Turin Grinders - DF64

I have owned the following burr grinders, in order: Breville Barista Express built-in, Niche Zero, DF64, Niche Duo. Currently, I use the Niche Zero and Duo, only, with the former servicing my decaf, and the latter servicing my regular. My only brew method is espresso (on a simple garagist-built E61 machine). My main method of puck prep (for my own drinks) is a blind shaker and tamping. Sometimes I use an OCD, if my blind shaker dump is clumsy, even though it seems to mitigate the benefits). My first-gen DF64, despite regular cleaning, is highly self-fouling, and just will not stay in operation, so I stopped using it. At one point, I had all three. I have not tried the gen 2, but I appreciate that it does fix some of the most obnoxious design flaws of the original. As far as delivery of coffee grounds for delicious espresso, I think all three grinders are highly capable. My favorite of the three is the Niche Zero, for a number of reasons. Although its medium-size conical burr does give higher grind variability than the bigger flat burr, the difference is not highly perceptible in espresso. It runs quietly. It's reliable. It doesn't take up much space. It's visually-pleasing. It's easy to work with. The cost is high, but it is not a bad value for money. The glaring weakness is the funnel size not being big enough to fill a pour-over basket. This isn't a problem for me, but the Duo does solve the problem. (However, it's not why I got the Duo.) Unfortunately, while it solves some problems, and offers marginally more uniform grind results, the Duo is louder, takes up more space, costs more money, and for my brew method, delivers a slightly better result, but it's on the verge of imperceptible. The original DF64 was awful to use. Big footprint. Heavy. Loud. Extremely messy. Cheap-feeling parts, and a start-stop switch in the worst possible place for comfort. So, Gen 2 fixes those things and still delivers a really nice flat burr grinder at a price below, or near, the Niche Zero. Sounds great to me; I wouldn't refuse to buy it out of arbitrary loyalty, but I don't need a fourth grinder right now. This is not so for pour-over people (which I'm not) but if your brew method is immersion or espresso, then, at or above the quality of the Niche Zero or DF64, good use of the grinder (i.e. dial-in, puck prep, brew recipe) matters more than the differences in the grinder itself. So, my advice is to choose based upon what you want to operate, look at, listen to, and are willing to take the time to learn to master. That's more important than this brand versus that brand, or what type of burr. But, overall, my workflow experience with the Niche Zero was far more enjoyable and "joyful" than it was with the OG DF64; I would expect the Gen 2 DF64 to be an improvement. I wouldn't discourage anyone from getting one. I would encourage anyone to focus more on *the way that you use it*.

I started my journey with one, but ALL the options mentioned here are much much better. The motor struggles on most all non dark beans. It did die and I did replace it and moved on to the DF series. I saw one or two DF54 chute get clogged and that reminded me of my DF64 Gen1 morning clogs. Those WERE BAD mornnings...really bad. It seems as if ther DF54 has served may well, but I have not personally used. I gifted a Shardor 64 to a girlfriend I gave the Smart Grinder Pro to. She loves it, but is also very happy with the Temp Duo (gifted free) as well. Decisions. Good luck.

100% of people will say breville. cheapest grinder would be baratza encore esp. but id spend more and get a grinder you won't have to upgrade again, ie a df64. grinder is the most important part of good espresso.

I'd personally get a filter-only grinder. Wait for a sale, grab an Ode Gen 2, and buy an espresso grinder when the time comes (DF54 is insane value). The best grinders for double duty are medium-high clarity conical grinders like Comandante, K-Ultra etc IMO. The Femobook A5 and Lagom Casa are a couple electric grinders that are in the same category (I haven't tried either, but they're well reviewed). I previously used a Lagom Mini for both filter and espresso and it was fantastic. The DF54 and 64 both do a decent job at filter, but it's not great. The 64 mm SSP MP burrs are often recommended as a do-it-all burr set, but they are for a very specific espresso profile and they are not beginner friendly for espresso. I didn't enjoy the espresso with them. SSP Cast are supposed to be decent for both, but you're giving up the clarity everyone is always seeking. A couple other decent options that I've tried are Ditting 54mm steel burrs in the Vario+ and Eureka's 50 mm brew burrs in an entry level mignon. The UX is not ideal with either of these setups compared to a grinder designed to single dose. If the Ditting burrs fit in the DF without crazy mods it would be a great option. Edit: I forgot to mention that there are now brew burrs available for the DF54. I'm planning to grab a set to try out once they're available in Canada.

Depends on your budget, I use a DF64 with SSP multimodal burrs but I’d be happy with the DF54 as well. So much value for the dollar.

I have the DF64 v1 with SSP multi modal burrs and it was great with my Silvia and now with my Robot. But I have another grinder for pourover so I can’t speak to that.

We have a cafelat robot and a df64 grinder and an Xbloom studio. A little more than $1000 but that combination makes amazing espresso or really good pour over depending on what you’re feeling like

I purchased my DF64 gen1 from Alibaba back when there wasn't a US distributor yet. Process was fine and I got my grinder pretty quick. No input on the "Eureka" dupes.

It's not elusive. Get a Df64 if you want some aftermarket burrs or just get a df54. I basically always recommend the df54 because I'm super impressed with it great and its extremely affordable for a good grinder.

I've used one lots. Absolutely brilliant. It's pretty small, pretty quiet, the burrs don't shine in any one department but they're good for everything and it's stepless. For $250, it's at the point where you would never need to "upgrade" if you keep it clean, it's also not been very messy and retention is good. Some people have had complaints about mess and static but I think this can depend on environment/ beans as well as keeping it clean. I think it's an absolute no brainer for the money. I've used plenty of more expensive grinders (Niche Zero , DF64 original, Encore, EG-1, Ek43, Eurekas etc) and the DF54 really doesn't have any drawbacks imo.

I've used plenty of more expensive grinders and have had zero issue with my original DF64 personally. Alignment has stayed well but I do clean and check this once a month. I've used a friend's DF54 lots as well which is much nicer than the OGDF64

I've had a first gen df64 for years that has been a workhorse. I'm considering upgrading to something quieter and faster now (not sure what yet) because my schedule has changed and I'm frequently making coffee while the family is still asleep. If not for that, I would have no reason to change. That said, I'm definitely in the "get to good enough and stop screwing around" camp of coffee appreciation, so I'm not chasing extremes the way some folks are and my opinions may be less stringent as a result.

I think the single unit that I'd be looking at if I was willing to spend more more than $250 US is the DF64. It is a bit bigger than even the Fellow Opus but still not huge and has some advantages over the DF54. That said, if you have a bit more to spend, it might be worthwhile to do as others have said and have a manual grinder for pour over and a separate electric grinder for espresso. There are some engineering challenges with devising a multi-purpose machine. Even ignoring those, there are some kinda unavoidable issues involving retention when you make a big change in grind size, and if you do it all the time then those issues can really pile up.

Went with the Turnin D64 2.5 pre-order for end of August with the red titanium burr upgrade for 385. Figured I can go another month or so of hand grinding haha