I'm using an ek, and my kalita 185 keeps choking no matter what grind setting i'm using.

25g/400g h2o

I don't have this issue with 17.5g/280g h2o

Any thoughts on what is causing this?

Probably the fines right? Isn't the EK known for producing a lot of fines (although still having excellent grind quality)?

After finally having a constant method for a great kalita cup, this issue popped. After reading different forums and trying different approaches to fix it, I still get the one hole dripper problem. So these are the changes that I took to fix the issue; changed grind size, changed recipe, changed filter type, changed pour approach, changed coffee, changed wetting method, changed water temperature. Basically I changed everything and still had the issue. So I switched back to the v60 but wasn't happy because the pouring method I take is not suited for a v60. After a bit of a frustrating phase I remembered that I recently switched kettles. To be more specific I switched from a Hario's new copper Kettle to Takahiro's new kettle. So I gave it one last try and to my surprise it worked. The Takahiro excels when it comes to control of the stream. However the stream is very narrow to the extent that it is cutting through the coffee bed without agitating the particles below. The Hario's stream is wider leading to the agitation of particles in the lower part of the bed. Note that this occurs even when both have the same pouring speed and flow rate as it appears on acaia's brewmaster app.

That's strange. It could be the coffee you're using. Have you tried a different roast/bean? I've never had an issue with the EK choking the Kalita. In fact, I had the opposite issue - everything flows too fast at any grind setting. I normally pulse pour with a 30s bloom, and having the second pour 'settle' the grounds for 15 seconds.

The issue seems to have gone away as I've changed my pouring. I was pouring 6-7 times per brew and had tons of turbulence. The choking has gone away as I've reduced to ~4 pours that are much closer to the slurry, instead of from up above like a bombing run

Im using two stainless steel needles used for cooking (not sure of the english word...), these are bent to a circle like shape and dumped in the bottom of my Kalita 185 before i put in the filter. This way the filter never clings to the bottom keeping the holes clear...

Are you running into choking problems in other brew methods, or is it isolated to the kalita?

I had similar problem, but determined it was how I was seating the filter. If filter is "held down" when wetting then I would get 1-3 holes dripping. I backed off and just let the filter sit "lightly" at the bottom, not pressing it down, then began wetting. Consistent flow ever since.