200 Dollar Coffee Grinder Showdown - SD40 - SK40 - Fellow Opus - Baratza ESP

Do you have $200 burning a hole in your pocket, and need a new (or another) coffee/espresso grinder? I hope this quick run down of four popular grinders helps you make your final decision.
In order, the Turin SD40, Turin SK40, Fellow Opus, and Baratza ESP
SD40
www.espressoou...
SK40
www.espressoou...
Fellow Opus
fellowproducts...
Baratza ESP
www.baratza.co...

[@pappp1428]

This is precisely the set of grinders I was considering a few weeks ago, and the impressions in this video match what I pieced together from existing content since no one had a full head-to-head comparison up at the time. I ended up with an SK40 (for mostly espresso and occasional other methods), and am extremely pleased with it.

[@portakeeper]

I’m glad your research seems to match what I found above! Also glad you like the SK40, it’s been a nice little conical for me.

[@ritaweygint4038]

That SK40 looks nice! I have the Baratza ESP, and it is a loud messy beast… but you are correct, dialing in is easy. And it’s a good all purpose choice I guess.

[@COLDB33R]

I own a Fellow Opus. It works a lot better if you measure the beans into the lid, not the dosing cup. Put the lid on when the grinding is finished and the bellows effect reduces retention.

[@adriand6477]

For the Baratza and this might annoy some but if you have a Aeropress funnel... using the funnel and the large bulk bin to dump your espresso grind into the dosing cup... keeps the mess to almost nothing.. i do spray the beans before adding them in which helps a lot to minimize the mess.

[@user-mc7ph1qc1s]

after few days of looking around I bought Baratza Encore ESP after your video, very informative and honest review. cheers!

[@raymondcartier3645]

Spot on straightforward.informative, helpful based on hands-on experience.

[@Mzedith]

Really good vid B. I am currently using my SK40 for filter until my 078 comes in. Then i will start using the SK for espresso. The SK is the best bang for the buck.

[@CabeensCoffeeCorner]

Great review. Owned an m2 encore, had the opus, and sd40 v1. my opus wasn't too messy and tasted fairly good for v60 would put it real close to the sd40 v1 in terms of flavor. my guess would be the sd40 v2 would be a lot better without all the fines. Could get okay shots with the opus but did not like dialing in with the inner ring. Overall and without using the v2 sd40 or the esp id probably stick with your opinion on choosing the sd40 or sk40 depending on if you do espresso a lot or if you jump between the two a lot!

[@Igor-q3f]

I have the baraza esp, it’s very messy. The square bin is coming out when the grinder is working, there’s always coffee under it, no matter what bin you use.

[@portakeeper]

It’s mostly plastic, and if you live in dry environment probably lots of static.

[@WTFA54]

Eureka also has a $200 grinder out now as well though it is explicitly not meant for espresso!

[@NoZenith]

I wish he had compared these to the Smart Grinder Pro. It's in the same price bracket and grind range. The SGP is a long-standing baseline for high-quality, low-cost, entry-level espresso in a multi-use brew method grinder. The only complaints I've ever heard about it is that the grinds tend to get a bit clumpy due to some static and the expected mess that ensues.

[@orrinbelcher6593]

Nicely done, pretty cool review

[@TheGehlan]

I ended up with a Encore ESP over the Opus. Its been working great for me. A little clumpy but able to deal with that. I had no issue dialing it in but I have ended up at setting 19 out of 20 in the ESP range for my beans i get locally from a roaster. Wondering if adding or taking away one of the washer shims would bring it closer to the 15 mark or down so not quite near the top of the range. I had 3 extra in the bag they sent. Thanks again for the work you put in to your videos i have been watching a bunch of your videos the last few weeks

[@portakeeper]

If it works, no need to mess with the shims! The ESP range is just a decal, so I would not fret. Are you using a pressurized basket? ESP is a nice grinder!

