TIMEMORE - Sculptor 078S

For both espresso and pourover with a budget of $900, I highly recommend looking at the [Timemore Sculptor 078S ](https://www.amazon.com/TIMEMORE-Sculptor-Electric-Coarseness-Adjustment/dp/B0DNZ3SKCN). It's a solid flat burr grinder that is an excellent value proposition considering the quality you get. Things I like... + Flavor separation (especially in espresso) is the best you are going to get for under $900. + The sliding chute, fines knocker, and magnetic catch cup are great QoL improvements. + The build quality is superb. It's a cast all-metal body. As a result, it's somewhat heavy, which may not be ideal for some. For me, I absolutely love it. + It's remarkably quiet. Perfect if you don't want to wake up others when brewing coffee in the morning. Things I don't like... - The small hopper makes larger batches more challenging. I still keep my Sette 30 ➡️ 270 conical burr grinder to make cold brew every week. I also use a 3D printed a hopper extension for french press when we have several folks over wanting coffee. - Disassembly is somewhat more difficult compared to many other grinders. Recommend picking up a bottle of Grindz for routine cleanings in lieu of full disassembly. - 78mm flat burrs are not a common size and may limit future upgradability. I upgraded from the Niche and it's been my daily driver for over a year now. I have zero regrets and no desire to upgrade to anything else, after trying some grinders that are twice the price without any improvement.

I had a ton of success with the baratza encore, but it is probably better suited for espresso and not pour overs. After upgrading to the sculptor 78s, I realized the encore produced a ton of fines even at the coarse settings I used for pour overs.

I should also add .. I’m not sure “a ton of fines” is accurate. It definitely produced less uniform grinds than, say, the sculptor (visually obvious, not just suspicion). It also had poor retention so I had to add a bellow.

As stated above, two grinders is the solution at this price point You could get two very nice grinders that target both your needs separately. No single grinder will hit all these points without swapping burrs, which is often a bit of work. I'm currently using a two grinder setup (that is well under your budget) for this reason. I really enjoy my timemore 078s (1100 canadian) for our espresso. I have no issues with dark or light roasts in it. It's not perfect, but no grinder is. But for the price point, I am very happy. To go up from here price wise doesn't make sense to me unless you plan on swapping burrs regularly per bean. As for filter, I opted for a pietro with the pro burrs (670 cad). This is a manual grinder, but I absolutely adore it for it's clarity and vibrancy so far. If you want something that's a little better rounded for more beans, the 1zspresso max is a great option as well. And if you want something electric for filter, people have spoke highly of the timemore 078 with its turbo burrs. It's the same price as the espresso model above. Happy shopping

I have a 078s and don't really like it for pourover. My main issue is 1) interchangeability of grind settings. When going from coarse to fine, you will get stuck a few times when adjusting down to the espresso settings. Just have to be patient with this but too much work for the cup of pourover 2) don't really like the cup I'm getting with 078s, I'm not an expert but I prefer cups from my Zp6. My 078s is now exclusively for espresso or moka pot

This grinder isn't 0 retention so there is bound to be Coffee grounds left between the burrs after each grind. The coarse coffee powder tend to get stuck in between the burrs as I am adjusting to finer setting. That's because when I turn the burrs closer together, the coarse powder get jarred in between the burr. The grinder will need to grind them down to the size before you can turn it further. So you have to repeat this process until you reach the final espresso setting. Luckily the motor on the 078s is strong enough so there shouldn't be any issues. But there is a slight risk if you are using greasy dark roast, you might jam the grinder and stall the motor.

Yea that's what I'm doing. You are not supposed to adjust grinder when it is stationary precisely because you will cause it to get stuck more. But even so, I have to do 2-3 adjustments before reaching espresso

crossposting my 078s review: > I recently got the timemore 078s and no regrets 5 months in (very happy, actually). I drink very-to-ultra-light-roast aiming for clarity (eg. washed coffees from kenya by manhattan, that kind of stuff). I slow feed for pourover and get very clear brews. put the full dose in for espresso for convenience and still very clear (though the difference is huge, I need to grind two full pegs smaller when slow feeding espresso). > downsides: toggle is weird, the dial should have the numbers on the side, I’m not a fan of the look of it (though I don’t like any expensive grinder for that). > recommended!

