TIMEMORE - Sculptor 064S

Grind finer, brew hotter. If you do go with an electric grinder eventually (not that it's necessary) I have the 64s paired with a 58+, and love it. I'm playing with different baskets but feel like upgrading my grinder from here would be serious diminishing returns. Maybe look at swapping burrs down the road solely for experimentation.

I think the K-Ultra is more than capable of producing good espresso. If you're getting sour shots, I'd recommend pulling a longer ratio and/or a preinfusion phase before percolation. If you do want an electric grinder anyway, I have the 064s and I'm really happy with it for multiple brew methods and espresso styles. People also like the other grinders you mentioned so I don't think you can really go wrong.

At those prices I'd go with the 064s. (I have an 078s and I love it!). The 064s has the advantage that you can later upgrade to aftermarket burrs, which may further improve your clarity.

Super happy with my sculptor 64s

1zpresso JX-Pro, no retention, grinds fast, doable for espresso, good mouthfeel for both V60 and espresso with light medium roasts. If you like your coffee like froufrou tea, look elsewhere. Timemore 064s. No retention with knocker built in. But couple small sprays of fine mist helps keep static down. Good for pour over and espresso.

I've gone deep into the rabbit hole this last week as a little less of a noob, but not really into high end stuff, and my conclusion landed hard on "buy the best grinder for your preferred results and work flow". You should nail that down first IMO. Do you like clarity over body? bright or chocolaty? Do you need a timed grind? Dosing basket is ok? single dose or hopper? What are you drinking? How do you like your espresso? Currently based on a triangulation of thick texture preference, ascetics, feature set, strong reviews, and price is the Timemore 64S. The thing that is really hard about grinders is figuring out how to get the flavor and texture you want. The reviews can be all over the place. Tunin DT64 with the upgraded SSP High uniformity is my 2nd choice for a nice syrupy texture at the same price, but the reputation and build isn't as nice as the timemore, and I kinda hate the idea of bellows. i have a BBE ATM, but the Timemore + Bambino Plus is kinda my current goals if this one dies.

64S still in budget technically. and the DF64 + SSP HU is like $15 cheaper and more work. I dunno... if I had a $600 budget, I'd def get the Timemore

Timemore 64S was also A tier, almost S tier, and is $600

Have the latter as my first one and I'm happy with it so far! I can switch beans cup to cup without much issue. I like the workflow. Can compare only to eureka mignon specialita. Of the two I like timemore sculptor better because I prefer single dosing and I like the big wheel better. The eureka is a good grinder though suitable for espresso at a much lower price.

Like others are saying, for electric Ode 2 w/ SSP or Timemore 064/78 are good bets. (I recently bought the 064S.) But if you don't mind hand grinding you'd get more value with your money there. I'd advise against the Niche. Just not worth that money.

great grinder, but i don't think they can be had for under USD$550 anymore, post Kickstarter, no?

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.

Timemore 64s. If you buy from [Millab.com](http://Millab.com) I have a 10 percent off coupon you can try. It did take about a month for me to receive my order but they may have caught up with the supply. Coupon code is SCULPTOR10

Sculptor 064s is amazing.

064s will do much better on filter with stock burrs, and imo be a better grinder and platform overall

Have u considered a timemore 064s that's what i use for both filter and espresso and i love it. can't see that it's been mentioned on this thread. It is my first electric grinder though so nothing really to compare it too but I find going from filter to espresso reasonably easy on it

Really easy honestly I love it. yeah 1 or 2 beans may get stuck u just push them in with your finger. Lance has it quite high up his list of grinders the main reason I went for it was because I wanted to do both espresso and filter had it 2 months now and no regrets at all

I'm rocking a timemore 064s that I use for both and love it i use it for espresso v60 and clever dripper

About 0.1-0.2 grams of retention is what I’m getting with a 064s too, and at least some of that just gets stuck to a dosing cup and to inner walls of the grinder nozzle, and is easily removed by the blower they included with the unit. I don’t think that that stuff exchanges though, as after going from a pourover grind to an espresso setting, I get the exact extraction time/yield both on the first shot, and on consecutive ones.

