Which to buy · Every setting
Mahlkönig EK43 S vs Timemore Sculptor 078
Two grinders cross-shopped at the same money. The Sculptor 078 is numbered 0–18; the EK43 S is numbered 0–16.
Which to buy
Choose the
EK43 S if you…
- pull espresso or grind Turkish fine as well as filter
- grind in volume — 19–21 g/s on average, Mahlkönig says
- want 98 mm cast steel burrs rated for about 6,000 kg
Choose the
Sculptor 078 if you…
- brew pour over — Timemore sells the 078 as pour-over only
- want a stepped dial with 36 settings
- want a gravity-fed auger that Timemore says needs no bellows
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Sources: Timemore — Sculptor series · Mahlkönig — EK43 S
| EK43 S | Sculptor 078 | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Mahlkönig | Timemore |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 0 – 16 | 0 – 18 |
| Burrs | Flat | Flat |
| Espresso → filter | 7 numbers | 4 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 7 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 8 sits at grind index 27.5 on the EK43 S but 55 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.
| EK43 S | Sculptor 078 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 0 |
| 4.8 | 1.5 |
| 7.1 | 2.5 |
| 7.8 | 3 |
| 8.5 | 3.5 |
| 9.3 | 4.5 |
| 10.7 | 6.5 |
| 12.1 | 9 |
| 13.4 | 11 |
| 14.3 | 13 |
| 14.9 | 14.5 |
| 15.4 | 16.5 |
| 16 | 18 |
| Sculptor 078 | EK43 S |
|---|---|
| 0 | 2 |
| 1.5 | 4.8 |
| 2.5 | 7.1 |
| 3 | 7.8 |
| 3.5 | 8.5 |
| 4.5 | 9.3 |
| 6.5 | 10.7 |
| 9 | 12.1 |
| 11 | 13.4 |
| 13 | 14.3 |
| 14.5 | 14.9 |
| 16.5 | 15.4 |
| 18 | 16 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | EK43 S | Sculptor 078 |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 3.7 | 1 |
| Moka pot | 7 | 2.5 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 7.8 | 3 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 8.8 | 4 |
| Siphon | 9.3 | 4.5 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 9.8 | 5.5 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 10.3 | 6 |
| Drip / batch brew | 10.7 | 6.5 |
| Cupping | 11 | 7 |
| Chemex | 12 | 9 |
| French press | 14.1 | 12.5 |
| Cold brew | 15.2 | 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.
Mahlkönig EK43 S
Timemore Sculptor 078
Dialing in the EK43 S
The shorter-bodied EK43, aimed at cafés without the counter space for the full-size machine — 28.8 inches against 32.6. It is not a lesser grinder: it runs the same 98mm cast steel burrs as the EK43, so grind character and dialling behaviour track it closely enough that the settings on this page are the same ones. What differs is throughput and ergonomics — a larger hopper, and a slower grind rate that is no handicap for espresso, where dosing shot by shot matters more than speed. The EK43 is the one for a high-volume brew bar; the S is the one for a café espresso station. Sixteen numbers to cover espresso through coarse is very little resolution, so expect to work in half-steps.
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.