Fellow's $200 all-purpose grinder is a pour-over specialist in espresso clothing. The original clogged relentlessly, coffee caking on chamber walls until owners either deep-cleaned weekly or upgraded within two years. The current Opus 2 solved retention, but espresso remains its weak spot: recommended settings choke most machines, so you grind coarser than the dial suggests and still get less consistency than a DF54 or Eureka Mignon Zero at the same price. Buy it if pour-over is your main game and you want something compact and handsome on the counter. If espresso matters, you'll outgrow it fast.
Niche's flat burr single-dose grinder pairs 83mm burrs with the brand's cult following among espresso nerds, promising the clarity and consistency flat burr devotees chase. The catch is stark: almost no one owns one yet, so you're buying on theory and brand trust, not the field-tested proof that exists for the conical Zero. If you're comfortable being an early adopter and value the Niche workflow enough to take that leap, the fundamentals look sound. If you need to see a grinder survive a few thousand shots in real kitchens first, wait six months and check back.