Which to buy · Every setting
Mahlkönig EK43 vs Option-O Lagom P64
Two grinders cross-shopped at the same money. The Lagom P64 is numbered 0–10; 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 P64 if you…
- single-dose — retention under 0.1 g with RDT and no purging needed, Option-O says
- want to set burr speed, 300–1,400 rpm under load
- want a choice of three burr sets, including SSP Red Speed
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 P64 no longer appears in Option-O's shop. Option-O now sells the LAGOM P80, which it says keeps the P64's familiar form with everything inside re-engineered. The settings on this page are for the P64.
Sources: Option-O — LAGOM P64 · Option-O — LAGOM P80 · Mahlkönig — EK43 · Mahlkönig USA — EK43
| EK43 | Lagom P64 | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Mahlkönig | Option-O |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 0 – 16 | 0 – 10 |
| Burrs | Flat | Flat |
| Espresso → filter | 7 numbers | 5.2 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 7 numbers | 2.6 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 35 on the Lagom P64 — 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 P64 |
|---|---|
| 2 | 0.5 |
| 4.8 | 1.4 |
| 7.1 | 2.4 |
| 7.8 | 3.6 |
| 8.5 | 4.8 |
| 9.3 | 5.7 |
| 10.7 | 5.9 |
| 12.1 | 6.1 |
| 13.4 | 6.2 |
| 14.3 | 6.6 |
| 14.9 | 7.2 |
| 15.4 | 7.7 |
| 16 | 8.3 |
| Lagom P64 | EK43 |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 2 |
| 1.4 | 4.8 |
| 2.4 | 7.1 |
| 3.6 | 7.8 |
| 4.8 | 8.5 |
| 5.7 | 9.3 |
| 5.9 | 10.7 |
| 6.1 | 12.1 |
| 6.2 | 13.4 |
| 6.6 | 14.3 |
| 7.2 | 14.9 |
| 7.7 | 15.4 |
| 8.3 | 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 P64 |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 3.7 | 1.1 |
| Moka pot | 7 | 2.2 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 7.8 | 3.6 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 8.8 | 5.4 |
| Siphon | 9.3 | 5.7 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 9.8 | 5.8 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 10.3 | 5.9 |
| Drip / batch brew | 10.7 | 5.9 |
| Cupping | 11 | 5.9 |
| Chemex | 12 | 6.1 |
| French press | 14.1 | 6.4 |
| Cold brew | 15.2 | 7.5 |
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
Option-O Lagom P64
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 P64
A single-dose flat-burr grinder built around burr swapping — the character changes substantially with the set you fit, so treat published numbers as approximate across different burrs. Stepless, so the settings below are targets.