TIMEMORE - Sculptor 064S

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.

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.

Super happy with my sculptor 64s

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.

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

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

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.

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!

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