Grinder Showdown: Wilfa Svart vs Baratza Encore

You asked for it, so here it is! The Wilfa Svart Grinder (£105) vs the Baratza Encore (£150).

Note: I purchased the Wilfa from Workshop Coffee. However, I now act as an upaid advisor for the company that is currently distributing Wilfa in the UK.

I was not paid to do this review, and do not earn a comission on sales.

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[tbrobison]

I've had an Encore for 7+ years now. It has been a fantastic grinder and I have no complaints. As others have noted, it is repairable, and parts are easy to order from the company's website. I have not needed any repairs or replacement parts yet, as it just works without problems.
Easy to clean (once monthly seems like a good interval), grind settings don't move once set. Personally, I like to remove the catch bin, and hold an open #4 paper filter underneath the shoot and grind straight into the filter. This is possible by using the button on the front of the grinder. I do this in order to eliminate static electricity that sometimes forms in the catch bin.
The speed of the grinder is deliberately geared slower than the Wilfa Svart as higher speed creates heat, which is not preferred. So, speed really shouldn't mean better.
Hope some find this a useful post.

[nickdubya]

I would love an electric grinder showdown with price range separation, similar to what you did with the manual grinders, including evaluation for espresso or turkish!

[scootervalentine]

Showing the sieve results was a really cool component of the video

[timothyfarner]

Baratza has great customer service. I do not know about the other company. One thing that wasn't brought up and was a major factor in my buying a Baratza grinder is the company builds their grinders to be easily repaired by the consumer and parts are very readily available. This extends the life of the grinders very, very much. This is a major benefit that adds value and convenience to their grinders.

[danielwatson]

I don't know about the Wilfa. My wife and I own/run a coffee shop in small town North Dakota USA. We've used the Baratzas for years now. They have done a great job but one BIG plus is, that when they need maintenance we can do the vast majority of it ourselves. We can get the parts from Baratza, they have instructions for just about everything, videos are online on how to do what needs to be one. They are easy to disassemble and maintain or repair. Having that kind of support and do it yourself capability where we are is EXTREMELY important. Where many pieces of equipment must be taken to a shop, or a company has to send out a repair tech, we keep these going ourselves. We just cannot say enough great things about them.

I hope Wilfa offers the same options... but if not I'd recommend Baratza hands down as you can literally keep them running pretty much forever. Even if a motor burns out... replace and keep going. They are fantastic machines!

[Guerdo]

I use the button on the front of the Encore to purge it from coffee fleece before and after use, works pretty well. Great review, thanks!

[Zerbasst]

Just one quick thing when you measure the loudness, James

Please consider mounting your phone somewhere else then directly on the table. Many of the vibrations will be amplified but in a different way then it will reach your ear. Well at least i suppose you mostly dont have your ear pressed against the table :D
Also the sturdiness of the table and the resonance of the top will also impact the noise, but this way it's more true to hearing sound levels.

Thanks for you amazing videos :)

[dyvel]

Your brilliant editing saves me lots of time by keeping the video short and informative. Thanks! :)

[bunberrier]

FWIW I bought the encore in oct 2015, and since then have ground enough coffee for one 10 cup drip pot every day. I bought an extra burr to use as a visual so I could tell when to replace the original. Its never had any problems, and the original burr looks good as new and hasnt been replaced. Two minor quibbles..
1 I wish it was faster to grind
2 I wish there was a backlight for the grounds bin. I keep a cheap flashlight next to it for this purpose.
Also i keep the grinder on a cafeteria tray on the counter to keep stray grounds from making a mess when transferring. Overall very happy with it.

[mcamodell]

Where is the The Ultimate electric Grinder Showdown?

[Bird_dog]

Wants a quiet grinder lol. When I was a kid my dad had the loudest grinder ever and would bang it on the counter just in case we couldn’t hear it during the grinding. At 4am every day as a way to say I am so you’re up lol. He still does that to this day even tho all the kids have moved out lmao.

[MD-wkgj]

Thank you for this review!

I bought the Baratza as the Wilfa was not easily found in the US.

I’m obsessed, in a good way, with your videos. I bought the Hario V60 & a Hario scale after watching your videos and selected on my own a Cosori electric kettle.

All are perfect but the Baratza Encore grinder has made the greatest improvement in the taste of my coffee.

It’s been an investment that many would chuckle at but I chuckle at others who spend $4 a cup for something that is 100 times more fun to brew at home.

I feel as though I now have the perfect set-up thanks in large part to your videos.

[designthescenes]

The Wilfa breaks a lot unfortunately. I just returned the Wilfa after being broken and got a Baratza, its s simpler product, but its simplicity makes it a better quality product, meant to last. Wilfa breaks because its components are of poor quality, so if the grind button breaks or stops working (and it will), you got to return it. With Baratza, you got two buttons, and its simpler to clean, use, and repair in case you have to. Both provide excellent coffee though, the same quality I would say, but def get a Baratza if you want to avoid having to return it several times.

[rashiduzzaman]

You missed:
Showing the finest grind and coarsest grind. Encore is admired because it can make grind fine enough for home espresso machine. Most home grinders can't.
Number of adjustment is not a factor. What those numbers can do is indeed big factor.

[danjv]

Thanks for this comparison. I've had my Encore for a little over a month. Very satisfied with its performance. I was drawn to Barstza for their support and the fact that I can practically rebuild my machine. We'd be glad to hear more about these machines after prolonged use.

[guitarboy]

I absolutely LOVE the way you compared these grinders. Very smart

[mjr_wifi]

The Encore is an extremely capable grinder that produces superb espresso. I use mine twice a day and I’ve had it for years. Don’t sleep on it.

[MartAnthony]

Ease of cleaning would have been another good objective measure. From the outside the Svart looks like the grinds have a more complex path to take to exit the grinder.

As an aside, I like the brick background.

[txdg]

I have an Encore, and it’s used two-three times a day and has been in flawless service for over 10 yrs. Bullet proof. The switches are robust and simple and the push button on the front is great for dialing in the grams for my pour overs etc. A great functional addition. Highly recommend the Baratza Encore.

[philm]

Coming back to this now in 2020. James has definitely upped his video game. Also just purchased the wilfa due to this video :)