# Any point looking beyond Wilfa Svart for home brewed V60?



## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

Hi Everyone,

Before I start, a quick thanks to everyone for the input on this fantastic, I've learned a lot already from browsing for a while but now is time to seek your advice for myself!

Having recent discovered the magic of V60 i'm going to be purchasing a grinder shortly. I don't do espresso and don't travel (enough for this to influence my decision). So home use only and V60 only. Somewhere down the line I may add a chemex but we're in a very similar ballpark for grind of course.

Having had a good chat with a barista about coffee in general, he advised that he thought the comandante was the way to go for a great grinder. It was a little pricey for me, so then I found the Aerspeed/Aergrind. Whilst trying to decide between the two routes, I then stumbled upon this forum and of course you get a lot of 'which grinder please' threads 😉 (I've started my own as I didn't want to hijack). It appears that a lot of feedback has been that hand grinders are really only a big thing if you're planning to use them in a portable manner.

Initially I thought that for a equivalent electric to the comandante or Aergrind/Aerspeed I'd have to pay 3 or maybe 4 times as much, then I realised price seems to be influenced more by whether it's capable of fine espresso etc, which I don't need.

So to the questions.....based on me (only drinking v60 for home use) is it worth looking any further than the Wilfa Svart? Does the comandante or aergrind really do that much more of a uniform grind? Budget wise I was looking £100-150 ish.

Thanks in advance!


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## HDAV (Dec 28, 2012)

I don't think the aeropress was a grinder? It's a brewer?

https://www.aeropress.co.uk

do you mean a hand grinder like the made by knock?

http://www.madebyknock.com


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## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

HDAV said:


> I don't think the aeropress was a grinder? It's a brewer?
> 
> https://www.aeropress.co.uk
> 
> ...


 Yes sorry typo. I meant Aergrind/Aerspeed. (now edited OP).


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## BlackCatCoffee (Apr 11, 2017)

You may possibly get more consistent results from a quality hand grinder but obviously there is the trade off for convenience. First thing in the morning I like convenience.

I have access to plenty of commercial gear being in the industry but on my kitchen counter for my morning v60/aero/clever dripper I have a Svart. Is it the best grinder in the world? No. But it makes a perfectly acceptable coffee and for the money I think it is a bargain.


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## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

BlackCatCoffee said:


> You may possibly get more consistent results from a quality hand grinder but obviously there is the trade off for convenience. First thing in the morning I like convenience.
> 
> I have access to plenty of commercial gear being in the industry but on my kitchen counter for my morning v60/aero/clever dripper I have a Svart. Is it the best grinder in the world? No. But it makes a perfectly acceptable coffee and for the money I think it is a bargain.


 Thanks for that. Would you say there is a noticeable difference between Wilfa Svart and Aergrind/commandante?

The truth is I don't know how much manual grinding will bother me as I haven't done it before. Obviously if everything were 50/50 I'd take the convenience. But if you're telling me I'll get a noticeably better cup from the latter, I'd seriously consider it.


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## BlackCatCoffee (Apr 11, 2017)

Rapid said:


> Thanks for that. Would you say there is a noticeable difference between Wilfa Svart and Aergrind/commandante?
> 
> The truth is I don't know how much manual grinding will bother me as I haven't done it before. Obviously if everything were 50/50 I'd take the convenience. But if you're telling me I'll get a noticeably better cup from the latter, I'd seriously consider it.


 I have not used either of those grinders so I am not able to pass judgement I am afraid.


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## jaffro (Oct 6, 2015)

Yeah I guess it's personal preference. Getting a good hand grinder makes it so much easier.

My friend got a Henry Charles one from amazon and grinding takes soooo looooong to grind for a 2 person French press. My feldgrind is really quick, and that's with smaller 38mm burrs rather than things like a feld 47 or a kinu etc.

That said, if it were me and all I wanted to do was filter (never espresso) and I knew I never wanted to take the grinder anywhere, I'd go electric and get a wilfa svart. Just because you may as well make your morning routing as easy as possible!

