The Fellow Opus and the Breville Smart Grinder Pro are two of the best coffee grinders for home brewers, but they serve different needs through their design, features, and price. The Fellow Opus prioritizes aesthetics, a premium build with an aluminum body, and quieter operation, making it ideal for the design-conscious user with a single-dosing workflow. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is built for versatility and user-friendliness, offering a digital interface, a larger hopper for batch grinding, and a more accessible price point.
Here's everything you need to know to choose the right grinder from Fellow or Breville for your daily coffee ritual.
Fellow Opus Conical Burr Grinder
The Fellow Opus is a stylish, high-performance grinder designed for coffee enthusiasts who appreciate minimalist design and precise control. It sports a compact footprint and premium materials that look great on any kitchen counter, blending top-tier functionality with a modern aesthetic. It focuses on a simple, tactile user experience and consistent grind quality for everything from espresso to cold brew.
- What it is: An electric conical burr grinder designed for a wide range of brew methods, with a focus on single-dose grinding and quiet operation.
- Key features: 41+ precision grind settings using an inner ring for micro-adjustments, 6-blade 40 mm conical burrs, single-dose hopper (holds ~30-40g), anti-static technology for less mess, and time-based dosing.
- Price: Around $200.
- Style: Sleek, minimalist, and modern with clean lines and a matte finish available in black or white.
- Materials/Construction: High-quality plastic body with a focus on internal components like stainless steel burrs that ensure durability and grind consistency.
- Pros: Aesthetically pleasing design elevates any coffee station. Remarkably quiet operation compared to other grinders. Compact footprint saves counter space. High-quality burrs deliver a consistent, uniform grind. Anti-static feature effectively reduces coffee chaff.
- Cons: Smaller hopper is not ideal for making large batches of coffee. The stepped adjustment system may feel less intuitive for absolute beginners. Premium price tag is higher than many entry-level grinders.
The Opus is for the coffee lover who doubles as a design enthusiast, valuing a grinder that is as beautiful as it is functional and prefers a single-dose workflow for maximum freshness.
Shop this product: fellowproducts.com/products/opus-conical-burr-grinder
Breville Smart Grinder Pro
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is one of the most popular and versatile home grinders, known for its user-friendly digital interface and wide range of grind settings. It's a true workhorse, designed to handle everything from fine espresso to coarse French press with ease. Its large hopper and smart dosing technology make it a practical choice for households that make multiple cups of coffee throughout the day.
- What it is: A programmable electric conical burr grinder with digital controls designed for maximum versatility and ease of use.
- Key features: Backlit LCD screen, 60 precise grind settings, Dosing IQ Technology to automatically adjust grind time, 18-ounce (450g) bean hopper, stainless steel conical burrs, and ports for grinding directly into a portafilter.
- Price: $200 to $250.
- Style: Functional and utilitarian with a brushed stainless steel or plastic finish that matches other kitchen appliances.
- Materials/Construction: Durable plastic body paired with stainless steel conical burrs made for long-term use and consistent performance.
- Pros: Highly versatile with 60 grind settings suited for any brew style. Very user-friendly digital display and presets. Huge hopper capacity reduces the need for frequent refills. Great value for the number of features offered.
- Cons: Considerably louder than the Fellow Opus. The plastic body feels less premium. Larger footprint takes up more counter space.
The Smart Grinder Pro is built for anyone who puts a premium on ease of use, versatility, and efficiency, especially in a busy household where multiple types of coffee are brewed daily.
Shop this product: breville.com/us/en/products/coffee-grinders/bcg820
Fellow Opus vs. Breville Smart Grinder Pro Comparison
Grind Settings & Versatility
Both grinders are designed to be all-rounders, but they approach versatility differently. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro offers 60 distinct, easy-to-select grind settings through its digital interface, making it very clear and simple for a user to switch from an espresso grind to a French press setting. It’s built for those who want a wide, clearly defined range of options at their fingertips.
The Fellow Opus presents 41+ stepped settings. While the number appears smaller, it uses an internal micro-adjustment ring that gives you more nuanced control, particularly in the espresso range. This system is perfect for experienced users who enjoy fine-tuning their grind, but it might present a slightly steeper learning curve for beginners compared to Breville’s straightforward dial.
