EG-1 (Third Generation)

this video compares a EG-1 to a P80 with the same Ultra burrs and can’t tell a difference between the two in cup. I never could tell the difference in the 64mm platform with the same burrs in different grinders. I don’t see why that would be the case in the 80mm platform. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5lOnTPj0pw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5lOnTPj0pw)

I’m at 600 rpm with the SSP Brewing burrs. The big adjustment I’ve made is no longer needing to do RDT. I find the finer I go, I still get amazing cups. It’s almost impossible to make bad coffee with these burrs, pour over on easy mode. I started at 6.5 on the dial and moved down to 5 and it’s all be great. Ignore the mixed info, some are spreading false info about this grinder and I would just flat out ignore them. Its a great grinder, that’s easy to use, clean, amazing work flow and quiet. When it comes to 80mm grinders buy the one you like the most as if you have the same burrs in say a Weber EG-1 or a Z2 or a P80 it’s going to be very difficult to tell them apart. I never could when we did a big shoot out with the 64mm platform.

I haven't tried others, but I'm happy with my EG-1

I've had my EG-1 for a couple months and it's been amazing. I contacted the team to ask a question and they replied immediately. The grinder arrived in perfect working condition and I had no reason to fiddle with it.

I have used friends P80’s with Mizens and SSP brews. I also own an EG-1. First and foremost - they taste surprisingly different with the same burr, the EG-1 is noticeably more dynamic and interesting in cup - and we have done SBS and we all strongly prefer the EG-1. This same exercise has been done on the other side of the country in Brooklyn at Hyunah, although they’ve also had a Zerno Z2 in the mix, and came to the same conclusion. Whether it’s the less rigid floating bottom carrier in the EG-1, or the RPM dynamic torque modulation - something meaningful is happening between the platforms. It’s also worth noting the P80 stalls under 1k rpm with the brew burrs, and generally needs 1300 rpm to perform best, where as the EG-1 will spin them at 500 rpm without issue, and ideal cups are often in the 700-800rpm range, where P80’s don’t seem to like to play with the brew burr. The P80 is a great grinder, and for an Omni grinder to do both pour over and espresso, the stock Mizen burr is actually quite nice. If you’re considering the P80 for that use case, great - but if you’re looking for an ideal carrier to explore 80mm burrs, or as an EG-1 lite, I don’t think it will meet expectations. I also own a Femobook A4Z, and I’d say for just about everyone it’s the optimal choice. Very forgiving wide dial range (meaning you can largely set a preferred grind setting and forget about it and get good cups without fiddling) provides excellent levels of clarity, with punchy cups that are never hollow or too thin, and the build quality and touch points are first rate and rival the P80. For pour over only, the A4Z is the point at which diminishing returns literally fall off a cliff. If you get to a point where you’re absolutely maxing out all your gear and skills and you’re water maxing, brew maxing, etc and have everything totally dialed and are looking for very specific profiles, then more expensive grinders/burrs make a meaningful difference, but at that point you’re not asking about a platform, and are nerding out on Burrtopia figuring out the optimal geometry for your desired outcomes and water comps.

That’s a challenging question to answer - as there aren’t simply two items or a small number of variables. For instance, the 102HU burr comes in three forms: 1. Uncoated 2. Red Speed 3. Silver Knight. I own both the red speed and silver knight 102 HU burrs, and the difference in cup is actually quite surprising. There have also been geometry revisions for both the 102HU and M98V’s SCRv3 burrs, and the revisions of both burrs actually taste very different - to the point where some famous YouTubers love one version and aren’t fans of the other. It just so happens that I have meaningful experience with all of the above as a friend of mine had lent me his red speed 102HU (old geometry) which I was able to compare to the new one, and I have a Kafatek Max 2 with SCRv2 burrs sitting next to my M98V, which actually taste almost identical in cup to the first iteration of the SCRv3 burrs that shipped with the M98V and my M98V has the latest SCRv3.2 burrs in it. I would agree with the YouTuber, that they’re very different tasting burrs - but I actually like both very much, but for different purposes. Re-reading the above, it’s a bit of a mess - but the jiist is, so much depends on the specific coffees you drink, the water comps you use (and if you’re a water maxer) how good/sensitive your palate is, and how much you want to fiddle with dial ins to eek out those last percentage’s. At this level, all of these grinders are ridiculously good, but quite frankly very, very few owners of grinders of this caliber are taking advantage of their potential, and frankly would be better off simply getting an A4Z or the like and focusing on good beans and water. My experience though, is that folks asking about $3k+ grinders don’t want to hear that, and will end up buying one, or multiple “titan” grinders anyway - then make some pretty wild comments about how amazing they are due to confirmation bias which continues to propagate the mystique that all you have to do is buy some cool machine and you get amazing coffee.

