Which to buy · Every setting
Mahlkönig EK43 vs Niche Zero
Conical against flat — the Zero's scale curves where the other runs straight. The Zero is numbered 0–50; the EK43 is numbered 0–16.
Which to buy
Choose the
EK43 if you…
- grind in volume — about 19–21 g a second from a 1,200 g hopper
- want 98 mm cast steel flat burrs, stepless from Turkish fine to coarse filter
- grind straight into retail bags — it has a bag clamp
Choose the
Zero if you…
- single-dose — there is no hopper, and Niche claims zero retention
- want 63 mm conical burrs
- want a home grinder — 4.1 kg, 72 dB while grinding
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Sources: Niche — Zero · Mahlkönig — EK43 · Mahlkönig USA — EK43
| EK43 | Zero | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Mahlkönig | Niche |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 0 – 16 | 0 – 50 |
| Burrs | Flat | Conical |
| Espresso → filter | 7 numbers | 34.6 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 7 numbers | 9.1 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 but 1.4 on the Zero — 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 | Zero |
|---|---|
| 2 | 6.3 |
| 4.8 | 17.1 |
| 7.1 | 26.2 |
| 7.8 | 32.7 |
| 8.5 | 37.7 |
| 9.3 | 41.6 |
| 10.7 | 44.1 |
| 12.1 | 45.6 |
| 13.4 | 46.7 |
| 14.3 | 47.9 |
| 14.9 | 48.7 |
| 15.4 | 49.3 |
| 16 | 50 |
| Zero | EK43 |
|---|---|
| 6.3 | 2 |
| 17.1 | 4.8 |
| 26.2 | 7.1 |
| 32.7 | 7.8 |
| 37.7 | 8.5 |
| 41.6 | 9.3 |
| 44.1 | 10.7 |
| 45.6 | 12.1 |
| 46.7 | 13.4 |
| 47.9 | 14.3 |
| 48.7 | 14.9 |
| 49.3 | 15.4 |
| 50 | 16 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | EK43 | Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 3.7 | 12.8 |
| Moka pot | 7 | 24.7 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 7.8 | 32.7 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 8.8 | 40 |
| Siphon | 9.3 | 41.7 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 9.8 | 42.8 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 10.3 | 43.6 |
| Drip / batch brew | 10.7 | 44.1 |
| Cupping | 11 | 44.5 |
| Chemex | 12 | 45.6 |
| French press | 14.1 | 47.5 |
| Cold brew | 15.2 | 49 |
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
Niche Zero
Dialing in the EK43
The grinder that changed what filter coffee was supposed to taste like, and still the reference for high-clarity brewing. Its very large flat burrs produce an unusually narrow particle distribution, which is why coffee ground on an EK often tastes cleaner at the same nominal setting than it does elsewhere. Stepless, so treat the numbers as targets.
Dialing in the Zero
Single-dose, stepless, and calibrated so that the same numbered setting means roughly the same thing between units — unusual, and the reason Niche numbers get quoted directly between users. Because it is stepless, the settings below are targets rather than detents: land near the number and adjust by taste. Its espresso and filter ranges overlap more than the dial implies.