Etzinger ETZ-I vs Mazzer Omega

#1: Post by **LewBK** » March 22nd, 2023, 11:22 pm

I'm a bit surprised this new hand grinder from Etzinger isn't getting more play around here, given all the buzz around the Mazzer Omega one: https://www.coffeegeek.com/new-products ... the-scoop/ Anyone compare the two?

#2: Post by **jbviau** » March 26th, 2023, 11:57 am

Honestly, Etzinger seem to be more eager to market it for pepper grinding than for coffee grinding (based on social media posts). I have a thing for crows, so the logo appeals to me; otherwise, I haven't found the grinder compelling enough to try out. Also, I'm just not grinding manually as much as I used to. Most of the chatter I see online (here, Discord, etc.) about the ETZ-1 boils down to "it's fine, but nothing special." Anyway, I don't have the Omega either, so I'll step back into the shadows and lurk here.

Free bump!

#3: Post by **mborkow** » March 26th, 2023, 12:20 pm

Is it the same Etzinger burr used in the Lido series?

March 26th, 2023, 12:43 pm

Very different. The Etz-I burr has horizontal slots cut into it, which the Lido burr does not have.

#5: Post by **Pressino** » March 26th, 2023, 1:16 pm

I've posted my opinion about the ergonomic differences between clockwise and counterclockwise cranking of manual coffee grinders. From my own experience and also based on the fairly limited biomechanical studies done (cited in earlier posts), our upper extremity skeletomuscular anatomy makes cranking clockwise more efficient and comfortable for most of us, especially right-handers. The studies have been limited, so I understand folks will disagree, but I'm convinced enough about this issue that I will not buy a hand grinder that requires counterclockwise cranking. I suspect others feel the same way about it, and that may explain the relative lack of enthusiasm for buying the ETZ-1.

BTW, I'd guess Etzinger did think about this issue and would have preferred to make and market a clockwise cranking grinder, except that to do so would have required them to retool and make burrs with mirror-imaged geometry and they found it cheaper to go with the burrs that were available. Those burrs work well in machines, since they really don't care which way they spin. Unfortunately humans do care.

March 26th, 2023, 6:13 pm

Here's some of what Mark Prince said regarding the ETZ-1 design on Coffee Geek:

Burr Housing Design

Perhaps most unique engineering design of the ETZ-I grinder is that it does not have a central spindle for mounting and turning the lower burr, like every other hand cranked, hand held coffee grinder currently features. Instead, the Etzinger hand grinder's lower burr is stationary (it doesn't spin) and is solidly mounted to the grinder adjustment collar and housing.

It's the top burr that rotates in an ETZ-I grinder, and it does so by being mounted to the inner tube assembly of the grinder, which in turn is rotated via a crank handle at the top of the grinder. The result is a bit of Tron Light Cycle magic, if you will: remove the lower burr and grinds catch from the ETZ-I, look through the top portion where the whole beans go, and you see nothing but air down the middle where you'd expect a spindle to be.

The benefit of this design is almost no "burr wobble"; a problem that plagues many traditionally designed manual coffee grinders. While some expensive manual grinders on the market have double spindle designs, double mounting designs and intricate bearing and load control designs, even the best of class hand grinders still exhibit a bit of burr wobble under heavy load, which results in a wider variance of grind particle sizes in the output. The Etzinger ETZ-I design virtually eliminates this.

Counter Clockwise Action

The ETZ-I is also the only manual hand grinder you have to crank counter clockwise (anti-clockwise for my British friends). This is because you're spinning the top burr, not the lower one. This fact alone has turned some coffee forum pundits (who have never actually used this grinder). I'm left handed, but for decades have spun clockwise on dozens of different hand grinders. That said, I found using this grinder in the counter clockwise motion took only a few grind sessions to get used to.

Settings Zealot

The ETZ-I has a crazy number of grinder settings - 88 of them! - with each setting resulting in a 0.02mm (20 micron) adjustment in the burr height. If that isn't enough, unlike most hand grinders, these adjustments are extremely repeatable and reproducible across every ETZ-I out there. If you choose a setting of 9+ 2 ticks, and tell someone to use that setting on their ETZ-I grinder 5,000 miles away, they will be using the same grind setting as you. Etzinger uses a precise Vernier scale indicator on their grinders, and adjusting even just 1 click on the 88 choices is easy, especially if you reverse the grind catch cup and use it to rotate the grind adjustment with more precision. Each clicked position has a tactile, almost haptic-like feedback too.

#7: Post by **Pressino** » March 27th, 2023, 12:35 am

Yes, and he is one of those who I was specifically thinking about when I wrote that other folks would disagree about counterclockwise crank rotation. That's just his experience and opinion and differs from mine...and with the few actual bio mechanical studies I've seen and probably the experience of many others who've tried both clockwise and counterclockwise cranks.

Anyhow, it will be interesting to see if another manufacturer decides to make a similar grinder but with mirror image burr geometry that employs clockwise cranking. I'll bet it sells a lot better.

An enterprising business person may want to patent the concept...

