Which to buy · Every setting
Fellow Opus vs Timemore Sculptor 078
Conical against flat — the Opus's scale curves where the other runs straight. The Opus is numbered 1–11; the Sculptor 078 is numbered 0–18.
Which to buy
Choose the
Opus if you…
- want espresso as well as filter — Fellow rates it from espresso to cold brew
- want 40 mm conical burrs
- want a timed auto-stop at 30, 60, 90 or 120 seconds
Choose the
Sculptor 078 if you…
- brew pour over only — Timemore sells the 078 as "Pour-over Only"
- want 78 mm flat burrs and a 400 W motor with variable speed
- want beans fed by gravity through a vertical auger — Timemore says no bellows is needed
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 Opus.
Sources: Fellow — Opus (archived) · Fellow — Opus gear guide · Fellow — Opus page today · Timemore — Sculptor series
| Opus | Sculptor 078 | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Fellow | Timemore |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 1 – 11 | 0 – 18 |
| Burrs | Conical | Flat |
| Espresso → filter | 5.7 numbers | 4 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 3.9 numbers | 14 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 47.5 on the Sculptor 078 — 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 | Sculptor 078 |
|---|---|
| 1.2 | 0 |
| 2 | 2.5 |
| 3.2 | 3 |
| 5.3 | 3.5 |
| 7.1 | 4.5 |
| 8 | 6.5 |
| 8.2 | 9 |
| 8.3 | 11 |
| 9.1 | 13 |
| 9.3 | 14.5 |
| 10.2 | 16.5 |
| 11 | 18 |
| Sculptor 078 | Opus |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1.2 |
| 1.5 | 1.2 |
| 2.5 | 2 |
| 3 | 3.2 |
| 3.5 | 5.3 |
| 4.5 | 7.1 |
| 6.5 | 8 |
| 9 | 8.2 |
| 11 | 8.3 |
| 13 | 9.1 |
| 14.5 | 9.3 |
| 16.5 | 10.2 |
| 18 | 11 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | Opus | Sculptor 078 |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 1.2 | 1 |
| Moka pot | 1.3 | 2.5 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 3.2 | 3 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 6.3 | 4 |
| Siphon | 7.2 | 4.5 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 7.3 | 5.5 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 8 | 6 |
| Drip / batch brew | 8 | 6.5 |
| Cupping | 8 | 7 |
| Chemex | 8.2 | 9 |
| French press | 9 | 12.5 |
| Cold brew | 10 | 15.5 |
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
Timemore Sculptor 078
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 Sculptor 078
The larger-burr Sculptor, and the one with a caveat worth knowing before you buy. The plain 078 ships Timemore's Turbo — “ghost” — burrs: pyramid-cut, aimed at a unimodal grind with few fines and little heat, and built for pour over. Owners consistently report it will not go fine enough for espresso, and its adjustment is stepped where the 078S is stepless. If espresso matters, the 078S is the model with the flat burrs and the fine control; this one is a filter grinder that happens to be excellent at it. Seventeen numbers cover espresso through filter here, so the brew range has real resolution. Retention is genuinely low once the rotary knocker has cleared the chute.