Niche Zero vs Varia VS3 Coffee Grinder | Comparison

[@z0mb1e564]

I’m just getting into grinding my coffee and I hated the idea of buying an entry level grinder then quickly outgrowing its capabilities so I didn’t want a “value” pick. After watching dozens of grinder reviews, I came across the VS3 and was quickly drawn to its sleek compact design. Of the $300 models, it seemed like one of the most capable to use for pour over or espresso. And the build quality seems very clean and solid. At half the price of the Zero after conversion rate, I decided to go with the VS3 (also considered Ode, Ode2, Wilfa Uniform, Turin SD40, Turin DF64, and others). When I went to their site, I saw that they’re shipping a “2nd generation” model with a slightly faster motor (190 rpm) and maybe I’m a sucker but their site was very impressive too. Really gave me the impression that the engineering design was high priority. Hopefully it will live up to the hype.

[@momoisstrange]

How are you liking it so far? I’m drawn towards the Varia for the same reason, it’s just the best looking grinder for it’s price, and it seems so easy to use

[@z0mb1e564]

@@momoisstrange I’m using it most everyday. It’s my first grinder so I’m no expert. Coffee is definitely better fresh ground. I’m noticing differences between different beans and the grind levels, so I’m definitely in the figuring it out stage. Without being able to compare it to other products, I don’t know that I know enough to make a recommendation, but I am confident saying there’s nothing that would count against this machine. It is a pleasant experience.

[@momoisstrange]

@@z0mb1e564 Thanks whole heartedly for your response! It’s always refreshing to see honest reviews, and you’ve instilled more confidence in my next purchase than all of the youtube videos I’ve seen on it yet. Good luck and have fun with your continued coffee journey!

[@z0mb1e564]

@@momoisstrange Glad I could help. I will say that the spray bottle that came with it was pretty limited so I’d recommend getting your own one of those if you’re getting the Varia.

[@momoisstrange]

@@z0mb1e564 Thanks again!

[@NoZenith]

Thank you! I think I'd prefer the Niche as it still seems to be the easiest/ cleanest grinder on the market... but that's a lot of "free" coffee if I go with the Varia 🤔

[@CoffeePartsTV]

Welcome :)

[@fgarced]

Niche Zero still the best single dose conical grinder for the money. More than 4 years and still on top in your category. Conical burrs are design for obtain more body than clarity. If you want clarity the flat burrs are the solution, example DF64, Eureka Mignon series, Lagom and others.

[@stefanociamarra2505]

Interesting! To make the comparison complete, a filter brew comparison would be very insighful.

[@CoffeePartsTV]

Totally agree with you. We hadn't played enough with it for filter, so didn't add it on the video. Less fines that the Niche yet we need a better play (its been a busy period with BFCM so haven't had much time).

[@derekchuan]

Would be interesting to see if Varia makes a 48mm conical burr to speed up the grinding time

[@CoffeePartsTV]

Would be cool, yet if they do feel it would be a while away....

[@maxmeier532]

I mean compare what you want, but those 2 grinders are in quite different price categories. On Niche's website the Zero is 449 pounds, plus shipping and depending on where you live customs. Accounting for all costs, you're likely paying almost twice the price for the Zero compared to the Varia VS3 gen 2. So the Niche better be a lot better!

[@ddealmei]

I’d like to know what’s an upgrade on the Niche Zero? The one thing I don’t like about the niche is the setting. I find it not precise enough. Also your close up at 3:20 has the wrong dosing cup, you started using your own and the close up is of the white dosing cup

[@michaelcan]

these machines are in different leagues, the niche has commercial components, which will last me 15 yrs based on my usage and I bought replacement burrs as well. The niche makes full bodied espresso with medium roasted organic beans and great filter coffee with a Japanese Hario immersion filter set up with paper filters (clear and clean taste). Personally the bellows especially the quality of it looks like it came off a moped or from AliExpress….

[@maxmeier532]

what do you mean, commercial components. How did you come to that conclusion.

[@malnhar]

The Varia would be a nice match with Linea Micra

[@konstantinheller4661]

If i only had spare 3,5 grand

[@CoffeePartsTV]

Yep, will do a video on the Linea Micra soon and most likely will use the Varia in the video :) It does somewhat look out of place next to the LMLM tho...

