Which to buy · Every setting
DF64 DF64 Gen 2 vs Mahlkönig X54
Two grinders cross-shopped at the same money. The DF64 Gen 2 is numbered 0–90; the X54 is numbered 1–35.
Which to buy
Choose the
DF64 Gen 2 if you…
- want 64 mm flat burrs
- single-dose — the bellows hopper holds about 50 g
- want a plasma ion generator to cut static
Choose the
X54 if you…
- want four timed presets set on an LED display
- grind from a hopper — about 250 g, or a 500 g option
- want a quiet grinder — below 70 dB(A), Mahlkönig says
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.
Turin now sells the DF64 Gen 2 as the Gen 2.7; the "Gen 2" revision names vary by seller.
Sources: Turin — DF64 Gen 2.7 · Mahlkönig USA — X54 Allround Home Grinder
| DF64 Gen 2 | X54 | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | DF64 | Mahlkönig |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 0 – 90 | 1 – 35 |
| Burrs | Flat | Flat |
| Espresso → filter | 55.2 numbers | 20.1 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 22.3 numbers | 13.9 numbers |
The same number means different things
Both grinders use a numbered dial, which makes it tempting to copy a number straight across. Setting 18 sits at grind index 5.5 on the DF64 Gen 2 but 34.3 on the X54 — 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.
| DF64 Gen 2 | X54 |
|---|---|
| 12.4 | 1 |
| 20.8 | 4.6 |
| 30.3 | 8.3 |
| 43.6 | 12.9 |
| 56.9 | 17.4 |
| 67.9 | 21.6 |
| 69.4 | 23.9 |
| 70.9 | 26.2 |
| 72.4 | 28.6 |
| 75.8 | 30.4 |
| 80.5 | 31.9 |
| 85.2 | 33.5 |
| 89.9 | 35 |
| X54 | DF64 Gen 2 |
|---|---|
| 1 | 12.4 |
| 4.6 | 20.8 |
| 8.3 | 30.3 |
| 12.9 | 43.6 |
| 17.4 | 56.9 |
| 21.6 | 67.9 |
| 23.9 | 69.4 |
| 26.2 | 70.9 |
| 28.6 | 72.4 |
| 30.4 | 75.8 |
| 31.9 | 80.5 |
| 33.5 | 85.2 |
| 35 | 89.9 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | DF64 Gen 2 | X54 |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 17.5 | 3.1 |
| Moka pot | 27.6 | 7.4 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 35 | 12.9 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 64.4 | 20 |
| Siphon | 68 | 21.7 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 68.5 | 22.5 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 69 | 23.3 |
| Drip / batch brew | 69.4 | 23.9 |
| Cupping | 69.8 | 24.5 |
| Chemex | 70.8 | 26.1 |
| French press | 74.1 | 29.9 |
| Cold brew | 83.1 | 32.8 |
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.
DF64 DF64 Gen 2
Mahlkönig X54
Dialing in the DF64 Gen 2
A 64mm flat-burr single-dose grinder that became popular precisely because it puts commercial burrs at a domestic price. Espresso is the design centre; the burr choice you fit matters more to grind character than the dial does.
Dialing in the X54
Mahlkönig's home grinder, and much more conventional than the EK that shares its badge. Genuinely all-purpose with a usable espresso end, though the resolution down there is nothing like a dedicated espresso grinder's.