Which to buy · Every setting
Mahlkönig EK43 vs Option-O Lagom Mini
Conical against flat — the Lagom Mini's scale curves where the other runs straight. The Lagom Mini 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
Lagom Mini if you…
- brew 1–2 cups a morning, or want a second filter grinder — how Option-O pitches it
- travel with it — 1.5 kg, and it takes 100–240 V
- single-dose — typical retention under 0.1 g with no purging, Option-O says
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.
Option-O now sells the LAGOM mini 2 in place of the original, and its Lagom Mini shop listing became the mini 2; the settings on this page are for the original Lagom Mini.
Sources: Option-O — Lagom Mini (archived Sep 2024) · Option-O — Shop · Mahlkönig — EK43 · Mahlkönig USA — EK43
| EK43 | Lagom Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Mahlkönig | Option-O |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 0 – 16 | 0 – 50 |
| Burrs | Flat | Conical |
| Espresso → filter | 7 numbers | 18 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 7 numbers | 20 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 8.5 on the Lagom Mini — 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 | Lagom Mini |
|---|---|
| 2 | 4 |
| 4.8 | 7.9 |
| 7.1 | 11.8 |
| 7.8 | 15.6 |
| 8.5 | 19.3 |
| 9.3 | 22.6 |
| 10.7 | 25.6 |
| 12.1 | 28.3 |
| 13.4 | 30.9 |
| 14.3 | 33.7 |
| 14.9 | 36.4 |
| 15.4 | 39.2 |
| 16 | 42 |
| Lagom Mini | EK43 |
|---|---|
| 4 | 2 |
| 7.9 | 4.8 |
| 11.8 | 7.1 |
| 15.6 | 7.8 |
| 19.3 | 8.5 |
| 22.6 | 9.3 |
| 25.6 | 10.7 |
| 28.3 | 12.1 |
| 30.9 | 13.4 |
| 33.7 | 14.3 |
| 36.4 | 14.9 |
| 39.2 | 15.4 |
| 42 | 16 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | EK43 | Lagom Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 3.7 | 6.3 |
| Moka pot | 7 | 11 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 7.8 | 15.6 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 8.8 | 21.2 |
| Siphon | 9.3 | 22.8 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 9.8 | 23.9 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 10.3 | 24.9 |
| Drip / batch brew | 10.7 | 25.6 |
| Cupping | 11 | 26.2 |
| Chemex | 12 | 28.2 |
| French press | 14.1 | 32.7 |
| Cold brew | 15.2 | 38 |
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
Option-O Lagom Mini
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 Lagom Mini
A compact single-dose grinder designed around burr swapping, so its character depends heavily on which set is fitted. Stepless. Low retention is the main reason to own it — it is built for people who change coffees constantly.