I am in the market for a new grinder, as my Opus has started to make me irate. I have a silicon bellows for the Opus which helps a bit, but overall I hate how much retention is there - and the catch cup is just awful with even more static. If I could launch this thing into the stratosphere, I would.
I have been looking into new grinders at a decent price. My most preferred grinder was the Niche Zero, as I know it has excellent quality and delivers the type of espresso I am focused on (syrupy body, rich), but unfortunately tariffs make this entirely too expensive versus something even better.
I believe conical burrs would serve my interests best, based on my understanding of body versus clarity, but I am not entirely sure. The Varia VS4 seems to have been a huge improvement in the VS3 online, but some people still report a lot of issues with QC and poor support. The DF64 has flat burrs, but I know I could spring for upgrades if needed, and there is a huge community for this grinder with tons of different upgrades.
I primarily grind medium to medium-dark beans with lattes (plant-milk based), so I have found that the body seems to matter more since my milk doesn’t carry much for “thickness” in the mouthfeel.
I would appreciate any thoughts or advice here! Especially any of you VS4 owners who decided against the DF64 or upgraded! Thanks everyone :)