I'd lean on 078s. one of the quirks of the sculptor grinder is that it needs a ton of coffee to season the burrs, and a year old timemore is perfect for skipping that process

This list seems somehow outdated, and is missing some important items, that are popular and offering a great value. Hand grinders: **Kingrinder K6, K2, K0, Timemore C3S, C2S** Electric: **Zerno Z1**, soon also **Z2** (80mm, now in a prototype stage), **Mazzer Philos, DF64V, Sculptor 078s,064, and Lagom 01** (although grinders with burrs larger than 83 mm is a rather niche ultra-high-end, so not sure really, if EK43, P100 and L01 make sense to be included in such a list) Also: In this list, the **Fellow Ode2** is placed in "budget-friendly", while **Fellow Opus** in "mid-range/prosumer"?? :) Ode costs almost twice as Opus, and while Ode is rather popular for manual brews, Opus is not that popular neither for brew, nor for espresso, although technically "it can do both". (edit to add) Also missing, the **DF54** low-cost electric grinder.

Agree. The built-in has limitations. Does not like high hardness light beans at all. And it’s a huge pain if it gets stalled. But if you’re getting cute and trying out light roasts, you either slow feed a couple beans at a time or upgrade. (I like my TimeMore 078S)

TimeMore struggles some with light roasts but has a protective shutoff. And getting them out of the grinder is as easy as twisting the setting to a coarser grind and tuning the machine back on.

Same. I rdt and double check before turning it off.

I use a hand grinder for pour over. I like being able to grind by hand, and for filter it doesn’t take all that long. But, for espresso I use an electric as grinding that fine by hand isn’t all that nice. I’ve had electric grinders for filter, and hand grinders for espresso, but find that my current setup is best for me. This would be the case if I had the money for a much more expensive grinder as well I’m using a 1Zpresso ZP6, and a Timemore Sculptor 078s.

I have the Timemore 078S and use it for both filter and espresso. I can’t comment on the Mazzer, but the 078S is good for both IMO.

The answer is absolutely yes, and the best recommendation will depend so much on what kind of beans you like, what kind of drinks you like, and your budget. But if it were me, these would be my top choices for a two-in-one (I do both pourover and espresso, but I lean towards pourover these days): If you're willing to hand grind, 1zpresso K-Ultra or Comandante would be outstanding. Kingrinder K6 on a budget. A lot of people find this tedious but it's actually my preferred method and I swear by my 1zpressos. You won't beat a hand grinder for price to quality, and you'll save space. For electric, Lagom Mini would be fantastic and space saving, or a Lagom Casa. Timemore 078s for a slightly higher budget. If you want to blow your budget, you've got TONS of options. Lagom P64, Zerno Z1, WPM ZP-1, Acaia Orbit, Lagom O1...we could go on. The DF grinders are an option I guess...Excellent bang for your buck but I personally do not like them or recommend them at all (I have a DF64 Gen 2 and...let's just say it's gonna be gone soon).

1Zpresso K-Pro + Timemore Sculptor 078s Mostly use the K-Pro.

Both are excellent for and really geared toward filter/pour over. They can handle mom’s pot but not true espresso. Low end of Ode Gen 2 is around 250-300 microns and 078 is 370. The 078S and 064S can both grind finder and do True espresso. But from everything I gather, those birds don’t produce as good of a pour over cup. I had actually ordered the 078S first because I wanted to future proof it if I ever got into espresso, but ended up returning it without opening the box because I got a lot of feedback that it wasn’t as good for pour over. For what you’re looking for, Ode Gen 2 will give you most bang for your buck and pretty great price-quality ratio. The 078 is incredible and a noticeable improvement over the the Ode Gen 2, but it is basically twice the price - and the cups aren’t twice as good. Still worth it in my opinion.

