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Grind setting conversion

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 1–15.

DF64 DF64 Gen 2 and Mahlkönig X54 specifications compared
DF64 Gen 2X54
BrandDF64Mahlkönig
ScaleNumbered dialNumbered dial
Dial range0 – 901 – 15
BurrsFlatFlat
Espresso → filter26 numbers6 numbers
Filter → coarse52 numbers6 numbers

The same number means different things

Both grinders use a numbered dial, which makes it tempting to copy a number straight across. Setting 8 sits at grind index 0 on the DF64 Gen 2 but 40 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 2X54
DF64 Gen 2X54
102
21.13.1
30.44.3
32.45.6
34.46.9
37.98.2
47.39
56.89.8
66.210.7
7311.5
7812.3
8313.2
8814
X54DF64 Gen 2
X54DF64 Gen 2
210
3.121.1
4.330.4
5.632.4
6.934.4
8.237.9
947.3
9.856.8
10.766.2
11.573
12.378
13.283
1488

Side by side, by brew method

Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.

DF64 DF64 Gen 2 and Mahlkönig X54 settings for every brew method
MethodDF64 Gen 2X54
Espresso16.72.7
Moka pot304
AeroPress (short steep)32.45.6
Pour over — V60 / cone35.57.7
Pour over — flat bottom41.78.5
Drip / batch brew47.39
Chemex56.49.8
French press71.211.2
Cold brew80.812.8

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

FINECOARSEGRIND INDEX 0–100090DF64 DF64 GEN 2 DIALEspressoV60French pressCold brew
Where the lines bunch, the dial is compressed — small moves count for more

Mahlkönig X54

FINECOARSEGRIND INDEX 0–100115MAHLKÖNIG X54 DIALEspressoV60French pressCold brew
Where the lines bunch, the dial is compressed — small moves count for more

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.

Own a different grinder?

Convert between any two of 78 models

The converter runs the same maths for any pair in the catalog.

Open the grind converter →
Take it with you

Send me both charts

Every setting for the DF64 DF64 Gen 2 and the Mahlkönig X54, side by side in your inbox.

One email with both charts. Nothing else unless you ask.

Switching grinders mid-bag?

Log a brew, say how it tasted, and BrewMark tells you which way to move — in whichever grinder’s numbers you are actually using. Free on iOS.

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DF64 Gen 2 vs Mahlkönig X54 — Every Setting, Side by Side