# Unopened Sette 270wi - Should I return for something better?



## jamielee (Jan 11, 2021)

I am such an over-thinker...

Bought a Sette 270wi the other week, but can't help think that I made the wrong choice.

Too many folk have told me that for the price, despite the built in Acaia scale, just feels all too cheap/plastic. Really noisy too.

I am in a position to return it without incurring any cost, so my question is... should I?

Just upgraded to a new ECM machine, and I have Acaia Lunars anyway... I would just hate to fall short on the grinder when my setup isn't half bad.

Any thoughts? Worth returning and spending a little more? Not a Niche (obvious lack of stock)... maybe an Atom 65, or Mazzer Mini Elec? Any comparison thoughts on these two against each other and also against the Sette 270wi?

Thanks!


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## cuprajake (Mar 30, 2020)

Hi,

I did see your post but felt bad saying anything and peeing on your chips ☺

The eureka are very good grinders 55mm flat burrs £350 worth the bigger grinders all hold retention

Ive found this the hard way, i have gone from a migon manule 50mm which had very little retention to a eureka zenith65 e which has about 5g retention, which im having to purge every morning, so after 4 days ive effectively wasted a shot,

Not to mention there huge

This is a migon vs zenith65 next to my machine
View attachment 49205
View attachment 50314


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## Northern_Monkey (Sep 11, 2018)

Return, they have major reliability issues with the plastic gears. If it was my only grinder and cost over half a grand, I wouldn't want to have one.

I would say a Niche or bump the budget if possible for an Atom 75e instead? The bigger atom is meant to handle single dosing a bit better than other hopper grinders, plus the coarse and fine adjusts are handy for brew.


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

@jamielee - So... you bought the Sette. All he things you summarised are no news. A quick google search and you'd have known.

Anyway, obviously there must be something you like about the Sette right? Is it low retention? Is it ability to adjust for different types of brews easily? Is it the fact it can single dose relatively painlessly, with no modifications? Because, the other grinders you mention simply cannot do that out of the box. You can mod them, but it will never be that they were designed to perform as such from the outset. And believe me, it will wear you out.

If it were me... Think about what you want and, if it is retention, ability to adjust easily for different brews, , single dose... Don't overlook the Niche. For the price, there's nothing out there yet that can genuinely compete.

Atom 65... Maybe... Will you always be wondering why you didn't go for the 75? Quite possibly. Mazzer Mini... I'd pass. Old school, overpriced as new, lots of retention, can't single dose... For a small cafe? Great grinder for sure. 🙂


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## Shorticus (Dec 10, 2020)

I got a Sette 270Wi. Chose it because of the 'gravimetric' dosing and ability to switch relatively easily between grind settings. Had to return it as the grind adjustment was faulty and the hopper lid kept popping off every time I ran the machine. I decided not to replace it with another as I was so disappointed with the build quality. It just felt really insubstantial, and I couldn't be confident that something wouldn't go wrong as soon as it was out of warranty. I thought I'd spend some money on a decent set of scales instead.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

MediumRoastSteam said:


> Is it ability to adjust for different types of brews easily?


 Sette can't do this, it's essentially just an espresso grinder, or very fine brew methods.


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## jamielee (Jan 11, 2021)

Appreciate all the replies, thanks very much.

@MediumRoastSteam A fair bit of research went in before my purchase, but in hindsight, a hasty one.

I wouldn't say I am overly stuck on single dosing, but then I wouldn't have my hopper full anyway, as I just wouldn't get through that amount of beans before they start to become stale.

I will only be using it for espresso, and thereafter flat whites/lattes etc.. not other brews, so that ability to accommodate doesn't matter to me either.

I also rate the Niche too, it is just stock issues now. Perhaps a future purchase. Would it be worth increasing the budget in order to purchase the Atom 75e?

Appreciate all the advice too. Thanks


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

jamielee said:


> Would it be worth increasing the budget in order to purchase the Atom 75e?


