Which to buy · Every setting
Baratza Sette 270 vs Rancilio Rocky
Conical against flat — the Sette 270's scale curves where the other runs straight. The Sette 270 is numbered 1–31; the Rocky is numbered 0–55.
Which to buy
Choose the
Sette 270 if you…
- want timed dosing to 0.1 s, with three preset buttons
- grind straight into a portafilter, bin or brewer held by adjustable arms
- want 31 macro steps plus a stepless micro adjustment
Choose the
Rocky if you…
- are buying used — Rancilio no longer sells it new
- want 50 mm flat steel burrs
- dose by hand — it has no programmable doses
Shop links are affiliate links: BrewMark earns a commission if you buy through one, at no extra cost to you. The verdicts were written without regard to it.
Rancilio no longer lists the Rocky (its page now returns 404) and sells the Stile as its home grinder, so you'd be buying the Rocky used.
Sources: Baratza — Sette 270 · Baratza — Sette 270 manual · Rancilio Group — Rocky (archived Jan 2022) · Rancilio Group — Rocky SD specifications (archived May 2022) · Rancilio Group — Stile
| Sette 270 | Rocky | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Baratza | Rancilio |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 1 – 31 | 0 – 55 |
| Burrs | Conical | Flat |
| Espresso → filter | 11.8 numbers | 20 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 13 numbers | 23 numbers |
The same number means different things
Both grinders use a numbered dial, which makes it tempting to copy a number straight across. Setting 16 sits at grind index 40.9 on the Sette 270 but 21.3 on the Rocky — far enough apart to change the cup.
Converting a setting
If a recipe quotes a setting for one of these grinders, read across for the equivalent on the other. Rows are spaced evenly by grind size, not by dial number — on a conical burr those are not the same thing.
| Sette 270 | Rocky |
|---|---|
| 4 | 5 |
| 8 | 9 |
| 11 | 14 |
| 12 | 18 |
| 14 | 22 |
| 16 | 26 |
| 21 | 29 |
| 25 | 32 |
| 28 | 36 |
| 29 | 39 |
| Rocky | Sette 270 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 4 |
| 9 | 8 |
| 14 | 11 |
| 18 | 12 |
| 22 | 14 |
| 26 | 16 |
| 29 | 21 |
| 32 | 25 |
| 36 | 28 |
| 39 | 29 |
| 42 | 29 |
| 45 | 29 |
| 48 | 29 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | Sette 270 | Rocky |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 6 | 8 |
| Moka pot | 10 | 13 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 12 | 18 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 15 | 24 |
| Siphon | 16 | 26 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 18 | 27 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 19 | 28 |
| Drip / batch brew | 21 | 29 |
| Cupping | 22 | 30 |
| Chemex | 25 | 32 |
| French press | 29 | 38 |
| Cold brew | 29 | 44 |
The shape of each dial
Where the connectors bunch, that grinder’s dial is compressed and single steps count for more. Comparing the two shapes tells you which gives finer control, and where.
Baratza Sette 270
Rancilio Rocky
Dialing in the Sette 270
Straight-through grinding means almost no retention, which makes the Sette unusually good for single dosing and switching between coffees. The macro/micro adjustment gives real espresso resolution, and the trade-off is noise — this is the loudest grinder most people will own.
Dialing in the Rocky
A stepped espresso grinder that has been the budget recommendation for a very long time. The 55 steps across 50mm flat burrs are its limitation — for espresso you will sometimes want a setting between two of them and there is not one, and a single step can move a shot by seconds. Twenty of those steps cover espresso through filter, which is more resolution than the fine end usually gets at this price. Two things make it an espresso grinder in practice rather than a general one: changing setting means holding the locking lever while twisting the hopper, and it keeps a couple of grams in the chute, so every switch between espresso and pour over costs you both fiddling and coffee. Most owners pick one end and stay there.