Baratza Encore ESP vs Fellow Opus

The short answer

These two grinders usually sit within a few dollars of each other, and that is the only thing they genuinely share. The Baratza Encore ESP is an espresso grinder with a filter range alongside it: Baratza re-engineered its entry-level classic specifically for espresso, split the 40 settings into fine micro-steps (1-20) and coarser macro-steps (21-40), and calibrates every unit at the factory. The Fellow Opus is the opposite proposition — an all-purpose grinder Fellow positions for everything from espresso to cold brew, with 41-plus settings on an inner adjustment ring, a 110 g load bin and a two-year warranty.

If espresso is why you are buying a grinder, buy the Encore ESP. A dial that spends half its travel on espresso gives you somewhere to go when a shot runs three seconds fast, and factory calibration means setting 8 is a real espresso setting rather than a guess. If you brew espresso on Saturdays and filter, French press and cold brew the rest of the week, the Opus is the more honest fit for your actual life — with one significant caveat we deal with below, because Fellow has already moved the line on to the Opus 2.

Neither of these is a hand grinder, and at this money a manual grinder is a real alternative that buys better burrs for less — the argument either way is in hand vs electric grinders.

Same money, different premise

Both are 40 mm conical burr grinders. Both are hopper-or-bin fed rather than true single-dosers. Both are stepped rather than stepless. On paper they look like the same class of machine, and the price usually agrees. The difference is what the makers built them to do, and it shows up in exactly one place: how the adjustment range is spent.

• Baratza spends half the dial on espresso. Settings 1-20 are fine micro-steps intended for espresso; 21-40 are coarser macro-steps for filter. You adjust by twisting the hopper. That split is the entire design intent of the ESP version, and it is why the grinder exists alongside the standard Encore.
• Fellow spends the dial on everything.The Opus offers 41-plus settings with an inner adjustment ring, and Fellow's own positioning spans espresso through to cold brew. A range that wide has to put fewer clicks inside any one brew method's useful window.

That is not a knock on the Opus. A grinder that covers espresso, pour over, press and cold brew is the right buy for a lot of households, and most people brew more filter coffee than they admit. But it does mean the two grinders answer different questions, and the right one for you depends on which question you are actually asking. If that is still open, start with how to choose a coffee grinder.

Baratza Encore ESP: the espresso one

Who it is for: the person whose main drink is espresso and who wants a grinder that is right out of the box and repairable for years afterwards.

The specification that matters most here is not the burr diameter — it is the dual range. Baratza's own description of the ESP is that it "delivers the grind resolution you need to brew creamy, syrupy shots of espresso", and the way it does that is by giving espresso twenty dedicated fine steps instead of asking one all-purpose dial to cover everything. The burrs are 40 mm conical M2 steel made by Etzinger in Liechtenstein, the motor is a modest 70 W at 550 rpm grinding 1.3-2.2 g per second, and each unit is factory calibrated so the numbers on the dial correspond to something real.

The second thing you are buying is Baratza's support model. Baratza publishes parts diagrams and repair guides for its grinders, which makes the Encore ESP a grinder you maintain rather than a sealed appliance you replace. Over five years that is worth more than most spec-sheet differences.

The honest cons. It is stepped, not stepless, so you choose the nearer of two clicks rather than landing exactly where you want — for espresso that occasionally matters, and stepped vs steplessexplains when. The 70 W motor is not quick. It is a plain-looking machine. And at 300 g the hopper quietly encourages you to store beans in it, which is the one habit that will undo the grinder's advantage.

Fellow Opus: the all-purpose one

Who it is for: the household that brews several different ways in the same week and wants one grinder — and one that looks like it belongs on a visible counter.

The Opus is the better-designed object by a distance, and that is a legitimate reason to buy a thing you look at every morning. It is also the better-warranted one: two years limited, plus another year if you register it for free in the US, against Baratza's one. The 110 g load bin nudges you toward weighing beans in per brew rather than storing them in a hopper, which is better for freshness even though the Opus is not a true single-doser. Six-blade 40 mm stainless conical burrs and a 6 Nm torque motor cover the whole range Fellow claims.

The honest cons.A range that stretches from espresso to cold brew has to spread its clicks thin, so the espresso window is narrower in practice than the Encore ESP's twenty dedicated steps. There is no factory espresso calibration to lean on. And the big one is below: Fellow has already superseded this grinder.

Both grinders, compared

Every pick on this page in one view, with the live Amazon price and stock on each row. Specs are the figures the maker or the listing publishes — nothing measured or scored by us. Prices are read from Amazon's API and were last checked October 10, 2026; where we have no verified price, the row says so rather than show you an old number.

