# Is it worth paying for 'more' than a K3/Mignon?



## brabzzz (Apr 14, 2017)

I've researched this to hell and back before posting this, i know i'm not the first or last to ask about this lot of grinders, and it is one of those constantly morphing X vs Y vs Z questions...

Compak K3 / Wega 5.8

Eureka Mignon Mk2

Mahlkonig Vario (£100 extra) - great reviews, quiet, but..but...all that plastic?

Fiorenzato F4E Nano (£110 extra) - seems to get glowing reviews re. single dosing / retention

Quamar M80e (£110 extra) - Mazzer Mini killer? I crossed the Mini itself off for retention and value

- I'm prioritizing minimal grind retention and suitability for single dosing. i'm taking quality as a given

- Less noise etc is better than more, but, meh...

- The sky is the limit with these things, but I'm not after after the holy grail...just something noticeably better than the my MDF

- Those prices are all new. The only one that appears used, reliably, is the Mignon, which would make it £100 cheaper than the K3 and £200 cheaper than the rest

Are the 3 more expensive ones significantly better than the cheaper 2? Worth paying the extra 40% for? Or is it all, really, much of a muchness and i shoudl just roll a dice?

Ta


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## GerryM (Feb 6, 2016)

Have you seen this https://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/compactgrinder1closerlookv3.pdf

I've owned numerous grinders including some of the extremely expensive large conical and flat burr models and there is generally an improvement in grind quality as you spend more, however, I have recently owned a mignion mk2 and on taste and mouth feel it does a very good job for the money in my view.

The downside for me is the mess it makes as the grinds seem to spray out of it, there is an amount of clumping which regular cleaning seems to keep to a minimum and there seems to be lots of static in the chute.

On the positive side, the taste and mouth feel punches above it's price bracket in my experience, it is very easy to adjust, the footprint is tiny and the burrs are cheap as chips when it eventually needs a new set.

My sense is that the Eureka Mignon 2 is good enough to make an excellent drink and will suit the needs of a lot of people making espresso at home (i drink mainly milk based coffee). I cannot comment on the other grinders on your list as I've not used them.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Generally speaking, buy to your budget. You will see an improvement in general with larger burrs as a larger grinding area will give you a wider taste patten (hats a generalisation). I am a big fan of the Mignon but it has tiny burrs. The Vario is old heat so forget. I am biased towards Fiorenzato as I have had several and they get little or no recognition on here as the masses prefer the more fashionable names. They are bog, solid, well made and cheaper than others. But, as always, the best option if possible is to try one first


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## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

The Quamar M80 is crap!!!!!!!! No, only kidding, I like it. But I think I'm the only one in the world that does at the moment.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

brabzzz said:


> I've researched this to hell and back before posting this, i know i'm not the first or last to ask about this lot of grinders, and it is one of those constantly morphing X vs Y vs Z questions...
> 
> 1. Compak K3 / Wega 5.8
> 
> ...


Have tested most of these grinders and each for more than a week.

1. Compaq K3, not a bad grinder at all, well worth considering

2. Good grinder for the price, the Compak K3 is better than Mignon, but costs more

3. Crap

4. Never tested one

5. Avoid M80E, needs more work from Quamar, has some issues


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## brabzzz (Apr 14, 2017)

dfk41 said:


> Generally speaking, buy to your budget. You will see an improvement in general with larger burrs as a larger grinding area will give you a wider taste patten (hats a generalisation). I am a big fan of the Mignon but it has tiny burrs. The Vario is old heat so forget. I am biased towards Fiorenzato as I have had several and they get little or no recognition on here as the masses prefer the more fashionable names. They are bog, solid, well made and cheaper than others. But, as always, the best option if possible is to try one first


By old heat, in respect of the Vario, i assume that means it was a good choice in a previous era...rather than it heating beans?

The brand thing sure plays a role in finding info.

On hits alone, we should all own a Rocky or Mignon.

But finding anything on the Fiorenzato, Wega or Quamar is trickier

I used to live down the road from Bella Barista. Wish i was into coffee back then!


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## GerryM (Feb 6, 2016)

I think I'd rather live in Prague and suffer the inconvenience of being miles from Bella Barista.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Just got back from Prague last week, and it is indeed true that a half litre of beer in a restaurant is cheaper than or the same price as a glass of tap water with a slice of lemon. About £1.20. Somehow we never managed to find any of the coffee places though.


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## itguy (Jun 26, 2015)

Left field suggestion;

Baratza Sette 270 (non-W)?

It's absoluetly not quiet but does have minimal grind retention and does a lovely fluffy grind which tastes good in the cup. Is reasonably priced at £399 retail, some deals were on at coffee hit I think


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## brabzzz (Apr 14, 2017)

Interesting - hadn't looked at the Sette before.

On the HB forums they had a grind/taste-off between the 270 and a K30...and by their account, it more than held its own. Interesting indeed.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

brabzzz said:


> Interesting - hadn't looked at the Sette before.
> 
> On the HB forums they had a grind/taste-off between the 270 and a K30...and by their account, it more than held its own. Interesting indeed.


