive for a reason, and they are poorly designed and built. Send it back and get a better grinder (which will cost more money, of course). A happy ending is unlikely if you keep the DF54. You’re probably looking at spending more than $500 if you want to get a better new grinder.

Starseeker E55 Pro. No problem grinding for espresso and up. Stepless, low rpm, 55mm conical burrs, built in ionizer, metal construction, almost no retention. IMO unquestionably the best value and best grinder in your price range. FYI, I’ve owned DF64 and DF83 grinders and IMO they are definitely not good grinders. Three of my kids have E55 grinders and I have one too. Everybody loves them.

I have one. It’s good but I prefer my df83 with mazzer 151 burrs. I’m looking at getting rid of the niche in time

Df83 is excellent. I have one in my collection

Trust me it’s not. It’s good at all roasts. There are lots of people who just follow trends. I got it when it was an unknown entity. Remember. It’s only a machine. A burr carrier. Eventually I swapped the burrs for Mazzer 151A. I like very traditional style espresso.

Niche was ok. A bit underwhelming. I prefer the DF over it by a mile. I do also have a WW Key mk 2 which is fabulous. I have an ECM sync 2.

I have a DF83 and it works well for both!

Very easy workflow. Can do a hot or cold start. No WDT needed (but I do it as I like the process - mindful meditative etc) I believe it’s worth the extra compared to the DF83 which has unknown longevity, quality control can be suspect and parts used are inferior compared to something like the philos.

I made the same jump about 6 months ago and went from an Encore to a DF83 I found on marketplace, I love it

DF83 on the grinder. (that's a full stop, IMHO, it'll do espresso and everything else that you ever get into) I'm partial to the AscasoDream because I have one, but anything that's a heat exchanger/thermoblock (instead of single boiler) is great for the home barista and the use-case you describe. Open-box and refurb machines will absolutely stretch your dollar. But, unless you are a tinkerer, I'd suggest sticking to reliable sellers (SGC, WLL, etc.) and not Craigslist or eBay. Might consider a Bambino Plus and with the little bit of money left over, get all of the accoutrement that you'll invariably find are necessary - some more than others - (e.g., scales, WDTs, towels, cups, brushes, pitchers, extra portafilters, upgraded baskets, etc.), The Profitec (as many others have suggested) would be a good choice too, I just personally dislike the aesthetic. Since you have a little wiggle room in your budget to get, consider style some...you and your partner are going to have to look at this thing everyday. I assure you that if I had a massive science-experiment looking Lelit Bianca sitting out on the counter instead of my sleek "space-age" looking Ascaso, my wife and I would have different conversations about the "coffee bar".

DF83 that probably cost me too much by the time I added SSP burrs 🤣 I chose it because there was a lot of hype around them at the time as a good flat burr grinder for the price. I probably could have gone with 64 and saved some money, in retrospect. I don't know what benefit I'm getting from the larger burrs. And my stock burrs were either defective or just super out of whack and I could never align them. I didn't have that problem once I bought some SSP burrs, but, of course, that was another few hundred dollars. I've also added a Cremaloop slow feeder and that drastically improved consistency. I'm pretty happy with it at this point, but I've spent around $1,100 total and that feels like so much when I could have gotten a Niche zero or something similar that other people recommend for like half the cost.