Which to buy · Every setting
Breville Barista Express (built-in) vs Fellow Opus
Two grinders cross-shopped at the same money. The Opus is numbered 1–11; the Barista Express (built-in) is numbered 1–16.
Which to buy
Choose the
Barista Express (built-in) if you…
- brew espresso only — Breville gives all 16 settings to espresso
- want the grinder in the machine, dosing for a 1- or 2-cup basket
Choose the
Opus if you…
- want espresso as well as filter — Fellow rates it from espresso to cold brew
- want a timed auto-stop at 30, 60, 90 or 120 seconds
- want an inner ring for micro-adjustment between the 41 dial settings
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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 · Breville — Barista Express · Breville — Barista Express manual
| Barista Express (built-in) | Opus | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Breville | Fellow |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 1 – 16 | 1 – 11 |
| Burrs | Conical | Conical |
| Espresso → filter | 4.2 numbers | 5.7 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 5.3 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 18.7 on the Barista Express (built-in) 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.
| Barista Express (built-in) | Opus |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1.2 |
| 6 | 2 |
| 7 | 3.2 |
| 8 | 5.3 |
| 9 | 7.1 |
| 10 | 8 |
| 11 | 8.2 |
| 12 | 9.1 |
| 13 | 9.3 |
| 14 | 10.2 |
| Opus | Barista Express (built-in) |
|---|---|
| 1.2 | 5 |
| 2 | 6 |
| 3.2 | 7 |
| 5.3 | 8 |
| 7.1 | 9 |
| 8 | 10 |
| 8.2 | 11 |
| 8.3 | 11 |
| 9.1 | 12 |
| 9.3 | 13 |
| 10.2 | 14 |
| 11 | 14 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | Barista Express (built-in) | Opus |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 5 | 1.2 |
| Moka pot | 6 | 1.3 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 7 | 3.2 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 9 | 6.3 |
| Siphon | 9 | 7.2 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 9 | 7.3 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 10 | 8 |
| Drip / batch brew | 10 | 8 |
| Cupping | 10 | 8 |
| Chemex | 11 | 8.2 |
| French press | 12 | 9 |
| Cold brew | 13 | 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.
Breville Barista Express (built-in)
Fellow Opus
Dialing in the Barista Express (built-in)
The grinder built into the Barista Express, tuned around that machine's basket rather than as a general-purpose grinder. It has a narrower usable range than a standalone unit, and the internal burr adjustment matters as much as the outer dial for reaching a proper espresso grind.
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.