Which to buy · Every setting
Fellow Opus vs Varia VS3 (2nd Gen)
Two grinders cross-shopped at the same money. The Opus is numbered 1–11; the VS3 (2nd Gen) is numbered 0–19.
Which to buy
Choose the
Opus if you…
- grind more than one dose at a time — it holds 110 g
- want fixed steps you can return to exactly
- want a timed auto-stop
Choose the
VS3 (2nd Gen) if you…
- want stepless adjustment, set by turning the hopper
- weigh single doses — 30 g hopper, and Varia quotes under 0.1 g retention on a 10 g dose with RDT
- want 48 mm conical burrs (38 mm inner diameter)
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 (48 mm conical burrs, stepless) in place of the original. The settings on this page are for the original Opus dial.
Sources: Fellow — Opus (archived) · Varia — VS3
| Opus | VS3 (2nd Gen) | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Fellow | Varia |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 1 – 11 | 0 – 19 |
| Burrs | Conical | Conical |
| Espresso → filter | 5.7 numbers | 8.5 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 3.9 numbers | 9.7 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 22 on the VS3 (2nd Gen) — 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 | VS3 (2nd Gen) |
|---|---|
| 1.2 | 0.8 |
| 2 | 4.9 |
| 3.2 | 6.6 |
| 5.3 | 8.2 |
| 7.1 | 9.6 |
| 8 | 10.6 |
| 8.2 | 11.6 |
| 8.3 | 12.6 |
| 9.1 | 14 |
| 9.3 | 15.6 |
| 10.2 | 17.3 |
| 11 | 19 |
| VS3 (2nd Gen) | Opus |
|---|---|
| 0.8 | 1.2 |
| 2.9 | 1.2 |
| 4.9 | 2 |
| 6.6 | 3.2 |
| 8.2 | 5.3 |
| 9.6 | 7.1 |
| 10.6 | 8 |
| 11.6 | 8.2 |
| 12.6 | 8.3 |
| 14 | 9.1 |
| 15.6 | 9.3 |
| 17.3 | 10.2 |
| 19 | 11 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | Opus | VS3 (2nd Gen) |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 1.2 | 2.1 |
| Moka pot | 1.3 | 4.5 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 3.2 | 6.6 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 6.3 | 9 |
| Siphon | 7.2 | 9.6 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 7.3 | 10 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 8 | 10.4 |
| Drip / batch brew | 8 | 10.6 |
| Cupping | 8 | 10.9 |
| Chemex | 8.2 | 11.5 |
| French press | 9 | 13.4 |
| Cold brew | 10 | 16.5 |
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
Varia VS3 (2nd Gen)
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 VS3 (2nd Gen)
A compact grinder that tries to cover espresso and brew in a small footprint, and mostly succeeds. The second generation improved the burr alignment that limited the original. Expect to work harder at the espresso end than on a dedicated machine.