 DavecUK reviewed it here:

https://coffeeequipmentreviews.wordpress.com/2019/11/13/eureka-speciality-atom-75e-grinder/

Owners really rate it from what I gather. It does retain s little though, so you'd need to purge a 4g or so prior to your first shot of a session.

Traditional "home" grinders unfortunately are not having a lot of love at the moment as everyone is eyeing the Niche out. So it might be a good idea to consider second hand, so it's already depreciated and you wouldn't lose much should you decide it's not your thing. Just a thought.


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## cuprajake (Mar 30, 2020)

What did you decide


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## gilbodavid (Oct 25, 2019)

I have a slightly different view..

I drink one cup of coffee a day. I have owned a super jolly, and another commercial grinder. What they taught me is retention is a massive no no for me. It is so much time and a lot of faff clearing the chute. And purging is just a huge waste.

And virtually every grinder recommended on these forums has a lot of fiddly retention! No. No. No. For me!

I like single dosing, but also as a beginner owned a sage smart grinder pro, which was a total joy to use as I just loaded a weeks supply of beans in the top, and relied on the timer, which worked well. I sold it as people here say it's not that well built, but I've since read of people using theirs for years, several coffees a day. Mind you, it has grind retention, so I won't be returning to it.

I now use a fast hand grinder by knock. I love it. Beats the too slow, tedious for me comandante (praised here a lot) I had before. And the knock has zero maintenance or things to go wrong!!! Yippee!

If money was no object I might get a niche.. Except it doesn't have a hopper option if I want it. They are the cutest electric grinder I've ever seen! And deserve all the praise they get, in my opinion. But the price is too much for me!

This is where the 270 comes in. I want to buy one used at some point. Just to see for myself what the truth is for me.

You see it's derided here for its build quality, due to early examples' gears. But on an American forum, users of post 2017 ones praise their reliability, and the manufacturers customer service, and use theirs for years, several cups of coffee a day. And the espresso grind quality is said to be excellent.

And the 270 is one of oh so few grinders with zero retention. And you can use the hopper and timer and scales, or single dose if you like. Very nice!!!!!

So if anyone has a cheapish 270 they don't want... I might be interested....


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## Chriss29 (Oct 21, 2020)

I've had the Sette 270wi since November and so far for me it's perfect. The weighing function is accurate, takes about 3 seconds to dose 15g and I kind of like the look of it!

Maintenance of the burrs is easy and doesn't get clagged up at all. It's very tidy too so no funnel or dosing ring needed at all. I was looking at the Mignon but grinds seem to fly everywhere from what I saw.

As for the grind it's incredibly consistent and easy to make micro adjustments. Supper fluffy too.

I was concerned about reliability too but it's 2 years old and no issues so far. Seems a few places do parts too.

Only one downside I've seen or more to the point heard, it's so LOUD!! I don't think it's so much as the decibels just the pitch maybe, I don't know but yes it's very loud. But for 3 seconds it's fine, you just brace yourself


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## Shorticus (Dec 10, 2020)

I loved the way the Sette worked, and I tried to convince myself to keep mine - I just couldn't get over how flimsy it felt. For 500 quid I wanted a bit more reassurance.

To be honest, I think it's bloody ugly too. But then I hate the look of Niche, so I'm probably in a minority of one.


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## Northern_Monkey (Sep 11, 2018)

@gilbodavid Erm, it's not universally loved on the US forum by the way! There are a range of views both for and against, have a gander at this thread as the pictures are quite interesting. 😉

"To conclude - as somebody who works in mechanical design - I can nothing but be disgusted by what I see. There are so many common, mechanical sense no-no-s, that it makes absolutely no sense how such product couldn't have been released to begin with. This is the worst piece of throw-away, plastic-fantastic rubbish I've seen to this date. Makes the crappiest and cheapest Breville's contraptions look like ageless timepieces made to last forever. Not worth even the 10th of the retail price. Totally unacceptable!"

https://www.home-barista.com/grinders/postmortem-of-pre-mortem-baratza-settes-motor-assembly-t61400.html

Edit: A bit unfair on Chinese engineering/manufacturing, as obviously it is tied to price, they can and do make top notch stuff


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## itguy (Jun 26, 2015)

I had one a few years ago from new, had problems with it (gears) and it was replaced. Used it for a few months then sold it on, too noisy, weighing was fiddly, build was too plasticky.