#	Grinder	Why you'd pick it	Price & availability
1	#1 Baratza Encore ESP Best for espresso · Espresso-first, hopper-fed 40 mm conical M2 steel burrs by Etzinger · 40 stepped settings, dual range (1-20 espresso, 21-40 filter) · factory-calibrated · 300 g hopper, 120 g bin · 70 W at 550 rpm · 1-year warranty Half the dial is espresso, and Baratza publishes parts and repair guides.	Half the dial is espresso, and Baratza publishes parts and repair guides.40 mm conical M2 steel burrs by Etzinger · 40 stepped settings, dual range (1-20 espresso, 21-40 filter) · factory-calibrated · 300 g hopper, 120 g bin · 70 W at 550 rpm · 1-year warranty	$199.95In stock, checked October 10, 2026 Check Price on Amazon
2	#2 Fellow Opus Conical Burr Grinder Best all-rounder · All-purpose, bin-fed 40 mm six-blade stainless conical burrs · 41+ settings on an inner ring · 110 g load bin · 6 Nm torque motor · about 4 lb · 2-year limited warranty plus a year with registration One grinder from espresso to cold brew, and the nicer object — if you find one.	One grinder from espresso to cold brew, and the nicer object — if you find one.40 mm six-blade stainless conical burrs · 41+ settings on an inner ring · 110 g load bin · 6 Nm torque motor · about 4 lb · 2-year limited warranty plus a year with registration	$199.95In stock, checked October 10, 2026 Check Price on Amazon
3	#3 Breville Smart Grinder Pro (BCG820) Best for a Breville · Programmable, hopper-fed Stainless conical burrs (diameter not published by Breville) · 60 stepped settings · grind time programmable in 0.2-second steps · 18 oz hopper · 165 W · 50-54 mm and 58 mm portafilter cradles in the box Grinds straight into the portafilter, which is the daily difference on a Breville.	Grinds straight into the portafilter, which is the daily difference on a Breville.Stainless conical burrs (diameter not published by Breville) · 60 stepped settings · grind time programmable in 0.2-second steps · 18 oz hopper · 165 W · 50-54 mm and 58 mm portafilter cradles in the box	$159.95In stock, checked October 10, 2026 Check Price on Amazon

The adjustment question

Both grinders are stepped, so neither lets you land between clicks. What differs is how much of the range is useful for the brew you care about, and this is where the comparison is actually decided.

For espresso you are chasing a target that moves: a few seconds either side of your intended shot time is the difference between sour and balanced, and you correct it by changing grind size by a hair. A dial with twenty fine steps reserved for espresso gives you room to make that correction more than twice. A dial that also has to reach cold brew does not, however many total settings it advertises. Total setting count is the number that gets printed; distribution is the number that matters.

For filter brewing the pressure comes off entirely. Pour over and press are forgiving about grind size and mostly ask for consistency, which is why the best grinder for pour overis a cheaper shopping list than the espresso one. If filter is most of your week, the Opus's wide range costs you nothing and its 110 g bin suits the way you already brew.

The Opus 2 problem

An honest, current note that changes this comparison: Fellow has moved the line on to the Opus 2, which carries larger 48 mm burrs, and the original Opus is being cleared out. That has two practical consequences.

First, availability comes and goes, so the button above will sometimes show a live price and sometimes read "check price on Amazon" instead — that is the listing, not our price layer failing. Second, a clearance price on a superseded grinder can be a genuine bargain or a long-term support headache, depending on how the discontinued model is treated. Check which generation a listing is actually selling you before you buy; the names differ by a single digit.

That asymmetry is the strongest practical argument for the Encore ESP. It is the grinder still in production, from the maker with the published repair documentation, at the same money. If you want the Opus specifically, want it for its range and its looks, and find it discounted, it remains a good grinder — just buy it knowing it is the outgoing model.

If you own a Breville machine

Who it is for: a Breville Bambino Plus or Gaggia owner who wants to grind straight into the portafilter and program the dose.

Neither grinder above is built to dose into a portafilter. The Smart Grinder Pro is: both 50-54 mm and 58 mm cradles are in the box, the 60 stepped settings span the full brew spectrum, and grind time is programmable in 0.2-second increments so your usual dose is one button. Breville publishes no burr diameter for it, so we do not state one — any "40 mm burr" figure you read elsewhere is not manufacturer-sourced. If you own a Breville machine the workflow argument is real, and it is laid out further in the best grinder for the Bambino.

Which one for which buyer

The verdict

For espresso, the Baratza Encore ESP is the better buy and it is not especially close. The dual range is the whole point of the machine: twenty fine steps that exist only for espresso, factory-calibrated so they mean something on day one, with Etzinger-made 40 mm conical burrs behind them and published repair documentation behind that. It is plain, it is stepped and the motor is slow. Those are prices worth paying for a grinder aimed at the thing you are actually brewing.

The Fellow Opus is the better grinder for a house that brews four different ways, has the longer warranty, and is unquestionably the nicer object. Buy it for the range, not for the espresso, and buy it knowing Fellow has already replaced it with the 48 mm Opus 2 — check which generation the listing is selling, and treat a clearance price as the compensation for being the outgoing model.

Either way, see where both sit against the rest of the field in the best grinders under two hundred, or step up a tier in the best grinders under five hundred.