I drink mostly clean washed ultra light coffees. There is no need to save up and get a more expensive grinder than an M01. A well dialed M01 cup is extremely close to as good as my $4.6k EG-1 or $3k Lagom 01. In fact at that same coffee meetup, there was a Lagom 01 with 102 SSP brew burrs and someone broke out a $600/lb coffee and asked to use the M01 to brew it for the group instead of the Lagom 01. The coffee on the M01 was sensational. Buy an expensive electric grinder because you either want a very specific profile (which you’d only know by tasting it) or because you just want a really cool, well made power tool. Don’t buy it expecting materially better coffee.

I currently own (and have owned) quite a few high end grinders - and if you’re wanting a “one and done” with fomo gone, get a Weber EG-1. Folks who don’t own them will tell you that you can get a Lagom P80, BooKoo Motto 80, Zerno Z2, etc for less $ and run the same burrs - and they’re right… but everyone I know (in person) who bought other Titan grinders for logical reasons, still very much wants an EG-1. If you see one in the flesh and get an opportunity to use it - it’s incredibly fun and satisfying to use, the build quality is considerably better than my Lagom 01 (which is no slouch) and it is like a piece of art on your countertop. It’s something you’re going to look at an interact with daily - so while it does make some of the best cups of coffee - the “vibes” and fun factor are equally important if $ isn’t an issue. A corvette ZR1 is considerably faster and higher performing than a Pagani that costs nearly 20X more - but put the two side by side and everyone’s attention/interest is on the Pagani.

Buying a Z2 over a Lagom 01 for the same money is crazy. One burr (SSP 102HU) on the Lagom 01 and you have S-tier pour over and espresso. It has a better workflow, cleaner operation, and it’s rated for commercial use and has been used in demanding commercial environments for years - so it’s battle tested. The Lagom 01 is also the official Brewers championship grinder. I have the two easiest grinders on the market to change burrs on, the EG-1 and the Varia VS6 (5 min change on the EG-1, sub 2 min on the VS6) and despite having multiple burrs for each - you’re basically going to just find one burr you like and leave it in the machine, so burr change ease is somewhat moot. In the “one grinder and one burr to rule them all” segment - the Lagom reigns supreme. The 102HU would be my first choice and the Mizen my distant second. My .02 - figure out the burr you want/need for your use case - then buy a good grinder than runs it. Worry less about the grinder and more about the burr you think you want. Based on what you’re saying, it’s 102HU. I have the Lagom 01, EG-1, Kafatek M98V, Max 2 and SDRM along with more than a dozen others (including an 078) - and if I could only have one grinder to do everything, without hesitation it would be the 01 with 102HU burrs. I would argue the 102HU is THE best high clarity espresso burr on the market, and in the top 5 pour over burrs. Mega impressive.

I have quite a few “end game” pour over grinders - like the Weber EG-1, Kafatek M98V, Lagom 01, Kafatek Max 2 with SCRv2 burrs - and about a dozen other grinders. I’ve also used most of the other “titans” and quite a few burrs across the different platforms. With the above said - I’d say two things. 1. There is no such thing as the “true end game grinder” - it isn’t about the grinder. It’s about your personal preference and what you hunt/seek and how much you’re willing to tweak water comps and such in tandem around the tools to achieve the end goal you seek. 2. It’s the burr geometry that makes the biggest difference not the grinder. The same burr on different grinders can be different - but it’s minor compared to the actual geometry. Figure out 1, then figure out the burr that matches 1 above best - then look at grinder options that run that burr. There may be only one for some burrs. I do have a favorite personally - but my favorite most certainly won’t be everyone’s - and certain grinders really excel with certain coffees. For example the Kafatek Max 2 with SCRv2 burrs has an eerie way of erasing funk from coffee and adding a surprising amount of body. If you like the expressive nature of naturals and co ferms but are turned off by the funky or yeasty notes, it can make those cups (properly brewed with the right water comp) taste shockingly clean and crisp - to the point where you could fool someone into thinking they’re a crazy expressive washed coffee. If that’s your jam, that might be your ultimate grinder. Bottom line - there is no one size fits all and it’s unfortunately an incredibly nuanced and personal thing.

