About a year ago, I wrote about the Timemore Chestnut C3 manual grinder and explained that, while it’s a capable grinder, I bought it merely as a stopgap between the Compak K3 I previously used – and still have, actually – and whatever grinder I went for to replace it.
And the replacement, which I’ve had for about a year as of this writing, is the DF64 Gen 2 (or v2). It’s sold under a couple names, but I bought mine directly from Turin Grinders.
And, sure, there are plenty of videos on YouTube about this grinder, but most of them are made after using the grinder for only a short bit. As I just said, I’ve had it for a year, dutifully grinding coffee about twice a day, typically. Who on YouTube can say that?
So let’s get into this grinder and what you can expect. Starting with the things about it that I don’t like so you can decide if they’re dealbreakers for you.
Very short power cable
It’s 3ft. Seriously?
In a way this worked out slightly for the better, honestly, as my extension cable has a right-angle plug instead of a straight plug. But that I needed it at all is more than a little annoying. It’s added expense on my part that could’ve been avoided with slightly higher manufacturing expense on their part. I mean, how much more would it have cost them to double the power cable length? Can’t be much.
The power cable on the Compak is about 6ft, and that seems to be the standard power cable length for small appliances in the United States when there isn’t a heating element involved. And, again, the DF64’s power cable is only about 3ft.
So depending on your setup, plan to buy an extension cable.
And, a little bit of a PSA, even though this is low-wattage, don’t cheap out on that extension cable. In the United States, you will need a 3-prong extension cable for this – which it’s good to see they do ground it. An appliance extension cable rated for 15A will be ideal here since they’re heavy duty being made for, well, appliances. Sure, overkill given the grinder will only pull a couple amps from the wall after the initial current surge that’s characteristic of most motors. But, again, don’t cheap out.
Power button
It’s a 16mm anti-vandal latching push button, with the plunger sitting about 1/8″ above the button’s collar.
To me, at least, that small button is a little annoying. So if there’s anything I’m going to replace on this, it’ll definitely be that, either with a larger power button or, likely, a toggle switch like on the Niche. I would also very much have preferred that button not be close to the base. But since it’s a push-button power switch, having it low does mean you’re not risking pushing over your grinder every time you turn it on or off.
“Declumper”
Now for easily my biggest gripe about this machine: the acetate “declumper” right before the chute and anti-static prongs.
I’ll just say up front that I completely removed that from the machine after twice having to take apart the chute to clean out grinds that were binding up. And removing that actually improved the results in the cup. I already use the WDT (Weiss Distribution Technique) as I explained in this post, so having a “declumper” that barely functions and over time only serves to create clumps rather than prevent them was far more of an annoyance than anything else.
So if you buy this, the first change I recommend you make is removing that “declumper” – you’ll need to remove the chute to get to it – and just running without it. Just make sure to use the WDT to declump and distribute the grounds in your portafilter.
And on any grinders I buy in the future, removing any “declumper” on the chute will likely be the first thing I do since, again, they tend to make clumping worse as time goes on. The Compak has one that isn’t easily removable, but it also never created a clumping issue that I recall and I used that grinder near daily for over 8-1/2 years.
Dosing cup
My annoyance here isn’t with the cup itself. I actually quite like having it, honestly, as opposed to dosing directly into the portafilter. My annoyance is more around needing the dosing collar that comes with it – that I think can double as a dosing funnel for the portafilter. Because the grinder chute is angled, but the prongs for holding the dosing cup are not. Forget to use the dosing collar and you’ll have a mess.
But at least with mine, the dosing collar is a bit tight around the cup, with the gasket on it not helping, so it never seated down completely. Meaning if you didn’t remove the collar before pouring the grinds into your portafilter, some would get caught along the seam between the collar and cup.
Now it does look like Turin (or whoever actually makes the grinder) has realized this is a problem and no longer includes the dosing collar. Instead they include an adapter that tilts the dosing cup toward the chute. I only learned about this as I’m writing this review, so I can’t speak to how well that works. But I have ordered one as of this writing since it’s only $10.
My only gripe with the dosing cup itself is being aluminum. Even though there is the “plasma generator” for preventing static buildup, it isn’t 100% and never can be, so there is still going be some static causing grinds to stick to the cup. But it cleans out easy enough with just a paper towel. And at least it isn’t plastic.
Small footprint and stature
Okay now let’s transition into what I love about this grinder starting with… it’s small but still uses 64mm burrs – hence the 64 in the name. The K3, by comparison, uses 58mm burrs. It’s the smallest grinder I’ve personally ever owned at only about 12″ tall with a countertop footprint of about 10″x6″. So it should easily fit on any countertop.
Just, again, make note of the short power cable I pointed out above.
Stepless, but easy to adjust
The Compak K3 is also a stepless grinder, but… man the threads were tight making even the slightest adjustments a pain. Tiny adjustments on the DF64 are far easier in comparison. And, again, those threads completely binding up is why I don’t use the K3 anymore.
Minimalist design
The simple design is why I went for the Compak K3 when I bought it back in 2015. Though the DF64 is simpler still since the K3 has a timer so you can dose based on griding time if you want. But the K3 was also from a time when single-dose grinding had yet to become a focus for grinders. The K3 is very much built for commercial use.
The Niche changed that direction, being one of the first single-dose countertop grinders on the market. Prior to that, single-dose grinders were typically manual – like the aforementioned Timemore C3.
And the DF64 is a great competitor to the Niche. The small footprint and that it’s intended use as a single-dose grinder – weigh out one dose and grind that – as opposed to keeping a hopper of beans like the K3 and Breville Smart Grinder I had before that – the one laden with electronics that I replaced with a higher-quality grinder that’s little more than a motor and a power switch…
But the minimalist design also adopted by the DF64 also means it’s…
Inexpensive but not cheap
400 USD. Do I really need to say anything more? Though given the smaller still and lesser expensive DF54 at a little north of half the DF64’s price, I do wonder if the price could come down more for the DF64 Gen 2.
Overall
The price point and positive reviews online for the first-gen DF64 is what prompted me to get in line for the DF64 Gen 2 when those were announced. So my unit was part of the first batch of orders – the ones that have the highest risk of issue. (It’s why I almost never buy games right when they come out. Anyway…) But overall my experience with the DF64 Gen 2 has been overall very positive.
Aside from what I’ve said above about the “declumper” that only serves to create clumps rather than prevent them, along with the need for the collar on the dosing cup, I really have no complaints. Is it better than the K3? Not really, but the only thing separating the K3 from the DF64 Gen 2 is the K3’s more powerful motor, while the DF64 has larger burrs.
Grinders have definitely come a long way since I first got into espresso back in 2012. The question that will be answered as time goes on is longevity. Thankfully it looks like the DF64 is reasonably easy to service, with the burrs also easily accessible. So the question really is going to come down to the motor and how long it’ll be till that gives up the ghost.
Otherwise if you’re looking for a great quality grinder that works well with even the highest-end espresso machines but won’t equally break the bank for you, you definitely can’t go wrong with the DF64 Gen 2.
Buy it now through Amazon, Turin Grinders, or MiiCoffee.