Ode Gen 2 is great, as is Timemore 078 (though slightly above the budget you mentioned). I own both, and think that each offer incredible value at their price point

Both are excellent for and really geared toward filter/pour over. They can handle mom’s pot but not true espresso. Low end of Ode Gen 2 is around 250-300 microns and 078 is 370. The 078S and 064S can both grind finder and do True espresso. But from everything I gather, those birds don’t produce as good of a pour over cup. I had actually ordered the 078S first because I wanted to future proof it if I ever got into espresso, but ended up returning it without opening the box because I got a lot of feedback that it wasn’t as good for pour over. For what you’re looking for, Ode Gen 2 will give you most bang for your buck and pretty great price-quality ratio. The 078 is incredible and a noticeable improvement over the the Ode Gen 2, but it is basically twice the price - and the cups aren’t twice as good. Still worth it in my opinion.

I have an Ode Gen 2 and Timemore 078 and couldn’t more highly recommend either, depending on how much you want to spend. Either will make a MASSIVE difference in your brews…both in quality and consistency. As I saw at least one other person mention here - you can get a great grinder cheaper if you want to go the hand grinder route. But that’s a whole nother decision and set of variables to think about

I much prefer the 078. It’s just like a better version of the Ode, in every way. But it’s 2X the price. It’s not twice as good, but enough of an improvement to be worth it. But depends on your preference. You could also get an Ode Gen 2 and a great hand grinder (like a ZP6) for less than the cost of an 078, then have the potential to create brews with two very different cup profiles. I’m a proponent of buy once cry once…or at least try. So I’d recommend going for the “best” that is in your budget. Otherwise you’ll probably be upgrading again sooner rather than later anyway….

I didn’t have alignment issues on either grinder. They were good on that out of the box. Both needed seasoning. If you’re coming from an inferior grinder, out of the box it will be a massive improvement - but both need at least 2-3kg min to really start to shine. You’ll see noticeable improvement and consistency after that. **Quirks** —Ode Gen 2: need to use RDT to minimize retention. The anti-static knocker doesn’t work that great, you’ll need to regularly brush out the area to clear retained beans. —078: the popcorning is as bad as advertised. You’ll want to get the Timemore hopper extension or something ne of the 3rd party hopped on Etsy. Also good to RDT, otherwise retains more fines, especially around the knocker. Also re the knocker - want to wait a min or two after grinding for it to work. **What I drink** I only drink light to very light roast. But within that roast profile, everything under the sun: virtually every type of bean from everywhere, from the lighted washed beans, to natural, to thermal shock, advanced processing and co-ferments. **Re the 078 being so so or muted with washed coffee.** If you’re new to pour over or still mastering the process, you won’t come close to experiencing anything like this IMO. From what I’ve seen that opinion is led here/or most often shared by u/Impossible_Cow_9178. Who is a wealth of knowledge and I love it any time he chimes in on this sub. But keep in mind at any given time he has 15-20 grinders, and I would bet at least a handful costing $1K+ at any given time (and some $2K, $3K+). For most people the 078 will be the largest burr size they’ve used to date - and they will appreciate the additional benefit that gives to the grind distribution size and quality. I think he has a 98mm EK43 and 83 MM HG-1…. Think of it like this: you might have a Toyota or Honda in your garage and you’re thinking of getting an M3/M5/XM or a Corvette…vehicles that for most people would be a noticeable step up in performance and comfort, and a vehicle that could happily be their daily driver indefinitely. Whereas he, and some of the others who find the 078 boring - they have a fleet of many cars…maybe a great Toyota or Honda, maybe a nice Bimmer, but also a Bugatti, Rolls, Ducati and many others. They’ve been driving with nice cars for so long, something has to be really special to stand out. And just regular nice and great is a little boring.

