First serious grinder purchase. Been reading lots of posts on this site. Don't want to go over this price range nor have a much larger size. As I understand the pros and cons, Baratza is more compact and easier to use specially in changing grind but the K-3 has superior durability and reliability. However, I am not sure what the real situation is even with those issues. To get some input from the experience on the board, I will pose my questions in order of importance to me:
(1) I do want something that will last many years. Being able to do my own maintenance is important as I am in Puerto Rico and shipping back and forth to the US is expensive. It's not clear to me which burrs will last longer, the ceramic in the Vario or the SS on the K-3?
(2) Is changing the burrs on the K-3 a possibility for a handyman such as myself or strictly for a technician?
(3) Besides changing the burrs, is there a strong chance the Baratza will need expert maintenance every couple of years? Same question for the K-3.
(4) As to grind quality, do not expect much difference. Correct?
(5) Which will retain less grounds or be easier to clean of retained grounds?
(6) Although not as programmable as the Vario, the K-3 can be programmed to provide a couple of different doses. Correct?

Just wanted to add that this will be strictly for espresso, no drip or French press.

Thanks for your help.

1- the jury is out on the vario. It's a new product with only a few years time in existence. The first iterations are still running, but it hasn't been that long. Compaks, in general, are commercial equipment with commercial longevities. In the home, this means you will probably have to will it to someone. Ceramic burrs tend to last longer, to the tune of forever at home volumes, however there are slight concessions in the cup, at least to my palate, that make me prefer my super jolly grinders.
2- burr changing is not hard. On commercial grinders, it's often as simple as unscrewing a lock, removing the threaded collar, and removing the burrs from their carriers. This involves the use of a screwdriver, I'll assume you know how to do that. The hardest part is zeroing the burrs, but there are articles here on this process. It's easily something that someone with rudimentary knowledge of tools can do, provided they take the time to learn how. Generally you change burrs every few years, you will come to taste when it's needed.
3- ~50% chance your baratza will need work. They're great about performing service when it's needed, but it's often needed. Mine is serving me well, but it's a lab grinder that sees infrequent use. I'm not sure I would use it daily. I've no experience with compak grinders, but the ones I see in commercial use (k6) seem to hold up well in a commercial environment, at home you're probably fine.
4- as I remember, a k-3 is analagous to a mazzer mini, which is close to a vario in grind quality, but noticably a step down. I do not know if this is true with the compak line as well. A vario will most likely compare best with a k6, compak's 64mm offering.
5- a vario has the lowest retention of any grinder I know of, save for the HG one and Versalab m3. In general, commercial grinders have a higher retention, but are not particularly hard to sweep out. There is an ongoing debate over the necessity of dosers in this regard. In practical terms, most report varios to have zero retention.
6- I believe it does, but I can't confirm this. Someone with more experience using compak grinders will know.



In the United States, it is extremely economical to purchase used mazzer grinders, as they often come in at the home market price range, and are overbuilt to the degree that they sustain no functional damage in their commercial service. You could check to see if you have a similar used market.

Thank you, Pacificmanitou, for taking the trouble to respond. Your comments were very helpful in making my decision. I decided to go with the K-3. Reliability was my first priority. It was good to hear from you that changing the burrs on the K-3 would not be a problem. That sealed the deal.

Although grind quality was a lower priority for me, I am still trying to understand your quality order which seems to be:
(1) SJ
(2) Vario
(3) Mazzer Mini

I would have thought the two Mazzers would be closer in quality. Can you explain? This is just a curiosity on my part as I have already made my decision. I would have gone with the SJ except I don't think it would have been acceptable to my wife due to the size. In addition, I did not want to spend that much for a new one and did not want to go through the work to find a used one that looked good enough to be acceptable to you know who. I'm hoping the K-3 quality is good enough although unfortunately no one on this forum seems to have used one enough to be able or willing to comment. My current grinder is a Capresso Infinity and it was doing acceptably well matched to an Expobar Lever until it broke down.

The grind quality of the Compak K3 is going to be very similar to the MAzzer Mini. Both use 58mm steel burrs.

The K3 is built around the same design principle as the bigger compak grinders, which all are originally intended to be used commercially, high volume applications. Even though the Compak K10 is one of the most popular grinders to use home enthusiasts.(Just have a look through the "post your setup thread" and see what I mean.)

The Vario is designed to be used at home. I have found it be plenty durable, and I truthfully disagree with many peoples opinions about it not being able to last. I dont manhandle my equipment, but I dont expect others do either. Treat it right, it wont break. Ive had my Vario for four years, running daily. It works great.


Would the Vario have been the better choice?
-strictly on grind quality, yeah. It does beat the 58mm steel burr grinders. The Vario grinds more like a super jolly level grinder. Its why its so so so popular.
-On overall build quality, not exactly.

The K3 is solid, it will serve you well.

I once bought an infinity. It was a store demo grinder. I used it as my espresso grinder for about 7 months. I upgraded due to my frustrations with adjustment. I started home roasting, and the flavors I wanted to bring out, I couldn't. I bought a trespade class grinder, and began a six month upgrade spree. Anyway.....



The relative quality difference from flat burr Mazzer to flat burr Mazzer is rather small, but to a trained palate it is significant. As I understand it, the reason conical > flat and larger > smaller regarding burr size has to do with the length of the cutting tracks in the burrs. The longer this track is, the more effective the burr is at reducing a coffee bean to a consistent grain size. The longer the cutting track in the burr, the more even the grind because it is more effective at reducing it as a mechanical process. This is true of all burrs. Larger burrs have longer cutting tracks due to their size. A vario has very strange burrs in comparison to mazzers. Mahlkonig designed them with the cutting grooves at a sharper angle, making them longer than others in its class. While it has 54 mm burrs, it performs more like the SJ class 64mm grinders. It is not as good, but it is markedly better than a Mazzer mini, or k3, as it were.

I would probably pick the K3, seems more robust, grinds well and seems to have less out of the box issues. Quite a few Vario's on the threads with calibration and service issues, Baratza has good customer service when you need it.