VS6 Grinder

I’ve got a VS6 and I’ve tried both flat and conical (it’s super easy to swap!) and I just decided I prefer the flats for the most part. I could see myself trying the conicals again in the future but meh I also might not bother.

Very happy owner of a VS6 checking in. Obviously these grinders are too new to say whether they'll fail, and there's no question that Mazzer has a reputation that backs them up and Varia does not. That said, the VS6 \*feels\* like a tank and absolutely nothing about it comes across as cheap. It does seem like early adopters had issues with grind adjustment drift when using the bellows but I've not had that issue on mine. I would venture a guess that anybody saying the VS6 feels lower quality has not used one in person. I also considered the Philos but the footprint was going to be a problem for me and it not coming in white was going to be a problem for my wife. I would buy the VS6 again if I had to do it over.

I got a used Gaggia Classic with a Baratza Sette 30 which worked really well for me. Got it for about 950usd here in the Philippines. I just recently upgraded my grinder to the Varia vs6 but the Gaggia is holding up pretty well.

The Varia VS6 for espresso seems promising too. The 58mm flat stock burrs seem to have a balanced profile and there are a wide selection of burr choices. Ability to control the RPM and easily chang over to conical is appealing as well.

I love my Varia Vs6

I only do light roasts and I’ve not had any issues

This is what I do with the VS6. I have all but the dlc flats and I change burrs once in a while when the beans will benefit or I want a different flavor. I have a conical hand grinder for when I don’t want to switch burrs for V60, but do use the stock flat for chocolate flavor and more body with espresso.

I have a VS6 and it's built like a tank. The only oversight so far has been the magnet in the bottom of the grinds cup, which fell out. I think that's a common issue. Some superglue and it's been back in place without issue. I like the aesthetic, and the quality does seem top notch. The carrying case it comes in is insanely nice. I'm not sure I really nice a carrying case for my coffee grinder, but just for shipping purposes it's greatly appreciated.

This is what I would do in your position: get a bambino plus and a Varia V6. Here is my logic: I think you would love the Profitec Go (I do), but it will take a bit more time than you have right now to get it heated up and pull a shot. The Go is known for its fast heat-up time, but that’s “fast “ for people who don’t have toddlers. You could use a smart plug to heat it in the morning, but if you leave it on and let it go into Eco mode during the day it will take a couple of minutes to get to temp every time you go back to use it. For me it’s no big deal, but the Bambino will be more immediate. Once your kid(s) is a bit older you might want to upgrade your machine. By then you will have a better idea of exactly what you want. For the grinder I would skip the DF series for two reasons: 1) lack of consistency, and 2) tariffs. Get a grinder right away that you won’t feel the need to upgrade. I have a DF 54 and it is easy to use and pretty quiet, but I’m not happy with the consistency. I’m looking at Lagom Casa or more likely Varia V6, and I am hoping the new grinder I get paired with my Go will be my end game. All the DF machines (and anything labeled Turin or MiiCoffee) are from the same factory in China. The tariff situation is likely to make them much less economical than when I bought mine. Given you already know what you like in terms of espresso taste/quality, I would skip the built-in grinder. You’ll want something that will get you better tasting shots than what you can get with the quality of the built-in.