This. I have daily driven 078s for some time for espresso and pour over and it handled it very well. I had 0.2 gram retention after many months off use and basically 0 exchanged retention (which is the more important retention). I'd like to go a bit coarser on pour over though, but it is fine

I have a Timemore Sculptor 078s, and what it puts into your portafilter is excellent... but I'll tell you, the bean hopper design is pretty bullshit. You have to choose between NOT rdt'ing, so your beans slide nicely down the chute, and then you get bean powder clinging to every surface of the machine.... Or you rdt and your beans clump in the chute, so you have to open the lid several times per shot to poke them down, and then you have popcorning everywhere around the machine. People make 3rd party hoppers and adapters, but they are expensive with expensive shipping and why did this stupid hopper make it past testing and to consumers? /end rant

Check out the Timemore Sculptor 064 or the 078s if you can stretch, great for filter, low retention, and built for light roast clarity

The slightly larger hopper on the Ode is kind of an underrated quality of life feature. Its the perfect size for doing a 60g batch brew, the catch cup is also appropriately sized to catch all of it. I have the 078S as my espresso grinder and it is def a single serve focused design. You'll be grinding 15g 4 times because you also want to cover the hopper while grinding or else the popcorning can be annoying. Also the catch cup I don't think would hold 60g so you'll be using a different one or also be doing that part in sections. Taste is king but these little things matter too!

K-Ultra will give you better performance, about Electric grinder look for Baratza Forté BG will give you better than you expect. If you prefer single dose look for Timemore Sculptor 078/078S or Ode2.

Hello! I have a steel burred vario that I did basic burr alignment (tin foil and dry erase marker EK43 style) on and recently purchased an 078! I immediately noticed my cups taste cleaner with the 078, but am not totally confident in the 078 yet. I am still going back and forth right now on preference as I have been cursed with a bag of coffee I am not really enjoying right now. My overall impression is that the 078 makes a clearer cup with less body, not tasting quite as full and juicy at times, but let me get back to you once I have some coffees I enjoy more and dial in properly. I typically drink light-medium coffees. Subtext, September, Luna, etc. The coffee I am struggling with is from AMOC and is quite overdeveloped, which is why I can’t give good thoughts on the grinder yet it is smokey and astringent no matter what I do. Feel free to send me a message or I can try to remember to come back to this thread when I get into some better coffees

Fair enough! I can sympathize with that. I just brewed some Luna Layo Teraga which is a fairly light washed ethiopian. It is quite old now but at least it isnt burdened with an overdeveloped profile. I brewed it on both the Vario and the 078 side by side, booth are dialed in nicely and resulted in the same brew time +/- 5 seconds. I can say for sure that the Vario has a more upfront acidity and fuller body. Tastes jucier. As it cools, it is not as clear and structured, and some brown notes start to come up. More astringent/tannic feeling. Timemore is maybe a little less exciting upon the first few sips. Isn't as juicy and doesn't have the same upfront acidity. As it cools, it is noticably more clear and lower astringency. I reckon this is simply by nature of being a highly unimodal grinder. This said, I do sometimes feel like cups from the 078 don't bring the same punch and excitement than the Vario. I know this isnt very empirical by any means -- it is largely just my conjecture from accumulated experience with these grinders. That said, I do notice a pronounced difference between the two grinders, though I can not say which is better. I am definitely of the mind that the Vario and Forte (worked with a forte professionally for a few years) are extremely capable even when compared to an EK43 (worked with an EK professionally for a few years as well). I haven't been 100% satisfied with my Timemore yet but again, I just think I need to crack into some coffees I enjoy more as the timing of my 078 purchase fell perfectly in line with me running out of a few amazing coffees and being stuck with this super mid coffee from AMOC.

Honestly, if you’re brewing medium and dark roasts for espresso, it’s hard to beat the Niche Zero for UX. If you want a flavor upgrade from your Ode for filter, I absolutely love my 078. The two of those together would still be well within your price range, especially if you can find a 078 secondhand ($600-650 is reasonable). A secondhand niche can be found for $500 or less very easily these days. You could probably find a nice 83 mm grinder and put some lab sweet SSP burrs in there and get a pretty good compromise, but if you’re changing grind sizes between espresso and filter constantly, it’s not going to be the most delightful experience. I have two grinders myself now, and I think it’s the way to go.