Design, Materials & Footprint
This is where the two grinders diverge the most. The Fellow Opus is a statement piece, featuring a sleek, minimalist aesthetic with premium-feeling materials and a compact form that fits beautifully into modern kitchens. It’s designed to be seen. Its single-dose hopper, holding around 30-40 grams, emphasizes this compact and tidy appearance.
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is decidedly more utilitarian. It’s larger, with a substantial 18-ounce bean hopper on top, signaling its focus on function over form. While its brushed metal-look finish is classic and matches many other appliances, the mostly plastic construction doesn't feel as high-end as the Opus. The Breville’s larger footprint is a practical trade-off for its batch-grinding capability.
User Experience & Ease of Use
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is incredibly beginner-friendly. The LCD screen clearly displays your grind setting, grind time, and number of shots or cups. Its "Dosing IQ" technology takes the guesswork out, allowing for repeatable results with just the push of a button. For users who value convenience and clear feedback, the Breville is hard to beat.
The Fellow Opus offers a more manual, tactile experience. Instead of a screen, you rely on a simple dial and a basic start/stop button. This workflow is geared towards single-dosing - weighing your beans for each brew - which many coffee purists prefer for ultimate freshness. Its anti-static technology is also a huge quality-of-life win, producing noticeably less mess during grinding.
Price & Value
Typically priced between $200 and $250, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro offers tremendous value. For that price, you get a feature-packed machine with a huge range of settings and great ease of use that is hard to match in its category. It's an investment in convenience and versatility.
The Fellow Opus, often priced similarly around $200, offers a different kind of value - one rooted in design, quieter performance, and a premium user experience. If aesthetics and a peaceful morning routine are important to you, the higher price can be justified by its superior build and quieter motor.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both of these grinders deliver excellent results, but they are clearly made for different types of coffee drinkers.
Choose the Fellow Opus if:
- You prioritize modern design and a quiet coffee routine.
- You have limited counter space and prefer a compact grinder.
- You use a single-dose workflow (weighing beans for each cup).
- You want less mess thanks to effective anti-static technology.
Choose the Breville Smart Grinder Pro if:
- You value versatility and a high number of easily accessible grind settings.
- You brew multiple cups of coffee a day and need a large bean hopper.
- You prefer a digital interface with presets for ease of use.
- You want trusted, reliable performance at a great price point.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between the Fellow Opus and Breville Smart Grinder Pro?
The main difference lies in design philosophy and workflow. The Fellow Opus is a design-forward, quiet, single-dose grinder with a premium feel. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is a versatile, user-friendly grinder with a large hopper and digital screen, built for practicality and volume.
Which grinder is better for espresso?
Both are capable of producing espresso-fine grinds. The Fellow Opus offers finer micro-adjustments within its range, which may appeal to enthusiasts who enjoy dialing in their shots perfectly. The Breville has dedicated espresso settings that are very accessible for beginners and it comes with portafilter cradles.
Which grinder is quieter?
The Fellow Opus is significantly quieter than the Breville Smart Grinder Pro. If noise level is a major factor in your decision, especially for early morning use, the Opus is the clear winner.
Is the single-dose hopper on the Opus inconvenient?
It depends on your workflow. For someone who weighs their beans before each brew to ensure maximum freshness (a common practice for coffee purists), a single-dose hopper is ideal. If you prefer to fill up your grinder and dose as needed throughout the day, the Breville's large hopper is far more convenient.
Which grinder is easier to clean?
Both grinders are relatively easy to clean. The upper burr on the Breville is simple to remove for brushing out old grounds. The Fellow Opus also has an easily accessible burr set. Thanks to its anti-static technology, the Opus often creates less external chaff and dust, making day-to-day tidiness a bit easier.
Which one is a better value?
This depends on what you value. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro offers more features for the money, with its digital display and 60 grind settings. The Fellow Opus offers value through its superior design, premium materials, and quieter operation - qualities you notice and appreciate every time you use it.
Can I grind directly into a portafilter with both?
Yes. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro comes with cradles specifically designed to hold 50-54mm or 58mm portafilters for hands-free grinding. The Fellow Opus's catch cup is designed to fit a standard 58mm portafilter, and it also fits a 54mm portafilter if you use the included puck adapter.
Which grinder is better for beginners?
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is generally considered more beginner-friendly. Its LCD screen, labeled settings for different brew methods, and pre-programmed dosing remove much of the guesswork, providing a gentler learning curve for those new to craft coffee.
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