The niche (I have on order, not got it yet) seems like it is the grinder the Sette wanted to be, minus the dose-by-weight function.

I'll be bold and say I'm not really sure why anyone would want to buy a Sette new now when compared to a Niche ?


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## profesor_historia (Sep 1, 2020)

I would return it, I know few people who had problems with it. And for me it seems a toy, plastic doesn't give me confidence.


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## Chriss29 (Oct 21, 2020)

itguy said:


> I had one a few years ago from new, had problems with it (gears) and it was replaced. Used it for a few months then sold it on, too noisy, weighing was fiddly, build was too plasticky.
> The niche (I have on order, not got it yet) seems like it is the grinder the Sette wanted to be, minus the dose-by-weight function.
> I'll be bold and say I'm not really sure why anyone would want to buy a Sette new now when compared to a Niche ?


The Sette instructions I have stipulate it's not a single dose grinder and not to use it as such, which is interesting  Also I don't think single dosing is for everyone (me included) and if it's not then the Niche isn't an option. If it helps, as much as I like mine, I would no way have paid £529 for it purely because it's just so plastic.


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Interesting..... Bella Barista offers an option to extended warranty to 4 years for £44 on the Sette 270wi for 44

if it's *that *bad, either they are crazy or they don't sell any, or the fail rate is after a few years, or the repairs are cheap and easy to make? From all the negativity I hear, functionality wise. I don't understand why they stock it in the first place.


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## cuprajake (Mar 30, 2020)

i think if you have £500 to spend no other grinder exists and you HAVE to buy a niche zero


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## ChiefLorenzo (May 6, 2020)

The 270 was my decision after loads of research and I would have bought it, if not for the reports of the noise. There's a good reason for it being noisy I think, it's one of them side effects of the nature of the straight-through path of the ground coffee. That was the sole deciding factor for me as I live in an apartment and I don't want to annoy my neighbours. I'd love to have the Niche Zero as it looks amazing but the combination of the long wait time and extra cost put me off so I went with Mignon Specialita in chrome and it's brilliant, very very low retention if single dosing but also an accurate timer if you want to fill the hopper. Someone on this thread mentioned the mess around a Eureka grinder... I'm not sure which one or where that has come from but that is simply not the case. The aim of the chute is neat and tidy and although I grind into a small dish, I have also ground straight into the portafilter and I just don't see any mess around the worktop


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

gilbodavid said:


> You see it's derided here for its build quality, due to early examples' gears. But on an American forum, users of post 2017 ones praise their reliability, and the manufacturers customer service, and use theirs for years, several cups of coffee a day. And the espresso grind quality is said to be excellent.


 They manage to praise its reliability and the customer service from the manufacturer in equal measure? A stunning achievement.

As far as I'm aware, the only thing they changed was switch out a metal gear for a plastic one on the motor as the metal one from the motor was stripping the plastic ones. Plastic isn't a problem when it's the right type and it's used properly but with the Sette the problems weren't just related to the gears being stripped, they also had issues with the bearings.

Spare parts are readily available though.



jamielee said:


> I am such an over-thinker...
> 
> Bought a Sette 270wi the other week, but can't help think that I made the wrong choice.
> 
> ...


 Return it and look in the bigger flat burr grinders if you want on of those, the Niche, or a possibly a hand grinder. Hand grinders hold their value very well and you could get one to tide you over until you make a decision or wait for delivery of the Niche or whatever else you want to order. I hear Eureka are releasing a new grinder at some point this year that might be worth waiting for.


