BaratzaSette 270Wi-Grind by Weight Conical Burr Grinder

Replacing a 10 year old Vario-W that has had many design issues with it's adjustment levers. We plan on sending that back in to be refurbished for a 3rd time to have as a backup.So far this is an upgrade from the Vario-W. Super nice to have the flexibility of a direct to porta filter grinder, and the ability to grind into a container. We've had this for about a 2 months so far.The grind quality is exceptional, and is very quick compared to the Vario-W. One thing to note, in the manual it does call out a service interval (can't remember off the top of my head what the number is). Just be aware that this may be why I see so many reviews saying the motor dies on them. The service interval is how long you can run the grinder consecutively prior to needing to rest it for a period of time. So if you're trying to grind for a giant batch of cold brew or something, then make sure you understand this, or you could damage your machine.Time will tell, but I feel like this is a definite upgrade from the Vario-W in both grind quality, features, and build. We will come back and edit this review if/when any problems arise in the future.I will say from being a daily user of Baratza grinders, the fact that you can send them in for refurbishing is a huge plus. With that said, I do wish that the Vario-W would have held up longer before needing a rebuild. Last refurb lasted 3 years of daily 3-6 uses. Prior to that rebuild was maybe 4 years. I'm just hoping this machine does not need to go in every 3-4 years, and will be a bit more durable.

It did take me a while to get used to the Sette, and that is because I did not understand much about grind size etc. Once I got the hang of it and became a bit more knowledgeable on coffee beans, this machine has been a blast to use. I did get the single dose hopper attachment as I prefer to grind as per my need. The attachment (not made by Baratza) has a bellow, which helps me in ensuring that all coffee is drained out. I saved 9, 16 and 20 grams as my dosage choices. When you are not doing the pulse mode, and in single dose mode, you might want to put in a little more than what you expect out. For example, if you want 9gms of coffee for a single dose, I would say pour in around 9.5 or even 10 gms of coffee and let the machine do its thing. It is fairly accurate or very close most of the time. Pulse mode enables you to be very precise as well. Could it be a little cheaper, yes.Also, remember that the 270Wi is not great for Pour-over grinds. Espresso grinds are where it shines at.As for messiness, there is some messiness, but nothing that makes. me feel disgusted. I keep a mini vacuum handy (as they do in many coffee shops).

It should say on the package in a big letters “if you are making espresso, install the shim”. I almost had to return it, when on the 1st setting it was still not fine enough. And I’m pretty sure a lot of people did, as on my first attempt I got a used item which I returned immediately without even trying. So after a month of effort and installed shim finally I can start doing normal espressos. Grinder itself doses pretty accurately but still some times goes over or under by 0.5g, so I have to add more or subtract the right amount. Luckily adding “just a bit” is easy and it undershoots more times than overshoots so that is easy. My 54mm portafilter with a funnel does not fit under the grinder so I need to use a basket, which is one extra step, I wish handles that hold the basket could be more adjustable so it can fit baskets of any size. Overall it is an upgrade from Breville timed grinder, but it also costs twice more so it better be.

I am not sure how I lived without this thing! To those of you complaining about the noise... this is about as good as it gets under $1k IMO. I switched to this from a Baratza Vario which I thought was amazing when I acquired it. Well I was wrong- this is WAY better! I immediately noticed that it was MUCH quieter than the Vario. The speed of this thing is insanity, I thought people were just over exaggerating, but yeah, this literally grinds 18.5g in seconds! The grind is insanely consistent and on my very first shot pulled with the ground I noticed an immediate improvement.As a side note... the grind style of this will definitely "brighten" up and bring the acid forward in your shots so keep this in mind. I cannot speak to any use other than espresso so YMMV with respect to acidity.If you buy the not-scale version of this or do as I do and weight out your beans prior to grinding and just hope it all comes out... this retains WAY LESS than the Vario ever did. my tests have shown only 0.2g to stay in the machine and that is ever tapping it lightly to knock anything loose out. So if that is your style of doing it you will love this thing, almost everything in comes right out, nothing left behind to stale and taint the next shot.The size of this is perfect on the counter and it definitely something I want to show off as far as looks so I don't mind the size.Be aware of the cable that comes with this... there is no cable storage so if you are like me and have nowhere to hide it you might want to make a custom cord. The appliance end comes with a standard plug (see pictures) so it will be easy to make or buy a custom length cable if your cable has to be on the counter top somewhere. Disclaimer: I don't know what I am talking about so don't take my advice.

I don't write many Amazon reviews but I thought I would advise folks to stay away from this grinder. It's really not worth the money. After four years of causal home use my Sette stopped grinding well. I tried to replace the burrs, which involved replacing the motor, casing and other cheap parts. Took weeks to get the parts. It's terrible quality. Literally all plastic and small pieces break so easy. For the money you could actually get a high quality Ceado grinder or something like that.Save yourself and walk away. This thing belongs in the trash.