I know it's months later and you probably already figure out the best grinder for your needs, but I have to mention for future buyers needing advice, that everyone here replying totally ignored your question which specifically asked for the best grinder for dark roast. Ode 2, the electrical Timemore, ZP6, etc are not good, they're light roast dedicated and they excel at that. That being said, why do you want anything other than your Encore for dark roast? You're not getting good results? The Encore is excellent for your needs, the more expensive ones are dedicated for light roasts and for one, they will result in a bad tasting dark roast, and second, they will get issues line clogging and require high maintenance with dark roast beans. The only thing I would get to complement the Encore would be a manual grinder for portability and variety, you would do good with a 1Zpresso J Ultra or Timemore C3

So to start, I'd say you get a flat bottom dripper instead of a v60/conical dripper. Tho if you're steadfast on this brewer then thats fine, just know that v60 tend to require precision for good brews- unless you have the perfect particle distribution on your grinder. Which brings me to another point; Coffee Grinders. Depending on how you want your coffee to taste, a grinder with a specific type of burrset will be your best friend in that situation. • Hand grinders, albeit 99% of them are conical burrs, are the cheapest and yet most flexible option for the price range. [E.g. Comandante's Nitro-blade and 1zpresso's X-series have a more sweeter profile, and K-series are more acidity driven.] • Electric grinders on the other hand tend to have a gap between conical and flat burrs for different price ranges. For v60 sweeter profile, I'd go for a flat burr grinder like Fellow Ode, Timemore sculptor, or DF54. Keep in mind that no matter which grinder, it will vary alot in terms of clarity and roundness in the cup. Also make sure you use the right water quality for brewing, as it can decide whether it will make it more difficult for you or make it easier to brew.

At least do enough research to decide between your preferences for conical vs. flat burrs. Niches (both zero and duo) along with the rest of the conical burrs make more fines in their particle size distributions. That gives more body but may make the espresso more “muddy”. Flat burr grinders like DF64/83, Timemore 64/78, Zerno Z1, Acacia Orbit, Lagom Option-O, and of course the Weber EG-1 (roughly in order of increasing price) will yield fewer fines and a thinner cup but with more clarity. Generally people who like lighter roasts tend to like flat burrs. People who like medium and darker may either not have a preference or even prefer the body you get from conical.

I use the Mahlkonig x54 for espresso, love the flavor that comes out of it, but it also retains lot if you single dose it; wouldn’t fully recommend it. I would recommend any of the Timemore 064s/078s.

# **Without philosophizing in the answer, you have two options: a handgrinder, or electric grinder.** — ## **🔹 Hand Grinders** ### **High-End Options:** - **1Zpresso K-Ultra** – External adjustment, versatile for both pourover & espresso. - **1Zpresso J-Max** – 8.8-micron steps, optimized for espresso but handles pourover. - **Kinu M47 Phoenix / Classic** – Precise & durable, great for both. - **Comandante C40 MK4** – Ideal for pourover; needs *Red Clix* for better espresso dialing. - **Timemore Chestnut S3** – Stepless adjustment, more suited for pourover. - **1Zpresso ZP6** – Produces ultra-clean grinds, excelling in filter brews. ### **Mid-Range Options:** - **1Zpresso JX-Pro** – Espresso-friendly with finer adjustments than JX. - **Timemore Chestnut C3 ESP** – Budget option with espresso-compatible burrs, decent for pourover. - **1Zpresso X-Pro** – Compact, external adjustment, slower but espresso-capable. — ## **⚡ Electric Grinders** ### **High-End Options:** - **Mahlkönig EK43** – The gold standard in specialty coffee shops. - **Weber EG-1** – Premium single-dose grinder for all brew methods. - **Lagom P100** – High-performance, SSP burr options for precision grinding. ### **Mid-Range / Prosumer Options:** - **DF64 Gen 2 / DF64P / DF64E** – Affordable single-dose grinders, great for both. - **Niche Zero** – Top-tier single-dose grinder for espresso & pourover. - **Eureka Mignon Specialita** – Stepless adjustment, solid for espresso & can handle pourover. - **Fellow Opus** – Budget-friendly, designed for both espresso & filter brewing. - **Baratza Vario+ / Sette 270** – Great entry-level grinders with micro-adjustments for espresso. - **Timemore Sculptor 078 / 064S** – New contenders with solid grind consistency. ### **Budget-Friendly Options:** - **Fellow Ode Gen 2** (Needs *SSP burrs* for espresso) – Excellent for pourover, but needs mods for espresso. - **Baratza Encore ESP** – Beginner-friendly with stepped adjustments. - **Eureka Mignon Crono** – Simple & effective for both espresso & filter. — 🔎 **Check reviews before buying**—grind quality & user experience vary. Preferences are subjective!

And I fully agree. If you have 250 € and absolutely cannot go above it - yes, it is. But OP asks about 500£ budget. There are plenty of interesting options here, even Timemore 064 can fit there if you are lucky with price.