Yes, depending on how “light” and “medium” the actual specific roasters you’re buying from are - I drink very very light roasts for filter, and I think the 078 is amazing. Whether you’ll like the Niche or another espresso grinder best is more of a preference question; there are so many options these days (Lagom Casa, DF54/64/83, Eureka Mignon series…) that are all pretty good that you can kinda pick your favorite based on price, workflow, and aesthetics. My espresso grinder is a DF83 with SSP HU burrs, and if I were buying today at the $1000-and-under price point, I’d probably stick with that, except upgrade to the DF83V for a quieter motor and better feeding mechanism. Love the HUs though.

I used to own the Niche, replaced it with the 078 and now I don't feel like I will be buying a new grinder any time soon. It's fantastic for pour overs, and I stopped drinking espressos

Get the Pietro with Brew burrs, I have an 078 and the Pietro… both are great but the Pietro is king. The Pietro with Pro Brew burrs and 078 work extremely well together.

I think the Timemore 078 is a good choice. I personally use an Ode Gen 2 alongside my ZP6. If I could go back in time and had a slightly higher budget, I'd get the 078. However, if you get a good deal on the Ode Gen 2, it's definitely also a good grinder. I use the stock burrs btw. I like it as a combo with the ZP6 because they can give you quite a different cup with the same coffee. For some coffees I actually prefer the Ode. I have had serious RSI issues due to my day job. Having an electric grinder helped me a lot! I have basically no pain now thanks to that. I'd definitely switch to an electric, I think it'll really help you

HI gang...I have the 078 that I got for a deal off of kickstarter last yr (US$500)....am thinking complimenting it with a handgrinder that is flexible across the spectrum of light to med dark (I only do pourover/french/aeropress)..thinking of the pietro or k ultra...sure i like to pick out flavours (but am still a newbie at this) but sometimes a well integrated cup with medium body is equally enjoyable without getting overly analytical. FYI: I had the ZP6 and sold it for the Timemore 078

Another 078 owner here. It is just really really good. Not just performance but the user experience is really nice as well. Quiet, clean, not fussy. I don't see myself needing to upgrade for a very long time.

Definitely 078. I got mine recently and the experience with drinking naturals and more processed coffees is excellent. Incredibly juicy 

Timemore 078 is an absolute unit compared to the Ode Gen 2. The tolerances alone are worth the upgrade. That plus bigger burrs, burr geometry and lower rpm make it a noticeable improvement. 

That Timemore will be my next grinder for pour over for sure

You already have a Niche Zero, don't get a 078s. 078 is on sale from Timemore's own website right now with 20% off code S20 While Timemore 078 is a mess without some hopper mods, I otherwise really like it. I consider it a significant step up from Ode 2 in both build quality and grind quality. If you like something battery powered and/or more portable and/or more like your ZP6, some people have been loving on the Femobook a4z lately, but I don't have any personal experience.

I do have some expensive grinders - but I don’t necessarily think you need to spend a lot to get good results. I would take an A4Z every time over the 078, and it’s considerably less expensive, smaller, better built and a superior workflow. I’ve heard other folks online like the coffee chronicler and others mention they also much prefer the A4Z’s cups to the 078, but I have yet to hear the other way around. Not saying it can’t/wouldn’t happen - because there are bound to be folks that prefer the more subdued 078 profile, but I haven’t heard it yet. I will say the 078 has a very interesting and unique mouthfeel - so it does have something different going for it with the turbo burrs - but I just don’t like the cups from it, and I don’t particularly like using it either.

Use specialized coffee water and upgrade your grinder and the combo will be a night and day difference. You do not need to spend $1k, or even $800 on an 078 to get amazing results. A $500 Femobook A4Z or a $260 Millab M01 hand grinder will both outperform an 078 for filter. If you’re not opposed to hand grinding (it isn’t much time or effort) the Millab M01 is the best price to performance ratio on the market right now, knocking the ZP6 from it’s former top spot.

