Compak · Flat burrPK100 Lab
A 98-100mm flat-burr commercial single-dose grinder built for cafes, roasteries, and cupping labs that need EK43-level uniformity with far less retention.
The short version
This is a lab-grade flat burr grinder wearing a single-dose hopper, built for a shop that needs one machine to cover espresso, batch brew, and retail bagging.
Accept that it is oversized, loud on the wallet, and still leaves a few grams of retention in the chamber despite the single-dose marketing.
Why people buy it
- 98-100mm flat burrs at a slow 900rpm give commercial-grade particle uniformity with minimal heat transfer
- Stepless worm-gear adjustment is fine enough for espresso and resists vibration drift
Why they don’t
- Despite the single-dose branding, the large burr chamber still holds a few grams between doses, so it is not a true zero-retention home single-doser
The full tally
- 98-100mm flat burrs at a slow 900rpm give commercial-grade particle uniformity with minimal heat transfer
- Stepless worm-gear adjustment is fine enough for espresso and resists vibration drift
- Genuinely low retention design with a clump-crushing chute and hands-free portafilter fork speeds up workflow
- Quieter in operation than direct rivals like the Mahlkonig EK43
- Despite the single-dose branding, the large burr chamber still holds a few grams between doses, so it is not a true zero-retention home single-doser
- Tall, heavy (roughly 24-25kg) and expensive, it eats serious counter space and is not something you casually reposition
- Grind adjustment collar is stiff, making very fine incremental tweaks fiddly compared to smoother stepless designs
What the community knows
Years of owner threads, distilled — a niche favourite.
Factory alignment QC issues are the critical known failure mode; once corrected, owners report espresso clarity and flat-burr consistency that rivals EK43, but steep price and sparse home user community limit reach outside specialty cafes and labs.
Built to last
years before you outgrow or replace it
Value
price-to-performance the community respects
Parts & serviceability
parts and repairs — you are never stranded
All 9 community measures
price-to-performance the community respects
shows up every morning, year after year
parts and repairs — you are never stranded
mods, guides, and community know-how around it
kind to first-timers
years before you outgrow or replace it
how far the cup can go, per dollar
speed and simplicity, day to day
Worth knowing before you buy — Expect to QC-check and align burrs yourself; once dialed, becomes a coffee-lab-grade single-dose grinder that holds its own against EK43.
Known weak points — Factory burr misalignment (0.022mm tolerance insufficient); requires shimming with feeler gauges post-delivery to achieve rated performance.
The measurements
Scored 0–5 on the same rubric as everything on file — the words matter more than the numbers.
The measurements
0–5, one rubric- Espresso
- dialed4
- Versatility
- do-anything5
- Built to last
- heirloom5
Position in the market
Every dot is a rival, measured the same way. The gold one is this.
- Lower half for espresso suitability
- a higher ceiling than 58 of the 154 grinders we’ve measured
- You pay for this one
- 7% of grinders this capable cost more
- Top quarter for build
- sturdier than 89% of the field, by the community’s own record
Every dot is a grinder measured on the same rubric. See the whole market
Living with it
The part spec sheets skip: counter space, upkeep, and what owners learn later.
The honest note — Owners moving up from smaller flat or conical single-dosers (Niche, DF64-class) land here when they want EK43-level distribution without the noise or bulk; from here the realistic step up is a Ditting lab-series or Mahlkonig EK43 variant, mostly for brand/service-network reasons rather than clear cup improvement.
The full spec sheet
- Class
- Premium
- Burrs
- 98mm flat
- Drive
- Electric
- Adjustment
- Stepless
- Clarity lean
- Clarity & sparkle
- Espresso suitability
- 4/5
- Brew versatility
- 5/5
- Retention
- ~3 g
- Single dosing
- Yes
- Hopper
- 750 g
- Maintenance
- 3/5
- Noise
- 2.5/5
- Build longevity
- 5/5
- Dimensions
- 25.2 × 32.8 × 62.2 cm
Before it arrives
What completes this grinder — the faded pieces can wait.
Coffee scale with timer — Espresso is a ratio. A 0.1g scale with a built-in timer is the single biggest consistency upgrade for any manual machine.
- Coffee scale with timer — Espresso is a ratio. A 0.1g scale with a built-in timer is the single biggest consistency upgrade for any manual machine.
- Dosing cup — Pairs with single-dose grinding — grind into the cup, swirl, and transfer to the portafilter cleanly.
- Grinder cleaning kit — Brushes and grinder tablets keep retention and stale grounds in check.
Feed it right
Week one is dial-in — and stale beans will lose it.
Coffee more than a few weeks past roast won’t extract predictably, and a new grinder gets blamed for it. These burrs lean bright — washed single-origins with real acidity are where they earn their price.
Pick your coffee — any of these dials in beautifully here:
Sergio - Brazillian Fazenda Joia Rara Aerobic FermentedSCA 88Medium-light · Cerrado Mineiro · Aerobic FermentedHoney · OrangeEnough brightness to show what this gear can separate.CA$29.18 · roasted to order
Honeycrest - Costa Rican Volcán AzulSCA 87Medium-light · West Valley · Red HoneyRaisins · Maple SyrupEnough brightness to show what this gear can separate.CA$19.50 · roasted to order
Wild Ember - Ethiopian Buno Dambi UddoSCA 92Medium roast · Odo Shakiso, Guji Zone, Oromia · NaturalBlueberry · MarmaladeEnough brightness to show what this gear can separate.CA$26.83 · roasted to orderWhole bean, dated, ready for your burrs the week it lands.
Roasted to order, daily, in Ajax, Ontario · ships Canada-wide. We’re the roastery behind this database — measuring the machines is how we make sure the coffee gets a fair shot.
On film
How it runs on camera, from around the community.
Common questions
Is the Compak PK100 a true single-dose grinder with zero retention?
Not quite. Compak markets it as single-dose and owners report very low retention in careful use, but independent reviewers note the large burr chamber can hold a few grams between doses, so it behaves more like a low-retention lab grinder than a purpose-built zero-retention home single-doser.
How does the PK100 compare to the Mahlkonig EK43?
Both use large flat burrs for high uniformity, but the PK100 runs its 98-100mm burrs horizontally at a slower 900rpm and is reported to run quieter, while the EK43 is the more established name with a longer service track record.
Can the PK100 handle espresso as well as filter and retail grinding?
Yes. The stepless adjustment reaches fine enough settings for espresso and reviewers report even shots with good crema, though most cafes that own one still dedicate it primarily to filter, cupping, or retail bag grinding and keep a separate on-demand grinder for espresso.
Worth comparing
Mahlkönig
EK43S
The shop-counter version of coffee's most influential bulk grinder: same 98mm flat burrs and 1300W motor as the full EK43, just shorter so it fits under a cabinet. Built for cafes grinding retail bags and pour-over by the pound, and adopted by plenty of home fanatics who don't mind the footprint.
CA$3,390–5,350 · US$3,899–5,350
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