Recently picked up a DF64 with SSP MP's to sit next to my Niche Zero and found myself very strongly preferring what the DF64 was producing, so I sold my Niche. I'd like to have another grinder to pair with the DF, but not necessarily looking for a contrasting style of output. I'm between two grinders, but if there's something else in the price range that you have experience and input, I'm open to ideas.

Mahlkonig x54 - I've been intrigued by this grinder since it was released. I love the look, and from reviews it seems like the lower RPM lends itself more towards a unimodal grind? I also appreciate the portafilter fork and it seems like it'd be good to work with overall, although the grind is slow (lower RPM)

Eureka Atom 75 - I'm looking to cut down on my workflow a little at times, generally first thing in the morning or when I have guests, and the atom seems to have an amazing streamlined workflow. From what I can tell the grinds are very fluffy, not requiring WDT, and they are fast and easy to distribute in the portafilter, to be able to simply tamp. The drawbacks of the Atom to me are the look (I haven't seen either in person so I may be wrong), and it seems the burr geometry and grind speed perhaps produce more fines, and maybe the cup profile would be closer to the Niche? Hard to say, but open to input. The quietness factor and speed of grinding would be really nice with the kiddos sleeping, compared to the shriek of the DF64 with SSP

I've also looked at something like the Helios, which is overkill for my needs, but I will say aesthetics are a factor here, as silly as that may be.

Thanks Jim! I'll keep that in mind for my search

I have an Atom 75 at my parents' house and I love the simplicity of the workflow and the great coffee it outputs. I use both on-demand and single dose, to your point, I use on-demand in the morning when I'm too sleepy to spend time prepping the puck. I also recommend the Atom 75.

I would recommend the Atom 75 for the workflow, but it sounds like you'd want an Atom Pro for the more unimodal style of burrs.

I don't have a Niche, but the Mythos burrs in the Lucca Atom Pro produce very different shots than the 98mm SSP HU burrata in my Ultra. The Atom is perfectly suited for milk drinks, but I prefer the clarity and nuance of straight shots I get with the big HU burrs.

Cheers!

- Jake