What’s completely laughable is your ignorant and dismissive comment which clearly shows you haven’t done your research. This [Q grader](https://coffeechronicler.com/femobook-a4z-a5-review/) in his review posted AFTER my original review and comments about the 078 vs A4Z as well as multiple other industry professionals and Q graders who I have physically stood next to and tasted multiple beans with (A4Z vs 078) side by side have all agreed with this conclusion. I also own these two grinders as I type - the A4Z and 078, pic posted below, and have meaningful time with both platforms across a wide array of different coffee’s. The A4Z provides a clearer, more vibrant, more dynamic cup - period. The A4Z’s performance in cup in terms of flavor separation, clarity and acidity is closer to a big 98mm or 102mm (like the Lagom 01 behind it) than it is to the 078. These are qualities that typically require larger, more powerful and expensive equipment - ergo “better” so if it can perform like larger and far more expensive products and do so in a way that is closer to these more expensive grinders than the 078 can - it is objectively better by definition. Identical story on the M01, which I also own and have done back to back tests with others (actually yesterday with the M01). Now - will everyone like the A4Z cup more? No. Some people want softer, more muted and less intense cups. I in no way said anyone would prefer one over the other - I merely stated these less expensive options will outperform the 078 and many higher end flat burr grinders. Technology has changed this space greatly - and there are flat burrs that taste more conical like than most conicals and visa vera - it’s no longer black and white, now that there are tight tolerance ultra low RPM conicals. The whole BS confirmation bias of the most expensive gear always being the best, and the thought/presumption that to get the best cup of coffee, you need to spend thousands on a large and expensive Titan grinder is absolute rubbish. I own multiple “Titan grinders” and have two more being custom made for me, not because they make objectively better coffee, but because I appreciate the engineering effort, enjoy vaporizing a 15 gram dose of beans in 2 seconds and generally find these big tools entertaining to use. It puts a smile on my face and keeps me having fun in this hobby - but I absolutely don’t suggest others buy expensive grinders for “better cups of coffee” - because they just aren’t. Most of the popular YouTubers will essentially say the same thing, despite their profession being hyping up gear. Grinders at the A4Z and up level are really more about personal preference, workflow, engineering excellence and emotion than they are about “being better” or feeling like you’re missing something in cup, because you aren’t. My entire point in my message above was you don’t need to spend $1k to get a good grinder. You don’t even need to spend $500. The 078 is a nice grinder - and it’s likely to stay on my counter as a dedicated funky co-ferment grinder when the two additional big boys I am waiting on show up later this year. It’s been hyped up for a few years now, and despite its issues - it’s still solid, but if you have a cup from the 078 then follow it up with a cup of the same bean from the A4Z, it’s like someone turned the lights up in a dimly lit room. https://preview.redd.it/ydmmf96jfanf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cce492bbaaf2064e24650e31f989c7d1a08ca8fc

