The finishes on the Oro SD are definitely another level from the DF64, like bas commented on. Regardless of what "some people" think, aesthetics definitely contribute to the overall experience. There are literally thousands of words on this forum alone discussing this. The SD also has the option for the chrome version, which is what I own. The finishes and build quality are on par with the best grinders out there.
Some comments are obviously negatively biased because what is the basis for saying the paint used is "cheap" or the wooden parts are "cheap". This has no foundation on facts or real life experience with this grinder.

My 2 cents after going through those 26 pages (I have been using the mignon single dose daily for the past month).

Cons

1. Vibration
I understand it's a powerful motor in a small chassis but there's definitely room for improvement. Nothing that stops me from enjoying my daily espresso but I'm concerned about long term reliability and alignment. Does a XL modded with an angle base vibrates this much? I dont think so...

2. Dial knob
I was hoping to easily go back and forth between different beans (main selling argument for me) but this is not what I'm experiencing. I drink 1 espresso in the morning and sometimes 1 decaf espresso in the afternoon. Everytime I switch from one to the other, I always have to run 1-3 shots before getting back to my dialed in baseline, even if they are set to the previous same knob position and even if some coffee is purged to negate exchange. I've read couple posts about spring load and possible assembly gaps/clearances (reaching final dial position by turning clockwise/finer (pressing the spring) vs reaching final position by turning counterclockwise/coarser (releasing the spring tension). I asked Eureka about this and their word for word answer to me was to make sure I only turn the knob when the grinder is turned on.....

3. Bellows/hopper
It looks good (imo) but it simply doesnt work as it should, which, to be honest, is not an issue because the grinder itself has really low retention/exchange. My problem here is Eureka's marketing. Just tell it like it is and I'm sure people would be fine with it.

4. Eureka's marketing
I would not have minded purchasing this knowing that it was a modified/simplified mignon XL with an angled base and single dose hopper/bellow. But their marketing announced tons of promises aimed towards single dosers and high expectations were not met. Let's be honest, this is a grinder designed by marketing/salesmen, not by design engineers. It seems like it's their strategy going forward with almost a new model announcrment every month that are actually specialitas disguised with 1 or 2 accessories and a different name.

Outside those 4 issues, I do love the coffee/taste I get from this grinder but this is all clouded by a sort of feeling that I was cheated on by their marketing.

Not sure where to go from here, still in my return window so I might go for a modded DF64, lagom P64 or Atom XL modded for single dosing.

Looking forward to hearing from next production batch feedback.

1. Vibration
I understand it's a powerful motor in a small chassis but there's definitely room for improvement. Nothing that stops me from enjoying my daily espresso but I'm concerned about long term reliability and alignment. Does a XL modded with an angle base vibrates this much? I dont think so...

My XL jumped every time it was started. Also never liked the stepless wheel because it was such a pain to switch back and forth between different beans. Never liked the dosing cup / portafilter holder or the fact that the rpm setting couldn't be changed. Flavor wise the XL was average.

Triumphrider wrote:The finishes on the Oro SD are definitely another level from the DF64, like bas commented on. Regardless of what "some people" think, aesthetics definitely contribute to the overall experience. There are literally thousands of words on this forum alone discussing this. The SD also has the option for the chrome version, which is what I own. The finishes and build quality are on par with the best grinders out there.
Some comments are obviously negatively biased because what is the basis for saying the paint used is "cheap" or the wooden parts are "cheap". This has no foundation on facts or real life experience with this grinder.

This isn't built anywhere near top end grinders, let's get real for second. I used and seen allot of the best grinder out there and this doesn't remotely get close to that built. Don't get me wrong it's fine for the price it's priced at, but let's not over exaggerate. It's similar in built to what you typically find from major manufacturers at this price range, nothing less nothing more, most of what I said I clearly pointed as QC issues or typical for first runs, I didn't say the paint was bad just that I seen better, also let's get realistic no manufacturer is going to use the best stuff on a product that cost less then a $1000, just as they ain't gonna toss high quality expensive wood in the package as well, they certainly didn't as it's Oak and certainly not from the best cut and only the base, the lid they don't even specify with good reason, but I'm sure that will be fixed because it does look something bound to break, I have allot of stuff in Oak, my counter top is oak, it's a cheap material relatively speaking, well not pine cheap but still.

Don't confuse build with aesthetic, it's not really challenging to make a mediocre or poor performance product look like it's not, there are hundreds if not thousands of dressed up corpses out there in the world of consumer items. No i'm not saying this is dressed up, just that we should not judge it's built quality surely from its aesthetic appearance, from distance at least the Ode could also give that impression but it's certainly not a fantastic build grinder, again acceptable for what it is but certainly nothing more.