But I have to admit, I haven't used a svart. But it has a pretty decent rep for a cheap electric grinder.


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## salty (Mar 7, 2017)

BlackCatCoffee said:


> You may possibly get more consistent results from a quality hand grinder but obviously there is the trade off for convenience. First thing in the morning I like convenience.
> I have access to plenty of commercial gear being in the industry but on my kitchen counter for my morning v60/aero/clever dripper I have a Svart. Is it the best grinder in the world? No. But it makes a perfectly acceptable coffee and for the money I think it is a bargain.


I'm with @Black Cat Coffee ; on this one. Until I bought a Niche I used a Svart every day for filter and aeropress brews and loved it. I also have a Feld which I use for travel and when occasionally I just want a more tactile experience, or someone mentions a feld grind setting and I want to see what that looks like. I think the Feld is my favourite bit of coffee kit.

But if I were you, and I didn't want a grinder to travel with, I would buy a Svart in a heartbeat. It's simple, consistent, looks ok, quick, pretty quiet. There wasn't anything I didn't like about it. In his positive review James Hoffman didn't like the grinds cup but personally I never had a problem with it.

If you get it, you won't be disappointed. And if you do at some point decide you do want a grinder to travel with, having a Svart and a porlex mini or aergrind/speed will be a nice combo that isn't breaking the bank.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bargi (May 7, 2020)

Have a Svart for years now for Aeropress and Cold brew.
Bargain and even James Hoffman has (or at least used to) one for his home 
They're not the smallest of things (not mahoosive either) so just note that if space is an issue.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Tunn300 (Apr 10, 2013)

I recently purchased the Wilfa Uniform, which is the next step up in the Wilfa range from the Svart. I find the grounds a lot more consistent with this grinder and am getting more enjoyable cups from both my v60 and my AeroPress.

I was initially nervous about if I would see any significant improvement for the extra money but those fears have been out to bed and I am really happy with the upgrade decision.

It is however also a significant step up in price. I went for the version without the scales in the lid which you can find for around £270.


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## Apr1985 (Apr 18, 2020)

Not had the svart, but I do have an aergrind and it is a great grinder but, it is small so won't hold enough beans if you want to do a large v60 or move into chemex so you will need to do two rounds of hand grinding. 
I started with the aergrind and moved onto electric for convenience (I can prep stuff while the grinder is doing its thing)

I would go for the svart from the off. There are two models the black is newer and slightly upgraded from the silver


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## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

Tunn300 said:


> I recently purchased the Wilfa Uniform, which is the next step up in the Wilfa range from the Svart. I find the grounds a lot more consistent with this grinder and am getting more enjoyable cups from both my v60 and my AeroPress.
> 
> I was initially nervous about if I would see any significant improvement for the extra money but those fears have been out to bed and I am really happy with the upgrade decision.
> 
> It is however also a significant step up in price. I went for the version without the scales in the lid which you can find for around £270.


 You see, this is a bit of a killer post. Just as I was edging to a decision, you've dangled the carrot on me 😆

Since your post I've done some further research on the uniform and it looks amazing price/performance ratio, like the svart does. I read one excellent review here: https://coffeechronicler.com/gear/grinders/review-of-the-wilfa-svart-uniform/ (I hope it's ok to link it?) I also subscribe to the Hoff so already watched his video review.

One key quote: 'reveals new flavours in the coffee'. Would you agree with this @Tunn300 ?

One thing that I find frustrating with the uniform is the scale. To me it's completely pointless without a timer (because surely everyone using at this price point already has a scale with a timer?) so then they develop a cheaper model without it - brilliant! But....they completely change the colour to silver, which would look so odd in my black kitchen. It all feels a bit model T.

Am I right in thinking the Silver version of the Uniform just doesn't have the scales?

I think I've definitely settled on an electric so the question now is probably between the Svart and the Uniform. I'd be breaking budget with the uniform but I don't want to start somewhere then upgrade....