[@cleanupinaisle3]

So we should be comparing the grinders, right? So mate, kudos for using a WDT this time but you need to control your puck prep much better. Not so much stabby-stabby with the WDT but actually distribute the coffee and break up the clumps. Maybe use a bottomless so we can see that there are no issues with distribution/channeling so you can actually evaluate the grinders without fearing that your poor puck prep is the culprit for any differences you taste. The video has great production quality, but to be frank you've got to up the game a bit if you want seasoned espresso enthusiasts to trust your judgments.

[@vbcv1]

Time to park your high horse and do your own videos with your awesome puck prep for yourself and let Pedro keep on rocking.

[@tommihommi1]

@@vbcv1 ah yes, great reaction to perfectly valid constructive criticism.

[@vbcv1]

@@tommihommi1 ah you mean about that unsolicited coffesplaining by cleanupinaisle3. That's cool.

[@tommihommi1]

@@vbcv1 they weren't the one who claimed to make a valid comparison

[@rappersorbee]

@@vbcv1 unsolicited? there is so such thing as unsolicited critisism on the internet, if you put out content, publicly, especially with some informative purpose, you absolutely consent to the critisism you receive from the audience, and the critisism given here was absolutely reasonable, if you are going to run a coffee channel, you should probably know how to use a wdt tool, especially if the puck prep isn't even that complicated, he wasn't told to buy 50 different super expensive tools, it's literally two, the tamp and wdt, hard to mess up a tamp but his wdt technique is bad, the critisism was literally just that if you want to do comparisons, the most important part is consistency in your cups

[@publicname515]

Wait so which is better this or the niche?

[@Gabriel.Q]

Lagom Mini vs Varia VS3 please!

[@softexAU]

How about the Niche Duo?

[@georgcantor8859]

Thank you. Excellent comparison. James Hoffman ("The Coffee Hoff") has an Aussie competitor. PS like the white set up. Only missing a white grand piano.

[@성민수-x6i]

i wonder that how about a varia vs3 at filter. i already bought varia and Hypernova burr but i'll use that filter more then esspresso

[@Val_Smith]

How does it compare to HG-1 ad Key?

[@4tlasia]

Does the VS3 have a power brick like the Lagom Mini/Femobook A68?

[@CoffeePartsTV]

Yes, it does.

[@LimitedWard]

I'd be really interested to see this grinder compared to the Turin SD40. Similar price point but very different implementation.

[@hotfishy]

But Varia looks a lot better to me...

[@LimitedWard]

@@hotfishy I agree. Only thing I think the sd40 has over the Varia is the built in power supply.

[@cdubinyyj]

Can you add a comment about how loud they are? And, how many seconds to grind 20 grams? I'd love to own a Niche, but at half the price... hard to argue against the Varia!

[@ediblemanager]

VS3 doesn't seem overly loud. Can happily chat over the top of it while it grinds.

[@BKxRepo]

is it a plastic body ? is it metal body ? we don't know ..nice review very informative

[@BensCoffeeRants]

Varia is metal. Niche is metal too I think but has a plasticky looking paint.

[@stevenjohnson7623]

The vs3 is no where near the level of the niche. I had a vs3 for two weeks and it started to jam half way through an 18 gram dose of light roast beans, every time I used it. I sent it back and got a refund. I invested a bit more and got the Niche zero. As soon as I started using it, I found it to be much better quality than the vs3.

[@CH-yp5by]

This video has sadly not aged well, there are so many reports world wide of the VS3 having issues, its a shame because eI love everything about the design of this grinder. I would wait for VS4 if they make one ! In the meantime your better off paying more for a DF64 Gen 2 because of the large burr options! Yes its a flat burr grinder but you get more differences in taste with the cutting teeth geometry and the coating of the burrs that make a difference as opposed to conical vs flat .

[@Sveno74]

I love the Niche. especially if you want to do a different brew than espresso. A 30g limit in the VS3 makes it quite limited without having to batch grind.

[@CoffeePartsTV]

Could work around this if you have the included bellows fitted on top, and use a larger dosing cup like we did in the video. I feel it is somewhat espresso focused.

[@stephensmirke2146]

Did you notice the grind size moving while grinding on your Varia?