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## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

Rob1 said:


> They manage to praise its reliability and the customer service from the manufacturer in equal measure? A stunning achievement.
> 
> As far as I'm aware, the only thing they changed was switch out a metal gear for a plastic one on the motor as the metal one from the motor was stripping the plastic ones. Plastic isn't a problem when it's the right type and it's used properly but with the Sette the problems weren't just related to the gears being stripped, they also had issues with the bearings.


 With a snip for brevity... Switching out a metal gear for a plastic one because the plastic one gives up under the torque.. ye gods, that doesn't make it better, it makes it just all fail at once. That whole gearbox should have been metal and the grinder would be amazing! It's a wonderful design, but they just cut costs too far. I'm pretty sure every single one of the people who bought one would happily pay another £100 for their grinder to have more metal and less cost cutting. Then their grinder would last a decade or more.


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## jamielee (Jan 11, 2021)

Cuprajake said:


> What did you decide


 Returned it for an Atom 65 Speciality. Fits the bill for me at the moment, and would always consider getting a Niche in the future as a single dose grinder, or perhaps when Eureka bring their's out.


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## jamielee (Jan 11, 2021)

Northern_Monkey said:


> @gilbodavid Erm, it's not universally loved on the US forum by the way! There are a range of views both for and against, have a gander at this thread as the pictures are quite interesting. 😉
> 
> "To conclude - as somebody who works in mechanical design - I can nothing but be disgusted by what I see. There are so many common, mechanical sense no-no-s, that it makes absolutely no sense how such product couldn't have been released to begin with. This is the worst piece of throw-away, plastic-fantastic rubbish I've seen to this date. Makes the crappiest and cheapest Breville's contraptions look like ageless timepieces made to last forever. Not worth even the 10th of the retail price. Totally unacceptable!"
> 
> ...


 Yikes!


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## jamielee (Jan 11, 2021)

Rob1 said:


> They manage to praise its reliability and the customer service from the manufacturer in equal measure? A stunning achievement.
> 
> As far as I'm aware, the only thing they changed was switch out a metal gear for a plastic one on the motor as the metal one from the motor was stripping the plastic ones. Plastic isn't a problem when it's the right type and it's used properly but with the Sette the problems weren't just related to the gears being stripped, they also had issues with the bearings.
> 
> ...


 Agree. Returned it, ordered an Atom 65 Speciality, and will look at the next order slots on the Niche or hold out for Eureka's single dose.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

allikat said:


> *That whole gearbox should have been metal and the grinder would be amazing!* It's a wonderful design, but they just cut costs too far. I'm pretty sure every single one of the people who bought one would happily pay another £100 for their grinder to have more metal and less cost cutting...


 It's a shame really, as you say too much cost cutting....i was thinking of one of these in my early stages of my journey, mainly because of the ability to weigh the grinds...i almost pulled the trigger but then started to read HB and some of the negativity.....with a full metal gearbox i'd probably buy one.


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Rumpelstiltskin said:


> It's a shame really, as you say too much cost cutting....i was thinking of one of these in my early stages of my journey, mainly because of the ability to weigh the grinds...i almost pulled the trigger but then started to read HB and some of the negativity.....with a full metal gearbox i'd probably buy one.


 Same here. Read and read at the time. And all there was was bad feedback. Seems nothing much has changed. I love the concept, Shame about the quality.


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## jamielee (Jan 11, 2021)

Took delivery of my Atom S.65 earlier in the week. Couldn't be happier!!

Thanks everyone for the input and advice.

J


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## Kyle T (Jan 6, 2016)

Hi, I had a Sette 270WI when they first released. I like many had issues to begin with and had to return it once for a warranty repair but I loved owning/using it. The scales are great and the grinder grinds extremely fast and produces nice fluffy grinds. I suppose if you wanted something a bit more reliable then go for a Niche but honestly don't be put off, you've got a great grinder there.


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