Which to buy · Every setting
Mahlkönig EK43 vs Option-O Lagom P100
Two grinders cross-shopped at the same money. The Lagom P100 is numbered 0–10; the EK43 is numbered 0–16.
Which to buy
Choose the
EK43 if you…
- grind from a full hopper — about 1,200 g
- grind straight into retail bags — it has a bag clamp
- want to buy new from Mahlkönig
Choose the
Lagom P100 if you…
- single-dose — retention under 0.1 g with or without RDT, Option-O says
- want to set burr speed, from 200 to 1,700 rpm
- want stepless adjustment with fine markings — each 0.1 line moves the burr 7.5 microns
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.
The P100 no longer appears in Option-O's shop, though its product page is still up. Option-O hasn't named a replacement, so you'd be buying used.
Sources: Option-O — LAGOM P100 · Option-O — Shop · Mahlkönig — EK43 · Mahlkönig USA — EK43
| EK43 | Lagom P100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Mahlkönig | Option-O |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 0 – 16 | 0 – 10 |
| Burrs | Flat | Flat |
| Espresso → filter | 7 numbers | 6.3 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 7 numbers | 2.5 numbers |
The same number means different things
Both grinders use a numbered dial, which makes it tempting to copy a number straight across. Setting 5 sits at grind index 9 on the EK43 but 26.8 on the Lagom P100 — 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 P100 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 0.5 |
| 4.8 | 2.1 |
| 7.1 | 3.6 |
| 7.8 | 4.8 |
| 8.5 | 5.9 |
| 9.3 | 6.9 |
| 10.7 | 7.5 |
| 12.1 | 8.1 |
| 13.4 | 8.7 |
| 14.3 | 9 |
| 14.9 | 9.1 |
| 15.4 | 9.2 |
| 16 | 9.3 |
| Lagom P100 | EK43 |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 2 |
| 2.1 | 4.8 |
| 3.6 | 7.1 |
| 4.8 | 7.8 |
| 5.9 | 8.5 |
| 6.9 | 9.3 |
| 7.5 | 10.7 |
| 8.1 | 12.1 |
| 8.7 | 13.4 |
| 9 | 14.3 |
| 9.1 | 14.9 |
| 9.2 | 15.4 |
| 9.3 | 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 P100 |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 3.7 | 1.5 |
| Moka pot | 7 | 3.4 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 7.8 | 4.8 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 8.8 | 6.5 |
| Siphon | 9.3 | 6.9 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 9.8 | 7.2 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 10.3 | 7.4 |
| Drip / batch brew | 10.7 | 7.5 |
| Cupping | 11 | 7.6 |
| Chemex | 12 | 8.1 |
| French press | 14.1 | 9 |
| Cold brew | 15.2 | 9.1 |
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 P100
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 P100
A large flat-burr single-dose grinder aimed at people who want commercial burr size at home. As with the rest of the Lagom range, the burr set you fit changes the grind character more than the dial position does.