Thanks for all the input so far, it's been very helpful.


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## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

bargi said:


> Have a Svart for years now for Aeropress and Cold brew.
> Bargain and even James Hoffman has (or at least used to) one for his home
> 
> 
> ...


 Space is not an issue for me. The interesting thing about the Hoff's set up is that what he does at home is exactly my preference. He said 'it's almost like the Uniform is made for me'. What he means by that is that he wants a high end grinder aimed at superior uniformity for filter coffee/home brewing as opposed to an Espresso grinder that could do a 'decent' filter.


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## Apr1985 (Apr 18, 2020)

Rapid said:


> Space is not an issue for me. The interesting thing about the Hoff's set up is that what he does at home is exactly my preference. He said 'it's almost like the Uniform is made for me'. What he means by that is that he wants a high end grinder aimed at superior uniformity for filter coffee/home brewing as opposed to an Espresso grinder that could do a 'decent' filter.


 I had a Uniform (just sold it on here a couple of days ago). 
it is a great grinder for filter especially for single dosing and the auto off function. I found it worked really well as I know Hoffman didn't like it too much. 
Yeah the silver version doesn't have scales but I used to put the lid on my scales and then use that to pour the beans into the grinder.


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## Tunn300 (Apr 10, 2013)

Rapid said:


> You see, this is a bit of a killer post. Just as I was edging to a decision, you've dangled the carrot on me 😆
> 
> Since your post I've done some further research on the uniform and it looks amazing price/performance ratio, like the svart does. I read one excellent review here: https://coffeechronicler.com/gear/grinders/review-of-the-wilfa-svart-uniform/ (I hope it's ok to link it?) I also subscribe to the Hoff so already watched his video review.
> 
> ...


 Sorry to add to your dilemma. I have to say I am really glad I upgraded and if you have the money then in my opinion it's a no brainier as it's such a clear step up from the svart.

You are correct the only difference is the colour (I prefer the silver as it matched my Brewista kettle) and the removal of the scales in the lid.

This has taken my pourovers to the next level and you can really taste the difference between this and the Svart in my opinion. I don't think I have a particularly refined pallet but you can clearly see the grinds are so much more 'uniform'.

As it says in the Hoffman video this is a clear step up from the Svart and to take your performance any higher than this you need to be investing thousands in commercial grade equipment.

If you've got the money and are focussed on filter I would skip out the middle step of the Svart and invest in this.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Rapid said:


> Space is not an issue for me. The interesting thing about the Hoff's set up is that what he does at home is exactly my preference. He said 'it's almost like the Uniform is made for me'. What he means by that is that he wants a high end grinder aimed at superior uniformity for filter coffee/home brewing as opposed to an Espresso grinder that could do a 'decent' filter.


 It's a perfectly acceptable grinder, it categorically does not have "super uniformity".

It's good for minimising mess, a little slow to grind, but good value.


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## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

Apr1985 said:


> I had a Uniform (just sold it on here a couple of days ago).
> it is a great grinder for filter especially for single dosing and the auto off function. I found it worked really well as I know Hoffman didn't like it too much.
> Yeah the silver version doesn't have scales but I used to put the lid on my scales and then use that to pour the beans into the grinder.


 Just seen your post here: https://coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/46863-first-impressions-with-the-wilfa-uniform-grinder/

Did you have some issues with it at first? Obviously the OP on this thread never came back with the end of the story but as a bit of a novice, this thread makes me a little nervous....


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## Apr1985 (Apr 18, 2020)

Rapid said:


> Just seen your post here: https://coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/46863-first-impressions-with-the-wilfa-uniform-grinder/
> 
> Did you have some issues with it at first? Obviously the OP on this thread never came back with the end of the story but as a bit of a novice, this thread makes me a little nervous....


 The issue was with the coffee I was using and my pour consistency (should probably note on that thread too). 
the coffee I had was quite bad quality, although freshly roasted it just didn't seem to brew well. When I switched to a more reputable coffee supplier that cut down the problems I was having and then I really focused on my pouring and that produced the results I was looking for.

that post was reasonable new to me having the grinder so a bit more seasoning of the burrs may have helped too.

