Ditting 807 Lab Sweet vs La Marzocco Swan
Same class, different tax brackets.
About CA$1,850 apart — and the gap buys nothing the data can taste.
Ditting
Strong consensusCA$3,800–4,200 · US$2,999–3,200
This is a bag grinder wearing a home-bar costume: a lab/shop tool from a company that has made burrs since 1928, repurposed by enthusiasts for its uniquely sweet, syrupy cup. Accept the size…
Full record & live prices →
La Marzocco
CA$5,500–6,200 · US$4,200–4,400
This is a café workhorse aimed at high-volume bars, not a home single-doser, and it prices and sizes accordingly. Accept the commercial footprint and price tag and you get one of the cleanes…
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.
807 Lab Sweet
Swan
Brew range
807 Lab Sweet leads, decisively
Value per dollar
807 Lab Sweet leads, decisively
The price
807 Lab Sweet costs less, decisively
CA$3,800–4,200· CA$5,500–6,200
weakerstronger
The 807 Lab Sweet leans syrup and body; the Swan 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.
807 Lab Sweet: Reveals preference for industrial-elegant counter presence—owners cite "stunningly beautiful" and "looks attractive," and the aesthetic distinction from older 804 is documented purchase driver…
Swan: Minimalist, boxy cafe aesthetic — professional kitchen approval, not home-counter magnetism; design silence (neither praised nor critiqued) in enthusiast forums.
Only the 807 Lab Sweet: a single-dose workflow.
Only the 807 Lab Sweet: a documented burr-swap scene.
Where they tie: espresso duty · reliability record · built to last · quiet operation — don’t let a spec sheet invent a difference.
On the counter
The size difference, to scale
So — which one?
Take the 807 Lab Sweet if —
- You brew more ways than one
- Every dollar has to earn its place
- The difference stays in your pocket — or goes into beans
- You weigh every dose anyway
Take the Swan if —
Hard case to make: the 807 Lab Sweet leads everywhere the data separates them. This one is a deal-day purchase, not a first choice.
The 807 Lab Sweet leads everywhere the data separates them — and costs less. The Swan's case has to come from somewhere the data can't see: the look, the brand, or a used-market deal.
Known weak points
807 Lab Sweet
Burr alignment variance on arrival (documented across multiple units 2021-2022, appears improved in recent batches); owner reports of poor service response from some dealers when shimming attempted; occasional reports of high retention with thicker metal flappers.
Swan
Proprietary burr design and sealed electronics limit documented failure mode visibility in home community; no wide-reported defects on record but also no long-term owner base to learn from.
For the row-by-row readers
The whole sheet, side by side
Matching rows fade back — the ink is where they differ.
807 Lab Sweet
Swan
Class
Single dose
Premium
Burrs
80mm flat
83mm conical
Drive
Electric
Electric
Adjustment
Stepless
Stepless
Clarity lean
Syrup & body
Syrup & body
Espresso suitability
4.5/5
5/5
Brew versatility
5/5
1/5
Single dosing
Yes
No
Hopper
510 g
1700 g
Burr-swap scene
Documented
—
Maintenance
2/5
2/5
Noise
3/5
2.5/5
Build longevity
5/5
5/5
Dimensions
30 × 21.6 × 53.6 cm
23 × 47.8 × 54.1 cm
Retention
—
~0.2 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 →