Baratza tried to stretch their pour-over workhorse into espresso duty, but the bones weren't built for it. The plastic burr ring holder cracks reliably within the first year of daily use, often multiple times even after warranty swaps, and an undersized seal lets grounds bypass the burrs entirely and pile up inside the body. It'll pull shots on a pressurized basket while you're learning, but anyone moving to real espresso quickly outgrows the coarse adjustment and watches grind quality fall off a cliff after six months. Save the $200 toward a grinder that won't need replacing before you've learned to dial in.
This is the grinder for people who got tired of chasing retention ghosts and sweeping static-charged grounds off the counter every morning. The ACE anti-clumping system and bellows design deliver what most single-dosers only promise: beans in, same weight out, no mess, no ritual. The stock adjustment dial is genuinely annoying, tiny, hard to read, and most owners replace it within a month, and you'll recalibrate the zero point after every deep clean. If you want one tool that grinds espresso fast, quiet, and clean without the drama, this is the buy. If you also brew pour-over or need zero fuss on setup, keep looking.