Bollocks! Do not believe the paid reviews they have on their site. One of their gods says something and all the lemmings come along


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## brabzzz (Apr 14, 2017)

dfk41 said:


> Bollocks! Do not believe the paid reviews they have on their site. One of their gods says something and all the lemmings come along


Cheers for the heads-up - FakeNews before trump made it acceptable, eh?


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## itguy (Jun 26, 2015)

Let's not throw the Sette into the skip just yet though... Fakenews possibly, but the Sette DOES taste good.

I've not owned a really top end grinder to compare it to, but I do know it makes nicer (ie wider range of flavours) coffee than my old 64mm flat burr Simonelli MDX that had new burrs fitted to it.

I am still really loving mine. Seems to really bring out flavours I could never really tell before. When I used to read the tasting notes for different coffees (ie 'cherry notes') I just couldn't really taste them. I can now.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

the settle is a good grinder, but it does not compete with Titans


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## brabzzz (Apr 14, 2017)

itguy said:


> Let's not throw the Sette into the skip just yet though... Fakenews possibly, but the Sette DOES taste good.
> 
> I've not owned a really top end grinder to compare it to, but I do know it makes nicer (ie wider range of flavours) coffee than my old 64mm flat burr Simonelli MDX that had new burrs fitted to it.
> 
> I am still really loving mine. Seems to really bring out flavours I could never really tell before. When I used to read the tasting notes for different coffees (ie 'cherry notes') I just couldn't really taste them. I can now.


Cheeky eBay deal on the Sette at £280. Thanks @coffeechap for the heads up.

Done and dusted.

Might be deaf after a few weeks but it'll be an upgrade over me the MDF. I was originally planning on keeping it for decaf - but of all the options at that price, the Sette needs a wingman least of all!


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## itguy (Jun 26, 2015)

Excellent - welcome to the Sette club!


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## brabzzz (Apr 14, 2017)

Had a first fiddle with the 270 and am pretty impressed.

Fast - under 5s for 19g, a pretty volcano peak of nice grinds...and it's quieter than i expected - very rare praise for a Sette i imagine, but then i'm comparing it to a Gaggia MDF which, frankly, is deafening









Won't get a chance to really get to know it until autumn when my season is over and can OD on caffine on a daily basis, but looking forward to it.

Fancy tamper on the way from CoffeeChap, so all that remains to sort is to upgrade from the Silvia to, well, time will tell. Looking like a Expobar DB most likely.


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## sm808 (Jul 18, 2017)

brabzzz said:


> Had a first fiddle with the 270 and am pretty impressed.


Before seeing this thread I was planning to upgrade from a sage smart grinder to a eureka zenith 65e but the sette sounds really good and is at least £100 cheaper so I was wondering if anyone has experience of both and could comment on whether they would be similar or if one would be better than the other in terms of flavour? Thanks in advance!


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

65e will run forever, and keep much more of its value, settee has plastic gears - call me a luddite


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

sm808 said:


> Before seeing this thread I was planning to upgrade from a sage smart grinder to a eureka zenith 65e but the sette sounds really good and is at least £100 cheaper so I was wondering if anyone has experience of both and could comment on whether they would be similar or if one would be better than the other in terms of flavour? Thanks in advance!


Some people here were not very lucky with the Sette and experience some issues after a while (ie: some kind of failure).

I was very keen on the Sette myself but after reading disappointment after disappointment I have decided to look elsewhere.

As per "Is there a difference in flavour from this to that?" Certainly. On my upgrade path from a Porlex Mini to a Mignon, I could notice a different taste straight away. Then, when I upgraded to the T64, I have noticed a different taste too. And then again from that to the M68. I'd say the last two taste the best, giving a lot of clarity and flavours in my opinion.

Needless to say, keeping them clean is the key. Eureka Grinders are very clean-up friendly, as they don't loose the adjustment.


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## igm45 (Mar 5, 2017)

I don't/haven't owned either grinder.

The sette is known to produce great results in the cup. I have been told conicals (sette) bring the best out of DSOL, flat burrs the best out of LSOL if this helps in your decision process.

However, the sette it has been riddled with faults abd whether you get a good one or not it doesnt have the build quality of the 65e.

If you get a good one then great, in my view the risk outweighs the reward though.


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## thesmileyone (Sep 27, 2016)

In all my theoretical research I came to the conclusion that an F83e is optimum for grinders.

83mm burrs

sub £1k new

Minimal static / retention as much as it's design tolerates.

BUT if you can find used, and have space for, a Mythos, this is better. Smaller burrs but minimal retention due to being angled / gravity, larger motor, better features.

I think grinders also it might be better to buy 2nd hand because you don't have to run in the burrs which can get expensive.


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## itguy (Jun 26, 2015)

I am sure you have seen my other Sette thread by now but I wouldn't recommend buying one now after mine has started playing up.

Even coffeehit have said that they have had a load of problems with them, so best not to be an early adopter on it (like I was) if you want reliability...


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## MSM (Mar 12, 2015)

I have a K3 for a couple of year and have been very happy with it.


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## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

MSM said:


> I have a K3 for a couple of year and have been very happy with it.


Jealous of your work set-up @MSM ! B2C machines seem to be what people what here. Thank Goodness we still have the Classic and it's still going strong. (I've done three repairs on it so far....)


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