Baratza Encore vs OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
The crowd’s default against the challenger.
About CA$48 apart — the split below is what the gap buys.
Baratza
Community defaultUS$119–175 · CA$195–200
A decade-plus institution for good reason: 40mm conical burrs, wide availability of replacement parts, and a price point that clears the way for a better espresso machine. Accept that it is…
Full record & live prices →
OXO
CA$130–170 · US$90–130
This is a solid step up from a blade grinder for someone who brews the same pot of drip or French press every morning and wants one-touch simplicity. Accept that the fine end of the range is…
Full record & live prices →The split
Where they actually differ
Encore
Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
Retention
Encore leads, decisively
~0.5 g· ~3 g
Reliability record
Encore leads, decisively
Value per dollar
Encore leads, decisively
Built to last
Encore leads, clearly
The price
Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder costs less, clearly
CA$195–200· CA$130–170
Quiet operation
Encore leads, clearly
weakerstronger
Their burrs share a character — this choice will not change the shape of your cup.
The counter’s vote
Looks barely figure in either machine’s record — the counter can sit this one out.
Encore: Appliance-neutral industrial look; kitchen-approval talk minimal; bought for function, not counter presence.
Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder: Appliance-neutral modern coffee-maker aesthetic; no polarization or award citations; form follows budget.
Where they tie: espresso duty · brew range — don’t let a spec sheet invent a difference.
So — which one?
Take the Encore if —
- You rotate beans and hate purging
- It has to just work, every day
- Every dollar has to earn its place
- You are buying once
Take the Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder if —
- The difference stays in your pocket — or goes into beans
The Encore at ~32% more buys real things: retention and reliability record. If those aren't your mornings, the Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder does the job and keeps the difference in your pocket.
Known weak points
Encore
motor burn-out under heavy daily use reported in multi-year ownership; upper burr wear over 5+ years of espresso grinding documented on Home-Barista
Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
Burr carrier loosening causing runout and inconsistency; motor bearing wear reported; no user-serviceable parts or replacement burr sets available.
For the row-by-row readers
The whole sheet, side by side
Matching rows fade back — the ink is where they differ.
Encore
Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
Class
Entry espresso-capable
Entry espresso-capable
Burrs
conical
40mm conical
Drive
Electric
Electric
Clarity lean
Syrup & body
Syrup & body
Espresso suitability
2/5
1.5/5
Brew versatility
4/5
3.5/5
Retention
~0.5 g
~3 g
Single dosing
No
No
Hopper
227 g
340 g
Workflow demand
2/5
1/5
Maintenance
1/5
2/5
Noise
2/5
3/5
Build longevity
4/5
2.5/5
Dimensions
12 × 16 × 35 cm
—
Adjustment
—
Stepped (coarse)
Wrong match-up? Change one side → — any two on file compare.
Still torn?
This page weighs them against each other. The finder weighs them against your mornings.
Two minutes of questions — milk, noise, budget, space — scored across everything on file. It’s honest when the answer is neither of these.
Take the two-minute finder →