Decostack wrote:I would not have minded purchasing this knowing that it was a modified/simplified mignon XL with an angled base and single dose hopper/bellow.

I thought the chute was also slightly modified with some kind of metallic inlay and a smaller opening towards the grind chamber?

and a smaller opening towards the grind chamber?

If so, might that be the reason that there are many (?) reports of clogged SD grinders?

malling wrote:This isn't built anywhere near top end grinders, let's get real for second. I used and seen allot of the best grinder out there and this doesn't remotely get close to that built. Don't get me wrong it's fine for the price it's priced at, but let's not over exaggerate. It's similar in built to what you typically find from major manufacturers at this price range, nothing less nothing more, most of what I said I clearly pointed as QC issues or typical for first runs, I didn't say the paint was bad just that I seen better, also let's get realistic no manufacturer is going to use the best stuff on a product that cost less then a $1000, just as they ain't gonna toss high quality expensive wood in the package as well, they certainly didn't as it's Oak and certainly not from the best cut and only the base, the lid they don't even specify with good reason, but I'm sure that will be fixed because it does look something bound to break, I have allot of stuff in Oak, my counter top is oak, it's a cheap material relatively speaking, well not pine cheap but still.

Don't confuse build with aesthetic, it's not really challenging to make a mediocre or poor performance product look like it's not, there are hundreds if not thousands of dressed up corpses out there in the world of consumer items. No i'm not saying this is dressed up, just that we should not judge it's built quality surely from its aesthetic appearance, from distance at least the Ode could also give that impression but it's certainly not a fantastic build grinder, again acceptable for what it is but certainly nothing more.

Decostack mentioned that he feels the Mignon SD is a repurposed XL, which by the looks of it, I would agree.

I had an XL in chrome that I modified into an SD. I now have an EG-1 that I use daily. I agree with Malling's points. Aesthetically, the XL / SD are not bad looking grinders and are better looking than some of their peers but in no way can be compared to the fit and finish of much higher end grinders like an EG-1, Titus or others in that category. It's not just materials used or aesthetics that set these two groups apart, there is also function. When I first did side by side shots between the XL and my EG-1, I was only expecting to taste a nominal difference between the two. What I found though was a huge difference in flavor and clarity. The workflow can't be compared either. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I came to dislike the small stepless knob on the XL. This was especially pronounced once I started using the EG-1 and the precision of its stepped adjustment. Another innovation that sets the two apart is how easy it is to get to the burrs on the EG. It's takes two clicks and five seconds and I'm able to clean or adjust the burrs which I could do each day after using it. This is well thought out design which puts it in a category that is vastly different than the XL / SD. One last comparison - on the 2022 EG-1's, Weber is adding a magnetic walnut disk to the blind shaker holder. This will automatically center the dosing cup. It will be available to be retrofitted on all earlier EG's as well. This is a well thought out design carryover from the new Key grinder and will be a nice added touch.

While it can be argued that the XL / SD is best in its class, comparing the two classes would be similar to comparing a Toyota to a McLaren / Ferrari or a Seiko to a Patek. They both grind beans, drive or tell time, but one group does it with much more precision along with better materials and finer craftsmanship and style than the other.

They both grind beans, drive or tell time, but one group does it with much more precision along with better materials and finer craftsmanship and style than the other.

For a much higher cost

The XL is decent grinder and perhaps best in class. But that is subjective and no fact. There is no doubt a Eureka can not compeed with Monolith/Titus/EG1 class grinder regarding build quality, material choice and fit and finish.

But I thinks the comparison was meant for DF64/Giota?

The big taste difference between a XL and EG1 can be explained by quite a difference in burr design. The XL uses a very traditional espresso focused set. Clarity is not where it shines. It's a pitty that the SSP multi-purpose burrs do not fit without modding the burr carrier. That burr set will give much more clarity at the expense of mouthfeel though. EG1 has more interesting burr choices, also with better balance...

bas wrote:For a much higher cost

So are Ferrari's and Patek's.

I believe the comparison is with the best grinders out there.

JohanR wrote:I thought the chute was also slightly modified with some kind of metallic inlay and a smaller opening towards the grind chamber?

bas wrote:If so, might that be the reason that there are many (?) reports of clogged SD grinders?

From YT videos I've seen, it does look like a smaller opening towards the chamber indeed. And a shortened ACE metal piece to go with it. Eureka mentioned the changes are to make single dosing easier. Not having a unit at hand, I don't understand exactly how, but I assume they had their reason.

Not sure what's going on with some people having the clogging issue while some don't. I did see some say bending the ACE screen outward a bit fixes the issue without losing the functionality of the ACE system.