[@wolf6101]

Yes, my settings moving from grind to grind significantly, which is very annoying.

[@KennethGoldbergkglegal]

Can you talk about ease of dialing in and ease of cleaning?

[@Pineappleonpizzawhynot]

Why 20 gr of beans?

[@oyvindgu]

@coffee parts I cannot dial in my Varia vs 3 for v60, i used to have the Wilfa uniform for that purpose and that grinder was really easy to dial in to get e balanced,juicy cup. i have tried from 08-13 setting on the varia vs3 without success.

[@red__guy]

Maximum kilos per burr?! Shhhh i won't tell my super old Solis Maestro about such things

[@michaelleibsonthinkingmusi2895]

Thanks, Pedro. However, no one has mentioned how messy the Varia can be: my brand new VS3 spews grounds on itself (even behind the spout) and onto the surrounding work space, which very negatively affects work-flow! I'm using medium dark roast Sidama beans, but I wish someone had given me a heads-up about this problem before I bought it.

[@TuoInside]

A lot of times new grinders will have a lot of static initially. Run some more beans through it and hopefully it settles down… unless it’s a mechanical issue of how the shoot is positioned.

[@michaelleibsonthinkingmusi2895]

@@TuoInside Thanks, TuoInside. The shoot seems to be straight down, but there's so much static the grinds even cover the lower part of the spout after a few seconds. Here's hoping. 🙂

[@ediblemanager]

I've got the VS3 and not experiencing this at all, even across darker roasts. Are you using RDT?

[@michaelleibsonthinkingmusi2895]

@@ediblemanager Yes, I am using RDT. One user has shared the opinion that the cause is that I use Ethiopian beans. (If that's the case, the VS3 should come with a warning" Does not work with Ethiopian beans!"😄)

[@SuperAllpeople]

The Varia VS3 has only 100W. Does it stall from time to time?

[@CoffeePartsTV]

It hasn't as yet on mid roast beans. Would need to test on very light roast to really find out.

[@ediblemanager]

I've got the VS3: no stalling for me, even with lighter roasts, ground for espresso.

[@showmak]

@@ediblemanager How is it with coarser grinds for pour over and filter?

[@maxuttech1028]

@@ediblemanager How is the body and clarity with the VS3?

[@kennystahl1420]

@@ediblemanager how do you like the Varia so far ?

[@back_to_the_bike8820]

the problem in comparative tastings is that as soon as a cup offers less body the reflex of the tasters is to say that it offers more clarity ... bias ...

[@anthonybotonis5841]

My thoughts also but in saying that i recently had an espresso from a trendy little niche cafe that had fruitness and a distinct fig pair flavour that had me thinking.... this is what they mean when they say clarity as if the pronounced flavours are so much clearer. Had never experienced that type of clarity from an espresso before... it was mind blowing

[@maxmeier532]

interesting point.

[@davidhatteberg617]

I had this grinder for one month before the motor stopped working. DO NOT get this if you're looking to use it for espresso. The grinder is essentially a higher quality version of a portable grinder. While the materials are high quality, the engine just can't maintain an espresso grind while it can hold up to french press and other drip levels. While I hoped this was a fluke and a mistake I went online to see if anyone else had a similar experience. There is a reason the VS3 has been nicknamed a "Very Shitty" grinder on multiple threads and reviews. Unfortunately I found this out after buying the unit. I'm very disappointed in this product and the service by Varia. Do not buy this product.

[@maxmeier532]

well you have had one Varia, there are always lemons. Unless forums are full of the same errors and failures, it's a non-issue.

[@davidhatteberg617]

This is my second grinder and their third attempt at creating this product. There are multiple forums reporting this issue. Do your research before leaving ignorant responses.

[@CH-yp5by]

@@davidhatteberg617 lol

[@littlestar5737]

Nonsensical review.

[@publicname515]

DO NOT use water on the beans before using the Niche. You are ruining your grinder, look it up.

[@ibate9833]

It is however essential for functional use. If you use single sprays any degradation is so small and almost negligible. It’s esp required if you mod the niche to flat burrs

[@KingMinosxxvi]

varia is half the price

[@CoffeePartsTV]

Yes it is :) Great option for its price.