Which to buy · Every setting
Breville Barista Express Impress (built-in) vs Fellow Ode Gen 2
Conical against flat — the Barista Express Impress (built-in)'s scale curves where the other runs straight. The Ode Gen 2 is numbered 1–11; the Barista Express Impress (built-in) is numbered 1–25.
Which to buy
Choose the
Barista Express Impress (built-in) if you…
- pull espresso — the grinder is built into the machine, with 25 settings
- want assisted tamping and a dose worked out from your last grind
- want to grind, dose and tamp without moving the portafilter
Choose the
Ode Gen 2 if you…
- brew filter only — Fellow says the Ode is not intended for espresso
- want a standalone grinder with 64 mm flat burrs
- want it to shut off on its own when grinding is done
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.
Sources: Fellow — Ode Gen 2 · Breville — Barista Express Impress · Breville — Barista Express Impress manual
| Barista Express Impress (built-in) | Ode Gen 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Breville | Fellow |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 1 – 25 | 1 – 11 |
| Burrs | Conical | Flat |
| Espresso → filter | 2.6 numbers | 5.9 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 4.8 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 Barista Express Impress (built-in) but 34.4 on the Ode Gen 2 — 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 Impress (built-in) | Ode Gen 2 |
|---|---|
| 15 | 1 |
| 17 | 2 |
| 18 | 8 |
| 19 | 9.2 |
| 21 | 10.1 |
| 22 | 10.2 |
| Ode Gen 2 | Barista Express Impress (built-in) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 15 |
| 2 | 17 |
| 3.1 | 17 |
| 4.2 | 17 |
| 5.2 | 17 |
| 7 | 17 |
| 7.2 | 17 |
| 8 | 18 |
| 8.2 | 18 |
| 9.1 | 18 |
| 9.2 | 19 |
| 10.1 | 21 |
| 10.2 | 22 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | Barista Express Impress (built-in) | Ode Gen 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 16 | 1.2 |
| Moka pot | 17 | 3 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 17 | 4.2 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 17 | 6.2 |
| Siphon | 17 | 7 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 17 | 7.1 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 17 | 7.1 |
| Drip / batch brew | 17 | 7.2 |
| Cupping | 17 | 7 |
| Chemex | 18 | 8 |
| French press | 18 | 9 |
| Cold brew | 20 | 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 Impress (built-in)
Fellow Ode Gen 2
Dialing in the Barista Express Impress (built-in)
The Impress version adds assisted dosing and tamping, but the grinder underneath dials much like the standard Barista Express. Its range is built around espresso; treat filter settings as the far edge of what it was designed to do.
Dialing in the Ode Gen 2
A flat-burr brew grinder that deliberately does not attempt espresso, and is better for the focus. The Gen 2 burrs cut fines substantially versus the original, which is why its filter range sits in a narrower band than the number of settings suggests. The markings between whole numbers are real and worth using — most of the useful pour-over territory lives between two adjacent integers.