Which to buy · Every setting
Baratza Vario+ vs Mahlkönig EK43
Two grinders cross-shopped at the same money. The Vario+ is numbered 1–130; the EK43 is numbered 0–16.
Which to buy
Choose the
Vario+ if you…
- pull espresso — a PortaHolder for grinding into your portafilter comes in the box
- want timed doses: three presets, set to 0.1 s
- want 54 mm flat burrs — ceramic on the black model, steel on the white
Choose the
EK43 if you…
- grind in volume — about 19–21 g a second from a 1,200 g hopper
- want 98 mm cast steel flat burrs, stepless from Turkish fine to coarse filter
- have room for a 26 kg grinder, 82.8 cm tall
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Sources: Baratza — Vario+ · Baratza — Vario+ manual · Mahlkönig — EK43 · Mahlkönig USA — EK43
| Vario+ | EK43 | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Baratza | Mahlkönig |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 1 – 130 | 0 – 16 |
| Burrs | Flat | Flat |
| Espresso → filter | 48.5 numbers | 7 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 53.3 numbers | 7 numbers |
The same number means different things
Both grinders use a numbered dial, which makes it tempting to copy a number straight across. Setting 9 sits at grind index 0 on the Vario+ but 40 on the EK43 — 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.
| Vario+ | EK43 |
|---|---|
| 2P | 2 |
| 2R | 4.8 |
| 2V | 7.1 |
| 4M | 7.8 |
| 5P | 8.5 |
| 6S | 9.3 |
| 7S | 10.7 |
| 8S | 12.1 |
| 9T | 13.4 |
| 10N | 14.3 |
| 10Q | 14.9 |
| 10S | 15.4 |
| 10V | 16 |
| EK43 | Vario+ |
|---|---|
| 2 | 2P |
| 4.8 | 2R |
| 7.1 | 2V |
| 7.8 | 4M |
| 8.5 | 5P |
| 9.3 | 6S |
| 10.7 | 7S |
| 12.1 | 8S |
| 13.4 | 9T |
| 14.3 | 10N |
| 14.9 | 10Q |
| 15.4 | 10S |
| 16 | 10V |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | Vario+ | EK43 |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 2Q | 3.7 |
| Moka pot | 2S | 7 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 4M | 7.8 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 6M | 8.8 |
| Siphon | 6T | 9.3 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 7L | 9.8 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 7P | 10.3 |
| Drip / batch brew | 7S | 10.7 |
| Cupping | 7V | 11 |
| Chemex | 8S | 12 |
| French press | 10M | 14.1 |
| Cold brew | 10R | 15.2 |
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 Vario+
Mahlkönig EK43
Dialing in the Vario+
Two-stage adjustment: a macro lever in steps and a micro slider between them. That means a given "setting" is really a pair, and quoting one number without the other loses information — worth remembering when comparing notes with other Vario owners.
Dialing in the EK43
The grinder that changed what filter coffee was supposed to taste like, and still the reference for high-clarity brewing. Its very large flat burrs produce an unusually narrow particle distribution, which is why coffee ground on an EK often tastes cleaner at the same nominal setting than it does elsewhere. Stepless, so treat the numbers as targets.