Lately I have been eyeing up the Niche Zero. It has gotten a lot of positive remarks, and seems to be the "new hotness". I primarily drink medium to darker roasts, make one to two espressos at a time, and like the ability to single dose as opposed to loading a happier full of beans. I have heard that with some of the grinders that use a hopper, they need to be about 1/4 full to get consistent grinds. In the same price range as the Niche, $650-850, are there other grinders I should be considering as well?

Only manual grinders. Some of the Eurekas aren't too wastefuls.

The convenience of single dosing and the ability to switch beans from cup to cup cannot be overstated. My Niche Zero replaced a Compak K10 and I haven't looked back even for a second. There is no (non-manual) grinder at this price point that can perform this well for single dosing espresso. It's really market disrupting...if a flat version were to be released at a similar price point in the future (although I doubt the economics and retention figures would work as well) I don't think I'd need grinders from any other manufacturer.

As it stands my Ceado E37S is still around just in case I happen upon some scandinavian light roast...

Thermosiphon wrote:There is no (non-manual) grinder at this price point that can perform this well for single dosing espresso. It's really market disrupting...if a flat version were to be released at a similar price point in the future (although I doubt the economics and retention figures would work as well) I don't think I'd need grinders from any other manufacturer.

This is kind of where I am at in my thoughts as well.