Budget Burr Grinder Showdown: Refurbished Fellow Ode vs. Baratza Encore
Edit: forgot to mention that the fellow ode is usually like 250 but the refurbs are 150, is a refurb a bad idea in itself?
I pretty much have $150USD to spend on a nice burr grinder and I am pretty sure that one of these two would do the trick. I grind small amounts at once, like say 30-50g, but that's too big for most hand grinders plus I don't want to have to operate one while lacking caffeine. I want a machine but I want it not to suck. I don't have an espresso machine, or a Turkish coffee maker, and these two supposedly do everything from aeropress to French press so that seems good for me. Mostly going to be doing V60 and also drip coffee for the partner who prefers quantity over quality. Need to get a drip coffee maker too but I figure most of them are similar, probably will get a Krups or Bunn. I have a Fellow kettle so I kinda want the Ode to match but I also have some things I hate about the Fellow kettle like small size and lack of utility for things other than pour over coffee. Does the Ode have similar pitfalls? I like the small batch grinding capacity, whereas the Encore seems like a traditional hopper style grinder that you're supposed to pour a whole bag into. But I have been told that the Encore is the way to go for entry level burr grinders. So what do y'all think?
I remember reading a lot about Ode not being able to grind fine enough for V60s. There have been upgrades to the burrs but afaik the original one was a bit iffy. That is the reason I did not buy one a few years back. It might be something to take a gander at, and also to check what burrs are in the refurbished Ode.
Don’t fret. I have the original ODE and the v2 changes which included the updated burrs. It’s does a fantastic job for v60 pour over. It was also fine on v1 burrs just better with v2 burrs. Discounted refurbished is the way to go to cost effectively up your grinder game. Static is handled with a spray bottle; not a big deal - just part of the ritual.
Right on. I have seen a lot of people on YouTube preferring the AliExpress grinder the Turín/Itop/MiiCoffee SD40 over Encore and the Fellow Opus but IDK about the Ode. But I also think they might be selling those grinders and maybe make a higher margin on them vs. reselling Baratza or Fellow products. I'm weirded out by AliExpress brands sometimes though because it's easy to buy from another seller copying the original seller with an inferior product. I'm kinda thinking of maybe getting the Solis Scala Zero just because it's cheaper at $100.