[edit below]
PS I should add that Mr. Prince says he is left-handed, and I would expect other lefties might find this grinder easier to use than righties would. Etzinger might want to market it to lefties, except that would obviously not help sales to the majority of buyers...

#8: Post by **Jonk** » March 27th, 2023, 5:06 am

There are separate threads about both grinders:
New Etzinger etz-I grinder
Mazzer Omega hand grinder

Both novel, somewhat expensive options with some nice features like how neatly the handles store and how easy the etz-1 is to clean:

Turns out the Etzinger recommends to do that to combat the unusual retention for a hand grinder (about 1g)

and then Omega has got pretty big steps.

My impression is that they're both a bit underwhelming. I think the rotational direction would be a minor concern if everything else was top notch..

Apparently Etzinger has made a new, intriguing burr now:

...almost like a conical-ghost hybrid

March 27th, 2023, 9:45 am

Prince's analysis of the retention issue is also quite interesting as has been Etzinger's response:

Grinds Retention
Then there was the most controversial design choice on the ETZ-I that made some coffee forum (and reddit readers) go apoplectic: Etzinger designed what they called "the anti-static jig" for this hand grinder, so it would get an output that was evenly distributed, and generally free of static. And this design works very well. But the design philosophy and engineering behind it had a problem: the design only functions as promised when about 1g worth of ground coffee (depending on how fine you grind) is retained in the grinding chamber (we'll have more on the why and how of this in our review of the ETZ-I). Yes, this grinder is engineered to retain some ground coffee.

Hey, at CoffeeGeek, we're as guilty as anyone about talking and promoting retention-free grinders. But if someone came up with a system that eliminates the need to do a RDT (Ross Droplet Technique) to eliminate grinder static, and eliminate the need for the WDT method, which delays the time you take your ground coffee and have water through it, and all it costs is 1g of coffee retention (that you can easily knock out after with a palm rap against the side of the grinder), that sounds pretty good.

1g+ retention, however, didn't sound great to the aforementioned forum and reddit participants. They complained without even using or seeing the grinder. I can't stress this enough: very few people have seen this grinder, and even fewer still have used it. Fewer still understand the design ethos of the grinder, which is the main impetus for writing this post before we put the grinder through our review process.

For some, it didn't seem to matter that this is one of the only hand grinders on the market that is virtually free of static cling in the ground coffee. Or that the output has a very even and balanced participle distribution. Or that it pretty much eliminates burr wobble, giving an impressively even grind output. Or that it eliminated the time-chewing WDT technique people use to even out their espresso grinds (at CoffeeGeek, we believe it's absolutely crucial to minimize the time between grinding and pulling a shot when it comes to espresso grinds).

We've been using the ETZ-I (and a variant, see below) for a week now, and I can already state something: these things do matter. This is an excellent, ground breaking manual, portable coffee grinder. Does it have issues? Sure it does (it could use a rubberized grip of sorts to help keep things secure when grinding). But its output is exceptional, its grinding speed is top of class, and its ability to clean and adjust is also top of class.

The ETZ-I Evolves
Because of the complaints about grind retention, Etzinger has gone back to the drawing board - just a bit - on the ETZ-I and decided to come up with a variant: the ETZ-U.

The ETZ-I, available in both a regular and trim version, will have the anti-jig mechanism in place to deliver what Etzinger wanted with this grinder: no static, excellent particle distribution and a slightly compacted bed of coffee that is ready to just drop into a portafilter, or V60 filter, and brew with.

The ETZ-U, which is still in prototype stage, will have a different burr housing collar that doesn't have any of the anti-static jig's design or effects. Every .1g of coffee you add to the grinder up top will come out of the bottom. Distribution is not as ideal as it is with the ETZ-I, but will be on par with the best of class hand grinders currently on the market. Same with static cling. In fact, I've been testing both models for a week now, and while I do notice a tiny bit of static issues in the ETZ-U model, again, it's no worse than other hand grinders. The ETZ-I on the other hand has no static issues at all.

#10: Post by **buckersss** » May 16th, 2023, 10:43 pm

I have a few comments/questions to add

1) if at all possible I think it's be best to rename the thread as the grinder is the etz-i, not the etz-1.

2) it looks like the etz-u (without jig) is no longer listed for sale on etzinger website. Not sure if this means they no longer sell it.

3) can anyone with an etz-i comment on how it tastes for espresso?

The review from alternative brewing suggests it brings out good body and heightens acidity. The review also suggests it doesn't bring out sweetness, but has moderate complexity and clarity.

4) can anyone with an etz-i comment on the resolution, or the ability to dial in the grinder?

This video by coffee shelter suggests a 2 second longer espresso pull by adjusting one click.

5) there is also the etzMAX grinder. I emailed etzinger and they confirmed the etzMAX is the same as the etz-i. This is due to "now settled" trademark issues. Yet a grinder of a different name is still listed and sold on their website, very confusing.

6) all etz-i / etzMAX hand grinders use/ship with the updated DC cone burrs. The old burr isn't being sold anymore. One could change the "cone burr" (and I assume not the ring burr) if one had the old style burrs.