I'm planning to buy up to 1500 eur espresso machine. And i decided i need to start with grinder first and buy a very good one so i won't have problems down the line.

I want a quality product that doesn't need modification to work properly, zero or very little retention. I plan to single dose the most but hopper option would be nice. I don't want mess on my counter and i want to have a perfect espresso grind. Budget would be up to 700 eur somewhere.

The more i read, less i know. Niche is ok, but not available, single dose only. Bezzera Sette 270wi looks nice, but quality is bad, single dosing a problem and it's very loud and makes a mess.
Eureka Mignon Spezialita is well build but not as good as others in the range for espresso? SIngle dosing a problem. Old design. I don't have a clue were does Mignon XL fit and if you can single dose it.

Others like DF64 have own problems, reliability issues, etc.

Did i miss something? Is there a go to grinder that simply does it very well every time, doesn't break, doesn't make a mess and can do single dosing or work with a hopper?

Well... the choices are much better than just a few years ago! Availability is a problem. But I think relative to their prices, what you listed are all good options, even if they have their own drawbacks as you described.

Do you really need a hopper? For me I only went back and forth because I couldn't decide which I want. But after getting in the single dosing groove I never wanted to go back.

Single-dose OR hopper, basically pick one. Too many differences in design goals to do both well.

The Niche Zero is typically available with monthly drops.

I would personly single dose. But there is also my wife that needs the whole process to be simple as possible (hopper is easier).

Gargamel40 wrote:needs the whole process to be simple as possible (hopper is easier).

Hopper or not, you still need to weigh the dose, especially in the price range you're considering. A 5% variance in dose (around 1 g) can shift the balance of a shot's flavor significantly.

If you can use a Robot/EspressoForge/Flair for your espresso game (and a Bellman steamer, etc. if milk frothing is wanted) then up your budget for the grinder you'd be better off, especially long term, IMHO. Or consider a good hand grinder.

Although I love my Slayer and can't see myself without it, I can make equally (or better sometimes) tasty espresso (and cappas using my cheap electric Bellman for steam only) using my EspressoForge. But I wouldn't want to give up my Monolith Flat regardless.

OTOH, you might consider a good hand grinder (Pharos) to get top shelf grind quality at a lower price point. Lower (relative) price point grinders, Niche included, have always been a disappointment especially when considering overall longevity, performance and consistency are considered factors.

Just my $.02 and maybe all its worth.

take it from someone that started out with a commercial grinder with large hopper. Get a single dose grinder like the niche or good hand grinder.

It's going to be the simplest option for workflow and maintenance.

With a hopper grinder you have to consider the cost of the scale to weight the dose as well.

I bought a Eureka Atom 75 around a year ago and love it. It's available, quiet, fast, intuitive. I have been single dosing on it (after some practice) & has around .3 g that stays inside the grinder. I make adjustments for that.

It has nice 75mm flat burrs and it's easy to disassemble to clean.

You could get a Baratza Vario. It has almost no retention and I used it for single dosing only. But you can fill the hopper and then program the dose with the timer and it is usually pretty constant.
The ceramic burrs make it a less noisy grinder compared to most others.
I now use a commercial grinder but mostly used my Vario before and only the large commercial grinder was able to get me to move.