Main trade-off
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
You must stop the motor yourself.
Head-to-head
Baratza Encore vs OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder: OXO remembers the timer and closes its hopper for bean swaps
The short answer
Choose Encore if you prefer to control each grind with its side switch or front pulse button and already weigh your coffee. Choose OXO Brew if repeating a remembered timer setting makes your usual filter recipe easier. OXO's removable hopper trap door also matters when you change beans before the hopper is empty.
Before you choose
The reasoning and the trade-offs
The same filter recipe every workday
OXO's remembered timer can repeat your chosen duration after an initial scale check. Encore suits someone who already adds a measured dose and stops the grinder manually. OXO's advantage shrinks if you weigh fresh beans for every cup, because the timer is then mostly deciding when the motor stops rather than how much coffee you load.
What this is based on
The manual says the mass produced depends on the beans and grind setting. A remembered number of seconds is not a stored weight target.
Main trade-off
OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
Saved time does not hold output mass constant across beans.
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Choose it for
- You prefer direct on, off and pulse control.
- Your routine already uses a scale and a measured input dose.
- Main trade-off
- You must stop the motor yourself.
OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
- Choose it for
- You want a timer that remembers the previous setting.
- You value a hopper trap door for removing beans that remain in the hopper.
- Main trade-off
- Saved time does not hold output mass constant across beans.
About this comparison
Compare Baratza Encore and OXO Brew for manual versus timed filter-coffee doses, repeat recipes and switching beans in the hopper.
The practical choice turns on dose controls and grind adjustment, then on the constraints in your own setup.
Winner by situation
Start with what you need it to do
Repeat one timed filter recipe
OXO remembers its timer setting, although dose mass needs periodic checking.
- Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Depends
- OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
- Better fit
Prefer a front pulse button
Encore offers dedicated pulse control.
- Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Better fit
- OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
- Depends
Remove a hopper that still contains beans
OXO has a documented hopper trap door.
- Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Depends
- OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
- Better fit
Expect automatic weighing
Neither grinder supplies an output scale.
- Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Not suitable
- OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
- Not suitable
What matters in practice
The differences that matter
The same filter recipe every workday
OXO's remembered timer can repeat your chosen duration after an initial scale check. Encore suits someone who already adds a measured dose and stops the grinder manually. OXO's advantage shrinks if you weigh fresh beans for every cup, because the timer is then mostly deciding when the motor stops rather than how much coffee you load.
How we reached this conclusion
The manual says the mass produced depends on the beans and grind setting. A remembered number of seconds is not a stored weight target.
Switching away from a half-full hopper
OXO's trap door closes off the removable hopper, giving the remaining unground beans somewhere to stay while you change the hopper contents. Encore's standard removable hopper does not provide that documented trap-door feature. If switching beans is frequent, loading only a measured dose can reduce the amount you need to empty on either machine.
How we reached this conclusion
This concerns beans above the burrs. A hopper door does not remove grounds already in the burr chamber or chute, so it cannot guarantee zero carryover.
Numbered settings do not rank espresso precision
Encore's 40 settings and OXO's 15 labels with intermediate positions use different adjustment systems. Counting the labels alone would understate OXO's positions and still would not establish burr movement per step. Treat this as a filter-coffee workflow comparison unless your espresso basket requirements are separately verified.
How we reached this conclusion
No conversion from adjustment counts to particle size is supported by these documents.
Choice A
Baratza, ZCG485BLK
Encore Conical Burr Grinder
A straightforward filter grinder with a broad hopper, clear numbered dial and a serviceable design that has earned a long life on home counters.
- Best matched use
- You prefer direct on, off and pulse control.
Checked facts
- Dose controls: Side on/off switch and front pulse
- Grind adjustment: 40 numbered settings
- Hopper rating: 300 g
- Hopper removal: Standard removable hopper
Choice B
OXO, 8717000
Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
An easygoing conical grinder with a large tinted hopper, remembered timer and a metal grounds container designed to tame static.
- Best matched use
- You want a timer that remembers the previous setting.
Checked facts
- Dose controls: Remembered 0 to 30-second timer
- Grind adjustment: 15 marked settings with intermediate microsettings
- Hopper rating: 12 oz
- Hopper removal: Removable hopper with trap door
Meaningful differences
What changes the fit
| What changes | Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder | OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dose controls | Side on/off switch and front pulse | Remembered 0 to 30-second timer | OXO can repeat a duration, while Encore waits for the user to stop it. |
| Grind adjustment | 40 numbered settings | 15 marked settings with intermediate microsettings | The numbering systems are not directly comparable grind-size scales. |
| Hopper rating | 300 g | 12 oz | Both hold several doses, though capacity does not establish freshness. |
| Hopper removal | Standard removable hopper | Removable hopper with trap door | OXO can retain unground beans in the hopper during removal. |
| Grounds collection | Grounds bin | Stainless steel grounds container | Neither selected model weighs the output automatically. |
What you give up
Every choice has a cost
If you choose Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Its hopper lacks OXO's documented trap-door feature.
If you choose OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
- The timer continues if the hopper empties before it ends, so stop it manually when needed.
Recommendation switch
The decision flips if...
You want remembered timed operation
Choose OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder. OXO supplies the timer feature.
Your measured-input routine favors simple switches
Choose Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder. Encore provides manual and pulse control.
What matters in practice
How to make the call
Make the timer earn its place
OXO's timer is useful when one person repeats one coffee and one brew method. The manual recommends checking the resulting amount rather than treating seconds as grams. Encore's manual control is straightforward when the scale has already defined the dose before the beans enter the grinder.
Account for beans between recipes
A trap door makes hopper removal more manageable, yet the next coffee still travels through a used grinding path. Anyone managing a strict separation requirement should not infer complete isolation from the hopper design. For ordinary household switching, smaller initial loads reduce the quantity of beans waiting to be emptied.
Match the brewer, then set the grind
The marked adjustment ranges give starting points for brewing. They do not make a universal recipe. Use the same bean and dose when assessing a new setting, and avoid buying either model merely because one published setting count looks larger than the other.
What this comparison cannot tell you
- The sources do not support a controlled taste, noise or grind-speed winner.
What the facts say
What the comparison shows
Useful conclusions from the current premium coffee grinders comparison, followed by the checked facts used to reach them.
See the checked facts and calculation notes
| Product | Needs matched | Checked facts | Source records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder |
|
|
|
| OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder |
|
|
|
Ready to choose?
Check the price. Read the owner reviews.
Open either model on Amazon to check the current price, customer reviews and delivery options.
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
You prefer direct on, off and pulse control.
See price & reviews on AmazonOXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
You want a timer that remembers the previous setting.
See price & reviews on AmazonLinks open in a new tab.