TLDR user problem not the tools


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## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

Tunn300 said:


> Sorry to add to your dilemma. I have to say I am really glad I upgraded and if you have the money then in my opinion it's a no brainier as it's such a clear step up from the svart.
> 
> You are correct the only difference is the colour (I prefer the silver as it matched my Brewista kettle) and the removal of the scales in the lid.
> 
> ...


 That's really helpful thanks. I've definitely got some thinking to do.

I appreciate everyone's input. I think I got what I wanted with this thread, I'm going electric, I just have to decide between the svart or the uniform.

If anyone else has experiences of one or even better both, please feel free to chime in!


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## Step21 (Oct 2, 2014)

The Wilfa Uniform is not a very common grinder. I remember once considering it myself but pretty much the only information was the Hoffman review.

I don't honestly regard his reviews as in depth enough to base a purchase on. Enough to get an idea of whether it is decent or not I suppose.

My only experience with a Svart was in a cafe in Italy that does V60. I can honestly say that this was the best V60 I've ever had in a cafe. The Barista thought it was a great little grinder. The main thing was that he was brewing top quality beans. Drop coffee iirc

There so happened to be another cafe up the street who used an EK43 to grind for V60. It turned out to be a very poor experience in comparison.

Good quality beans really make a difference in cup quality. Probably more than the difference between the grinders.


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## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

Step21 said:


> The Wilfa Uniform is not a very common grinder. I remember once considering it myself but pretty much the only information was the Hoffman review.
> 
> I don't honestly regard his reviews as in depth enough to base a purchase on. Enough to get an idea of whether it is decent or not I suppose.
> 
> ...


 Thanks for that. You may appreciate this: https://www.crankhousecoffee.co.uk/blogs/news/from-budget-to-boutique-a-particle-distribution-love-story

I'm just in the process of doing an order from one of my favourite roasters, Outpost. They're certainly up to the mark.


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## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

An update 3 months later.

Went with Svart. Very happy with it. Loved getting into v60's. Then....Uniform drops massively in price to c. £200. In a moment of rare and unusual spontaneity, I flog my Svart and buy a Uniform. I'm awaiting delivery!

@Tunn300 are you still happy with yours? Also so I'm not going in completely blind, would you mind giving me a rough idea of the grind setting range that you use for V60's please? Perhaps @higbert could help with that too? TIA.


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## higbert (Jun 10, 2020)

I don't use for V60 but with the aeropress I was running at about 12 or so...? The aeropress is very forgiving for grind settings though.

On espresso, I'm somewhere between 5 and 6 for most beans, the occasional 7 and the very occasional 4.


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## oxidising (Sep 20, 2020)

What made you upgrade to the uniform from the svart? I'm looking at getting a grinder at the moment.


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## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

oxidising said:


> What made you upgrade to the uniform from the svart? I'm looking at getting a grinder at the moment.


 Don't let me upgrading put you off at all. It's a great little grinder and excellent value.

There's several reasons why I'm upgrading. The reason I didn't get the uniform in the first place is that the cheapest around at the time was like £275. That was too much for me to invest without knowing if I'd stick with filter coffees. It was always my plan to upgrade if I stuck with it.

Second, in terms of grind quality the uniform is about as good as it gets for V60 type coffee. For the price now (cost me just over £100 to upgrade) that's pretty special, considering you're into 4 figures if you want equivalent quality espresso.

Third (and most important) was the price drop.

Fourth, it's bothered me that the best cup I've had in months was pre ground (though freshly roasted). No doubt this will have been done with an EK or something similar and by a top roaster but I've struggled to get a cup as good with the same wholebean. The truth is that's more likely to be down to me rather than the difference in the grinders that were used but still, it's been nagging me and one of the variables I want to eliminate.

Fifth was some of the feedback in this thread and knowing that it won't be a pointless upgrade.


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