[@portakeeper]

And your right, the ESP is surprisingly clumpy for a grinder That make some pretty descent coffee.

[@TheGehlan]

@@portakeeper I'm using a bottomless portafilter with an unpressurized basket on Bambino Plus. My First budget setup which I am enjoying. 18 grams in, 30 seconds ~ 40 grams out . Like you said it works so i haven't messed with it haha just limited if I have to go more coarse.

[@Tristan_the_ultimate]

Would you say the SK40 would be the best all around grinder out of them if I'm okay with using the worm gear for jumping from espresso to filter?

[@portakeeper]

It will be slower for adjustments but will probably be my preference. If your focused on drip I’d go SD then ESP

[@Coffeeinthusiast1]

What would you recommend as a second grinder for single dosing between the new DF64 vs SK40? Thank you!

[@snopuncx15]

What grind size/setting is best on sk40 for espresso?

[@portakeeper]

Not easy to answer. Trial and error, dial It in. Will be different for different machines, brew methods and beans

[@snopuncx15]

@@portakeeper what's a good size to start. I'm a complete newbie and don't even have the sk40 yet. It's arriving this week. Breville bambino machine

[@Maybaby1959]

Sd 40 sk 40 excellent Baratza excellent.

[@marjoriecohn3868]

You made a comment about flat burrs for espresso which got me confused because Moccamaster just came out with a flat burr grinder. How would one even use the Turin grinders for drip if they are single dose. You couldn't make coffee for more than one person at a time and Moccamsters need half a pot unless it's the single serve machine. Anyway, thanks for the info.

[@portakeeper]

Most single dose can do about 30g, a lot of people will just grind twice. Since they are single dose grinders, just gotta work around if you choose these smaller grinders. Usually worth it for n my opinion if you are doing a large drip machine

[@kitcraft9516]

What is the step size on the SD40? Are we talking a 5 second difference on a shot or like 10-15 seconds?

[@portakeeper]

I’d have to time it, it just seemed to take forever. Probably 10 seconds but don’t quote me

[@kitcraft9516]

@@portakeeper I'm not sure if I got that across correctly. I meant, if you pull a shot of say 18 in and 36 out in 30 seconds and then grind one click coarser are we talking a 25 second shot time or a gusher. Just curious how much adjustability it really has. I have a hand grinder that has 16-micron adjustments and if I go one click finer or coarser, I am talking like 7-8 seconds difference in shot time, too much, imo. The exact time isn't important. I am just curious if you have one setting to dial in with or more. Because sometimes a 30 second shot tastes good and sometimes a 25 or even 35 second shot tastes good but if the steps are too big it becomes difficult to dial in by taste. Thanks.

[@portakeeper]

@@kitcraft9516 got ya, I was thinking grind time. If your really doing espresso I’d do the SK personally. There were times where 1 click did little to nothing, and then different beans it made a bigger difference. Maybe 4-5 seconds. Depends on the day, the beans; the freshness. Ultimately, I don’t remember many times in my testing where it was that big of a deal, I’d probably go 1 setting less and be perfectly happy. Conical has a fairly wide distribution so it was not hard to dial

[@kitcraft9516]

@@portakeeper Thanks. Yeah, I know what you mean. Some days I swear the weather changes my shots. The humidity, I mean. I might get a 4 second difference with 1 click today but a 6 second difference tomorrow. Anyway, I think I'll just go with the SK as you suggest. Because the more I can narrow that number down the better. And at the price it's hard not to give it a try! Again, thank you!

[@lurklingX]

GOD, those transitions! killer. 💀 getting horrible vertigo every time. the video is really good EXCEPT for that. it adds nothing, unless you count nausea and the spins.

[@robertwilliams5618]

2:12 you called it expresso

[@portakeeper]

It’s a stutter

[@SolidRock008]

@@portakeeper lol you say "espresso" correctly 100 times in this video, and the dude latches onto the one time you BARELY have a stutter (and still pronounce it correctly). People are goofy