Which to buy · Every setting
Baratza Virtuoso+ vs Fellow Opus
Two grinders cross-shopped at the same money. The Opus is numbered 1–11; the Virtuoso+ is numbered 1–40.
Which to buy
Choose the
Virtuoso+ if you…
- want a timer: 0.1-second steps up to 40 seconds, then it stops itself
- grind from a hopper — it holds 300 g
- want conical steel burrs that Baratza says are precision-milled in Europe
Choose the
Opus if you…
- want an inner ring for micro-adjustment between the 41 dial settings
- want a magnetic catch cup with an insert for portafilter dosing
- want anti-static technology
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.
Fellow now sells the Opus 2 in place of the original. The settings on this page are for the original Opus.
Sources: Fellow — Opus (archived) · Fellow — Opus gear guide · Fellow — Opus page today · Baratza — Virtuoso+ · Baratza — Virtuoso+ manual
| Virtuoso+ | Opus | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Baratza | Fellow |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 1 – 40 | 1 – 11 |
| Burrs | Conical | Conical |
| Espresso → filter | 8.5 numbers | 5.7 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 24.2 numbers | 3.9 numbers |
The same number means different things
Both grinders use a numbered dial, which makes it tempting to copy a number straight across. Setting 6 sits at grind index 0 on the Virtuoso+ but 34.2 on the Opus — 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.
| Virtuoso+ | Opus |
|---|---|
| 7 | 1.2 |
| 9 | 1.2 |
| 11 | 2 |
| 13 | 3.2 |
| 14 | 5.3 |
| 16 | 7.1 |
| 18 | 8 |
| 21 | 8.2 |
| 25 | 8.3 |
| 28 | 9.1 |
| 32 | 9.3 |
| 36 | 10.2 |
| 39 | 11 |
| Opus | Virtuoso+ |
|---|---|
| 1.2 | 7 |
| 2 | 11 |
| 3.2 | 13 |
| 5.3 | 14 |
| 7.1 | 16 |
| 8 | 18 |
| 8.2 | 21 |
| 8.3 | 25 |
| 9.1 | 28 |
| 9.3 | 32 |
| 10.2 | 36 |
| 11 | 39 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | Virtuoso+ | Opus |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 8 | 1.2 |
| Moka pot | 11 | 1.3 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 12 | 3.2 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 15 | 6.3 |
| Siphon | 16 | 7.2 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 17 | 7.3 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 18 | 8 |
| Drip / batch brew | 18 | 8 |
| Cupping | 19 | 8 |
| Chemex | 20 | 8.2 |
| French press | 28 | 9 |
| Cold brew | 34 | 10 |
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 Virtuoso+
Fellow Opus
Dialing in the Virtuoso+
Same 40-step collar as the Encore, meaningfully better burrs. The practical difference is not the range but the spread within it — at any given number the Virtuoso+ produces fewer fines, so a setting that ran bitter on an Encore often lands clean here. If you are migrating from an Encore, start at the same number rather than compensating, then adjust by taste.
Dialing in the Opus
Marketed as all-purpose, and it genuinely does cover more range than the Ode, but the espresso end is workable rather than good — expect to chase it. Where it earns its place is the coarse end: cold brew and French press come out notably even. If you bought the Opus mainly for espresso, dial it as a brew grinder first and judge it there.