Ditting 804 Lab Sweet vs Mahlkönig E80S
Same class, different tax brackets.
About CA$850 apart — the split below is what the gap buys.
Ditting
CA$3,800–4,300 · US$2,895–3,200
This is a workhorse cast-steel burr grinder that trades ultimate clarity for body and sweetness, and owners who came from EK43-style grinders consistently say it is the better all-rounder fo…
Full record & live prices →
Mahlkönig
CA$4,200–5,600 · US$3,049–4,199
This is a grinder for a bar doing 250-400+ doses a day, not a kitchen counter, and you buy it for grind speed and thermal stability under sustained load, not for tinkering. Accept the size,…
Full record & live prices →The split
Where they actually differ
On 4 of 6 measures these two tie. The 2 rows below are the entire argument.
804 Lab Sweet
E80S
Brew range
804 Lab Sweet leads, decisively
Espresso duty
E80S leads, clearly
The price
804 Lab Sweet costs less, clearly
CA$3,800–4,300· CA$4,200–5,600
weakerstronger
The E80S leans the balanced middle; the 804 Lab Sweet leans syrup and body. Pick the cup, not the machine.
The counter’s vote
Looks barely figure in either machine’s record — the counter can sit this one out.
804 Lab Sweet: Utilitarian workhorse aesthetic; no "kitchen approval" cachet compared to EK43's iconic vertical silhouette—revealing preference for Ditting among practitioners, not aesthetes.
E80S: Industrial aesthetic; no polarization in record — design does not drive purchase discussion.
Only the 804 Lab Sweet: a single-dose workflow.
Only the 804 Lab Sweet: a documented burr-swap scene.
Where they tie: reliability record · built to last · value per dollar · quiet operation — don’t let a spec sheet invent a difference.
On the counter
The size difference, to scale
So — which one?
Take the 804 Lab Sweet if —
- Syrupy, traditional cups are the goal
- You brew more ways than one
- The difference stays in your pocket — or goes into beans
- You weigh every dose anyway
Take the E80S if —
- Bright, separated cups are the goal
- Espresso is the job, full stop
Both columns reading true? Take the 804 Lab Sweet and put the difference into fresh, roast-dated beans — they move the cup more than this choice will.
For the row-by-row readers
The whole sheet, side by side
Matching rows fade back — the ink is where they differ.
804 Lab Sweet
E80S
Class
Single dose
Premium
Burrs
80mm flat
80mm flat
Drive
Electric
Electric
Adjustment
Stepless
Stepless
Clarity lean
Syrup & body
Balanced
Espresso suitability
4/5
5/5
Brew versatility
4.5/5
1.5/5
Single dosing
Yes
No
Hopper
500 g
1800 g
Burr-swap scene
Documented
—
Maintenance
2.5/5
3/5
Noise
3/5
2.5/5
Build longevity
4.5/5
4.5/5
Dimensions
20 × 26 × 48 cm
23.9 × 34 × 63 cm
Retention
—
~2 g
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 →