No worries - appreciate your response, this level of transparency and honesty is refreshing! I have generally found that “having a few cups” off a grinder is next to useless. Even side by side comparisons where variables are fixed is useless. Some grinders have a sweet spot at coarser settings with faster draw downs, others the opposite - some really shine brightest with certain types of coffees, or different water compositions. Perhaps most critical - some grinders are incredibly forgiving and make everything taste great - others can tickle the heights of perfection, but have a pinhole sized window of magic, and around that is punishment. The 078 is a solid pour over grinder. Toss \~$100 or so in mods like the aftermarket hopper I have (with trap door for hot starts and a slow feed insert) and the magnetic grind setting arrow and most of the gripes one could have about it are dissolved. There’s simply no practical reason to go out and buy another grinder and feel the need to upgrade, unless you seek more acidity and are looking for a more edgy profile. Personally (and this is entirely my preference) I find the 078 rather boring and uninspiring, but this is outstanding for co-ferments that benefit from being toned down and restrained a bit. The 078 also has a very unique and extremely pleasant mouthfeel - and that alone warrants its admiration. The 078 is great, you should look at it and use it with immense pride. Most would say (myself included) it beats the dickens out of a current EK43 running the stock EK burrs for pour over - so really unless you just want to fiddle with more stuff or really seek more vibrancy - don’t be swayed by others options out on the market. Even then, consider the M01 - which is criminally underrated and less $ than the Femobook since you already have a big electric grinder. My entire point is really to highlight the fact than in 2025 - there are a dizzying array of amazing options for pour over lovers, and now you don’t have to spend big $ to max out high end beans. At a coffee club meet up earlier this week, despite there being a dozen grinders on the table, several of which in the four figure range, when someone cracked open their bag of $500/lb Sey Gesha - they wanted it ground on the M01 pineapple burrs… not the 078 we had been doing comparisons with (there was also an 078 SSP on the table, P64, Lagom 01 with 102 brew burrs available, etc). While I am not advocating buying more gear - the owner of that box of Sey in the photo got on his phone and placed an order for the M01 after he drank a few sips from that brew. (Ground at setting 9 on the M01, brewed on the Orea Z1 at 96c, four pours with a 1:14.5 ratio). This individual also owns a Timemore 078 and a Lagom 01 with 102 SSP HU burrs. For posterities sake - i’m not saying the M01 is better than the Lagom 01 - but I will say 6 of the 7 of us greatly preferred the M01 over the 078. Prior to brewing that Sey we had done a brew with a Gesha from Luminous, and 6 of the 7 of us immediately and strongly preferred the M01. The one 078 hold out ended up making three 078 brews with the same Luminous Gesha to try to beat the one M01 brew - none of which could sway the groups preference. That lone hold out now claims they’re going to pickup an M01, although I don’t know if he’s placed an order. In any event - for \~$260 or whatever the current sale price is on the M01 - you can buy a conical hand grinder capable of grinding to espresso fine levels that a group of coffee nerds (some of which in this sample group are industry professionals) all think bests a 78mm hyper specific filter only flat burr grinder 3X+ it’s cost from the same company. It’s a great time to be in this hobby. https://preview.redd.it/pj59edbydenf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97ac0a9daa44cf2768b235e2c073de73e438e378

If you're needing to grind 60g at a time you can count the casa out, probably the P64 and varia too. The casa hopper (is it really a hopper?) supposedly holds 30g, I can comfortably feed it 37g in one go, but a 60g dose you'd definitely need to feed it in two parts. I think 60g would be pushing it for all of the hoppers you've mentioned, although I think both the ode and timemore have extended hoppers available if needed.

If you are gonna get the 078 do a search on workflow issues and disassembly. I returned sold mine as I encountered a stuck hidden bean fragment more often than not (thus is some fragment not being ground for some reason). And I also didn't trust the longevity of it as the motor noise changed and increased after the first disassembly (I follow the YouTube guide step by step). Just a piece of advise.

I'm a tu ally considering this. I had a fellow ode gen 2, then got a df64v with ssp MP, then timemore 078 (sold it), then added the oden gen2 burrs to the df64v and I'm happy with it. I am considering getting the pietro just because it is so much praised here and it seems to be close to the EK43. But I'm a bit worried about hand grinidjng being annoying and me not using it too much.

The 078 would give the most similar profile to the zp6, but at double the price of the Ode 2 I think is not worth it.

Not enough time to say anything about longevity, but no complaints here. Also, can’t remember anyone here having problems with it. There is also some communities on FB and Discord with lots of sculptor owners and I have seen only one guy having a small issue with his electric board I think. Timemore sent him a replacement part. About the bean fragments, it’s true, but it is a small annoyance. A small bean fragment sometimes gets stuck somewhere on the chamber and you can hear it - changing the rpm or grind setting back and forth usually solves this, or simply letting the grinder run for extra seconds also works.

