I'm in upgrade mood and looking to replace my Virtuoso grinder (and Andreja Premium) that have served me extremely well for 12 years. I've been happy with the Baratza company and looking now at their Vario W+ and the Sette 270 WI. The price at Chris coffee is the same for both machines at $599. I'm toying with the idea of the Fiorenzato F4E Nano too at $695 but have no experience with this company. The reviews on Chris Coffee are excellent. The grinder will used almost exclusively for espresso grind,

I read many reviews here, but most have to do with older models of these machines. If you have any thoughts or experience with these grinders, please take a moment to respond. Thanks

The 270Wi grinds a weighted dose right into the portafilter; also, it's incredibly fast and makes very nice clump-free grinds. The downside is that it's noisy and needs a new gearbox every few years. The myriad other issues have pretty much been engineered out of the latest models. WRT the gearbox, they are inexpensive, readily available and a DIY job to replace. I love my 270Wi. Given the price, nothing else in a gravimetric grinder comes close. I've not had a Vario, so can't comment on that. My understanding is that while it's gravimetric, it does not grind into the portafiler, but I could be wrong. I had a lower model, a Preciso, for many years, and it was more reliable than the Sette; I never had to repair anything in it. Perhaps the Vario is as good or better.

Nunas,

Thanks for the feedback. As mentioned, I own a Virtuoso so am somewhat familiar with that gearbox. I have owned it for 12 years and a few plastic internals broke over time and it was a fairly simple repair. I also upgraded the gearbox about 3 years ago. Overall, it has been a charm. I think you are correct that the Vario does not grind into a portafilter. Then again, either does my Virtuoso. I may be a hack, so I just remove the grind basket on it and hold the portafilter directly near the output port and it seems to work ok. Like I said, it is hack.

I am looking to upgrade for my yet to be purchased dual boiler machine and this new grinder will be the complement.

The Vario+ can grind directly into the portafilter, but it's timer-based and not weight-based, unlike the Vario W+ which can weigh the dose, but can't grind into the portafilter. If you want both features, the 270Wi is the way to go.

If you want gravimetric into the portafilter, but quieter and more robust than the Sette, you might consider the Feilai ZF64w. A few of us here on H-B took the plunge when it was still little known in N.A. by ordering direct from the factory https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... KaLY7l&s=p I think they've become more popular in NZ and Australia, and parts of the EU, with local dealer support. I don't know if anyone handles them here. This is an espresso grinder, not general purpose, but can easily be modified to make it grind coarser by removing the pin stop. The only downside I've discovered is that it produces somewhat clumpier grinds than the Settee, although I've not found this to create any problems. Also, this is a flat burr grinder, which is one reason I bought it. There are threads here on H-B about it. It also comes in a timed version for a little less.

Boren,

My current method of dosing is a plastic scoop; 2 1/2 scoops is about 30 grams. I guess I'm not super fussy about exact weight. When I use a scale I've not noticed any improvement in shots. Mostly I'm looking for a grinder that has the following, quiet, fast, consistency and accuracy. In your opinion does either of these grinders leap out as better?

Jerry

I can't comment on the Vario W+ but the Sette is nowhere close to quiet. I have the regular 270 version and like it a lot but it's loud.

The Sette 270 and 270Wi are fast, consistent and accurate, but oh boy, they are nowhere near quiet.I don't have personal experience with the Vario series, but they don't have the same reputation for noise as the Sette grinders.

Ohwhen,

Yea, not surprised the Sette is noisy as my Virtuoso is also a noisy machine too. About how many seconds does it take for you to grind a espresso shot, say 18-20 grams or so?

I haven't timed it, but according to Baratza's published figures the Sette series is 2 to 3 times fatter than the Vario:

https://baratza.com/wp-content/uploads/ ... 100521.pdf