Which to buy · Every setting
Fellow Opus vs OXO Brew Conical Burr
Two grinders cross-shopped at the same money. The Opus is numbered 1–11; the Brew Conical Burr is numbered 1–15.
Which to buy
Choose the
Opus if you…
- want 41 settings, plus an inner ring for micro-adjustment
- want 40 mm conical burrs
- want a magnetic catch cup with an insert for portafilter dosing
Choose the
Brew Conical Burr if you…
- grind from a hopper — 12 oz, UV-blocking, with a trap door
- want a one-touch timer that remembers your last setting
- want to buy new — OXO listed it in stock in October 2026
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.
Sources: Fellow — Opus (archived) · Fellow — Opus gear guide · OXO — Conical Burr Coffee Grinder 8717000 (archived Oct 2026)
| Opus | Brew Conical Burr | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Fellow | OXO |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 1 – 11 | 1 – 15 |
| Burrs | Conical | Conical |
| Espresso → filter | 5.7 numbers | 6.4 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 3.9 numbers | 6 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 34.2 on the Opus but 10.5 on the Brew Conical Burr — 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.
| Opus | Brew Conical Burr |
|---|---|
| 1.2 | 1 |
| 2 | 7.1 |
| 3.2 | 7.3 |
| 5.3 | 7.3 |
| 7.1 | 7.5 |
| 8 | 8.6 |
| 8.2 | 10.4 |
| 8.3 | 12 |
| 9.1 | 12.8 |
| 9.3 | 13.1 |
| 10.2 | 13.2 |
| 11 | 13.4 |
| Brew Conical Burr | Opus |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1.2 |
| 5.1 | 1.2 |
| 7.1 | 2 |
| 7.3 | 3.2 |
| 7.5 | 7.1 |
| 8.6 | 8 |
| 10.4 | 8.2 |
| 12 | 8.3 |
| 12.8 | 9.1 |
| 13.1 | 9.3 |
| 13.2 | 10.2 |
| 13.4 | 11 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | Opus | Brew Conical Burr |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 1.2 | 3.4 |
| Moka pot | 1.3 | 7 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 3.2 | 7.3 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 6.3 | 7.4 |
| Siphon | 7.2 | 7.5 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 7.3 | 7.8 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 8 | 8.2 |
| Drip / batch brew | 8 | 8.6 |
| Cupping | 8 | 9 |
| Chemex | 8.2 | 10.3 |
| French press | 9 | 12.6 |
| Cold brew | 10 | 13.2 |
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.
Fellow Opus
OXO Brew Conical Burr
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.
Dialing in the Brew Conical Burr
An entry electric grinder aimed squarely at drip and pour over. Adequate through the filter range and progressively less consistent as you go finer; treat the bottom of the dial as a floor rather than an espresso range.