I think both the 078s and the Lagom Casa is geared more towards espresso if you are only doing espresso 30% of the time. Of those two the Casa will have a lot more fines. I think the Lagom Mini would be your best bet for an all rounder filter focused. It is supposedly similar to a Comandante C40 or a K-Ultra but motorized plus people like it for espresso too. Or a flat burr that can grind for both would be something like the Baratza Vario W+. You would need steel burrs not ceramic. But like others have said it is kind of annoying to have one grinder for both filter and espresso. If you are willing to spend $600+ you could probably afford 2 though. I know hand grinding for espresso sucks but since this is the pourover sub. I would say go all out on a filter focused grinder like the Timemore 078 or the Fellow Ode 2 then get an espresso focused grinder later on like a df54 or df64.

Ode gen 2 is great at making pleasant coffee and good for its price. High quality light roast coffee is gonna taste quite a bit more interesting if you go up one notch to Timemore 078 for electric or ZP6/Pietro for manual. The clarity and lower fines makes a big difference in my experience. 

078 user here and I really like it. It will probably be my end game filter grinder. Great build quality and good cup profile. Worth the price? Yes but once the luster of a new grinder wears off I’d say I’d be just as happy with the ode gen 2 (especially since it’s on sale for prime day)

If you're not in a rush and can stretch your budget slightly I'd try to look around and find a deal on a used Timemore 078. You're really close to the price point and it is a pretty big step up from other other two

Timemore 078 for electric or Pietro for hand grinder. I will also say that the much cheaper Ode Gen 2 will get you within 95% of them.

There's a user floating around who has a ton of premium hand grinders and he's a big fan of the millab m01, not so much of the 078.

Ode 2 will be the best value per dollar, the others might be better but not proportionally so. I have the 078 which I got 30% off on the kickstarter, and it is phenomenal.

I have the 078 and all I can say is that it's fantastic. There are other great grinders that fit your budget, but this one is phenomenal in my experience. I also have a K-max, and it is blown out of the water by the 078... Great grinder, 1/4 of the price, but they are NOT equals in the cup.

Any MP burrs are great, but are not quite like the ZP6 per se. MP’s are usually very acidity forward, and the ZP6 is floral and clarity driven. Not the same profile. Timemore 078 with a slow feeder and low RPMs is probably closest.

The Timemore 078 is an incredible grinder, if it's in your budget I highly recommend it. Don't get the 078s, that is mostly for espresso. The turbo burrs are a very rounded, juicy cup that has less pronounced acidity. If you want more of a acidity forward cup, I recommend getting the SSP MP burs. They can also do really great modern espresso and pour over, I think they're similar to the SSP lab sweet 64s The Ode Gen 2 is great, but I don't think it's going to last me forever. The stock burrs are a good middle ground with decent clarity, the SSP MPS are super clear and definitely my favorite over the stock burrs. If you can afford the 078 or 078 SSP, I think you should go for that

Grinder: Try pour over with your solito first. If it leaves you wanting, try the timemore sculptor.  Kettle: Timemore fish smart or Brewista Artisan Brewing Scale: Hario Polaris or Maestri S3 Hario V60: get your favorite color (Whether in glass, porcelain, or plastic is up to you) Filter: Timemore Server: Kinto Oct, Kinto Sepia, or Timemore Drinking Vessel: Duralex Picardie 310 ml

Handgrinding for espresso is suck given form. Unless you practice some sort of self harm, I would suggest getting motorized grinder. With grinders, riddle me this: Do you want to single dose or do you want your dosing to be done by your grinder? If you want to single dose, get the sculptor. If you want your grinder to dose for yourself, get Eureka, preferably one of the bigger ones. Or, if you want the option to hand grind while also not needing to hand grind, Goat Story makes hand grinder with motorized stand.

that really depends on the grinder, i have no issue with the timemore sculptor series. but static can also be helped a lot by a small spritz of water on the beans before grinding. I'd still rather have a but more maintenance than the cost of replacing both grinder and machine when something breaks and the general worse price to quality ratio of combo machines

Love my sculptor. Paying that much for aesthetics alone is pretty rough though lol

Just change the 1z for the timemore electric. Nobody likes manually grinding coffee firsr thing in the morning

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