Ultimately - the difference in cups and what you’re leaving on the table with your A4Z vs a multi-thousand dollar grinder really depends on what you define as clarity, how well you can dial in water comps to burrs and the specific coffee in question. There are so many elements to “clarity” like panorama vs focus, flavor layering, space between flavors, evolution of finish, speed of information delivery, etc - that it’s not the most linear question to answer. Also, taste is quite subjective - some folks actually taste and smell way more information than others, so on top of the subjectivity, they’re also armed with different/more signals further complicating things. For perspective though - I would rather have an A4Z and an array of dialed in water comps for different styles of coffee, than four titans and Third Wave Water. I use each of my “end game grinders” for VERY specific purposes/coffees and so their highly specialized burr-sets shine the brightest in their individual applications, and I can focus/tune custom water comps around those objectives, specifically tailored to my preferences. An EG-1 with 80 brew SK burrs fully dialed in (water comp, burr gap, rpm, etc) to ME is a pretty shocking improvement over the A4Z for a high end washed Ethopian coffee like The Picky Chemist Gesha Village, or Bo Sir Sweda Premium. Toss a Panama Gesha like Los Cenizos into the mix, and frankly I’d rather have dialed in and more focused/punchy cups from an A4Z than the massive panorama of the 80 brews where the delicate florals will feel lost and muted. Bottom line: don’t let perfection become the enemy of enjoyment. If you own an A4Z and are in this sub, chances are you’re already past the peak of diminishing returns. If you keep thinking there are greater heights/improvements to be had with more gear, more expensive beans, etc, you’ll find them - but it’s a viscous cycle and soon you’ll find your standards reach a point where it is hard to find joy. There just isn’t that much insane coffee at an absolute peak level you can max out this kind of equipment on - and even then you have to have a good amount of skill/knowledge to do so - more specialized and focused grinders aren’t an easy button to better cups, they’re often less forgiving and have a narrower dial in range. The A4Z kicks ass. If it were my only pour over grinder for good, quite frankly, I’d still be a happy camper and be drinking the same beans I am now. If you can’t make amazing cups of coffee with the A4Z, the grinder isn’t the problem.

Keep in mind the SCRv2 comments are about Naturals. It isn’t my favorite for washed, but it does do a lovely job. I do know someone who has one, as well as the first iteration of the M98V and he says the two of them side by side taste nearly identical. He has come over and tried my newer M98V (second iteration of the SCRv3 burrs) and noted they are very different. If you watch Lance Hendricks M98V review video, he talks about the flavor of the burrs quite a bit (which are nearly identical to the SCRv2) which gives you another take on them. Interestingly enough - Kafatek sent him the newer version of the V3 burrs, and he doesn’t like them as much. I have a different preference though - and while certainly prefer v2 for naturals and ultra lights, I prefer the second iteration of the v3 burrs for light roast washed coffee from Sey, Datura, H&S, Aviary, Big Sur, etc. SCRv2 is also somewhat unobtanium. They don’t make SCRv2 burrs anymore, or the grinder that runs them, and if you try to find comments or user experience on the SCRv2 online it’s extremely uncommon. Kafatek is an espresso grinder company, and until the M98V was launched last year, they didn’t ship a grinder that didn’t have portafilter forks. That, and the fact that Kafatek grinders operate at extremely low rpm (not ideal for non-kafatek brew burrs and you have to remove the pancake crushers when using non-Kafatek burrs) very few people bought Kafatek grinders for filter coffee - so there are very few examples of Flat Max 2’s with SCRv2 burrs. I’ve seen more Ozik All’s (another ultra rare grinder) for sale in the last few months, then I have seen mentions of the Max 2 w/SCRv2 ever. If you wanted this config, best bet would be to look for a first gen early model (pre Sept 2025) M98V.

DB2 Ultra burrs were a big deal years ago, but I don’t find them all that special anymore. Personally, I prefer 102 brew v2, 102HU, 80 brew, SCRv2, SCRv3, 80 BP, etc. I will say though - the EG-1 is my favorite grinder, and it would be the last one I’d want to part with. With 80 Brew burrs in silver knight - it’s the clearest/cleanest cups I’ve ever tasted.

Weber eg1. You said no budget. Thats the best

Eg1 is better but u can’t go wrong with either. Z2 is better value, but with budget out of the question, it’s the eg1

My dude, I have a slayer single and an EG-1, trust me you’ll be fine with a Timemore, niche or entry Lagom. The itch is there but spend it on yourself and your loved ones. The day you want to mess with light roast, buy a p0 or eg1 with ULF burrs, until then enjoy your coffee as you already have a great setup ;)