Niche Coffee Ltd - Niche Zero

I have 4. A C40 and a Zp6 for pour over (one stays at work). And a DF64V and a niche zero for espresso. Got the Df64V to try flat burrs for espresso so might sell the niche but tempted to keep it for dark roasts.

Niche Zero, 700eu. For workflow and footprint.

I own a niche and a timore sculptor 64s. The sculptor costs less tastes better for espresso and can do pour over.

Honestly, if you’re brewing medium and dark roasts for espresso, it’s hard to beat the Niche Zero for UX. If you want a flavor upgrade from your Ode for filter, I absolutely love my 078. The two of those together would still be well within your price range, especially if you can find a 078 secondhand ($600-650 is reasonable). A secondhand niche can be found for $500 or less very easily these days. You could probably find a nice 83 mm grinder and put some lab sweet SSP burrs in there and get a pretty good compromise, but if you’re changing grind sizes between espresso and filter constantly, it’s not going to be the most delightful experience. I have two grinders myself now, and I think it’s the way to go.

Yes, depending on how “light” and “medium” the actual specific roasters you’re buying from are - I drink very very light roasts for filter, and I think the 078 is amazing. Whether you’ll like the Niche or another espresso grinder best is more of a preference question; there are so many options these days (Lagom Casa, DF54/64/83, Eureka Mignon series…) that are all pretty good that you can kinda pick your favorite based on price, workflow, and aesthetics. My espresso grinder is a DF83 with SSP HU burrs, and if I were buying today at the $1000-and-under price point, I’d probably stick with that, except upgrade to the DF83V for a quieter motor and better feeding mechanism. Love the HUs though.

The zero is not good for pourover.

On the bar is a Eureka A65 that is dialed in for espresso. Don't want to mess with that. It is dedicated to espresso. Next to it is a Niche Zero that handles pour overs, AeroPress, and the ocassional request for decaf espresso. It's marvelous. I also have a Mahlkonig K35 that I need to get dialed in or it needs to get off the bar. It has not been very cooperative so far! And I have a hand grinder for travel.

I've got a Niche Zero, had it for nearly four years I think. Never had a problem with it and it does filter and espresso grinds to my fairly relaxed requirements. I use it without thinking about it which is a good thing. I can't speak about the others you've listed as I have no experience with them but I got the Zero as an upgrade on a mid-ish hand grinder and it was a revelation.

I have a BDB, it's paired up with a Niche Zero. I also like you, have a Smart GP. I got one for my birthday a while back, I eventually sold it for the Niche. Eventually I picked up another Smart GP because I wanted to do cold brews and pour overs. I'm still faffing around, my wife asks me why I need two grinders and honestly, it's a painless effort. The Smart GP I use for pour overs and cold brew. I set it to coarse and that's all I need it to do. As much as I want to use my Niche for it, it's primarily my espresso grinder. I'm not saying you have to get rid of it, but you can technically keep yours and get a dedicated espresso grinder, like a Niche, or like the others have recommended. I think for best bang for the buck and you can upgrade down the line is probably the DF64 or DF54.

I wouldn’t advise it, I’ve had it for ten years, it doesn’t grind fine enough for espresso for me. I’d buy a Baratza ESP from Amazon and return it if it doesn’t work out I now use a Niche Zero and it’s amazing for me

I’ve owned a Baratza Virtuoso (barely adequate, if that), a Turin DF 64 V. 1, a Niche Zero, and the Eureka Mignon Zero. The Turin was more clarity/fruity forward, though not by much, but I sold that for a Niche Zero. I owned them both for a little while and decided to keep the Niche. The Niche was fine—super user friendly, and easy to clean—but for not-particularly-rational reasons I was drawn to the Eureka (for esthetics mainly), so I sold the Niche. The Niche and the Eureka are both quiet, and great for my preference of dark beans and classic Italian espresso—- really, between the two you can't go wrong. But unless you can find a used Niche there's a big price difference. As I reread my post I sound like a person always after the next thing, but I did eventually stop questing something different!