When Fellow launched the unique Opus in 2023, it was alleged to be the inexpensive all-rounder. One grinder for a few hundred bucks for espresso, pour-over and all the things in between, with Fellow’s design sense on prime
It didn’t fairly work out that approach.
The Opus 2 is Fellow’s try to get it proper. Larger burrs, a brand new adjustment system, a brand new grind path and auto-stop.
I’ve spent the final two weeks consuming a lot espresso and drip espresso from it that I can nearly really feel the enamel stripping off my enamel. Right here’s all the things I’ve realized.
Execs
- Quick: 18 g of espresso in 9 seconds
- Low retention: 0.1–0.2 g, with little or no static
- Simple adjustment: stepless dial, from espresso to filter in seconds
- Tidy workflow: well-calibrated auto-stop and magnetic catch cups
- Stable espresso: nails darkish roasts and holds up nicely with medium roasts
Cons
- Plastic elements: the grind chamber and impeller are plastic
- Filter espresso: Not unbelievable, simply satisfactory
- Noise: 84–85 dB = a bit loud and a bit rattly
The Fellow Opus 1: a little bit of a letdown
On paper, the unique Opus seemed like a fantastic deal. In use, the complaints piled up.
Retention was the massive one. Many homeowners ended up smacking the lid after each dose to get the final grounds out, which isn’t what you need from a grinder bought for single dosing.
Then there was the adjustment. Getting superb sufficient for espresso meant coping with a weird interior ring for calibration on prime of the outer dial. Complicated? You wager.
What Fellow modified with the Opus 2
The Opus 2 goes after each a kind of issues:
- Burrs up from 40 mm to 48 mm
- One stepless dial from espresso to chilly brew. The interior ring is gone
- A redesigned grinding path with an ionizer and higher designed chute
- Auto-stop, so it switches off when the beans are floor up
- Two magnetic catch cups: 100 g for filter and 30 g for espresso (suits 54 and 58 mm portafilters)
And to be clear, most of it really works.
Take a look at my video beneath for an in-depth rationalization.
Fellow as an organization: from design objects to plastic
To know the Opus 2, I feel you want to have a look at the place Fellow has been heading.
Fellow began out making very lovely design objects with some high quality to them. The Fellow Ode is an effective instance. No matter you considered the grind high quality of the primary model, it felt like a stable factor in your counter. I’ve had mine for greater than 5 years now and it’s nonetheless a stable grinder. It’s constructed to final.
Nonetheless, in recent times Fellow has moved into can be described as a flimsy-construction period.
The Fellow Aiden was very plasticky. Nevertheless it supplied unbelievable temperature management and attractive espresso, so I used to be blissful to forgive it.
The brand new Fellow Espresso Collection 1 additionally has a plastic construct (I haven’t examined it in particular person but however that is the the overwhelming sensation amongst customers).
And now the Opus 2 is much more plasticky.
It’s nonetheless a Fellow product, so the design is on level. However the supplies will not be something that stands out in 2026. Quite the opposite, I might say.
Fellow Opus 2 specs
| Specification | Fellow Opus 2 |
|---|---|
| Burrs | 48 mm chrome steel conical |
| Motor | 300 W (in accordance with the label on my 220V unit) |
| Velocity | Round 400 RPM |
| Adjustment | Stepless dial |
| Load bin | 100 g |
| Catch cups | 100 g normal + 30 g espresso cup, each magnetic |
| Grind pace | 18 g of espresso in 9 seconds (my check) |
| Retention | 0.1–0.2 g (my check) |
| Noise | 84–85 dB (my measurement) |
| Dimension | 206 × 130 × 267 mm |
| Weight | 2.3 kg |
| Made in | China |
Fellow Opus 2 workflow: the nice elements
So, how the Opus 2 in day by day use? Let’s begin with the nice elements, as a result of there are plenty of issues to love about this little grinder.
Sure, it’s plastic, however it nonetheless appears to be like good.
Subsequent to different properly designed grinders, it doesn’t look misplaced.
Subsequent to different Fellow merchandise, it’s going to look very glossy and trendy, as a result of Fellow actually are the last word designers of that trendy matte black aesthetic that has infiltrated each section of specialty espresso.
It’s compact, it’s mild. It grinds quick – additionally for espresso.
It’s not quiet, although.
I measured round 84–85 dB, in opposition to 74–75 dB for the StarSeeker Edge. The noise is a bit rattly, however not less than it’s over shortly.
I just like the adjustment wheel on the facet. Good granularity, and it’s a pleasant contact level.
Retention is low. Straight out of the grinder I’m sometimes discovering round 0.2 grams. Generally a bit extra, however usually very goood.
If I exploit the lid as a bellows and push it down a few instances with the grinder operating, the exchanged retention drops to 0.1 gram.
So the Opus 1 retention drawback? Mounted.
The ionizer works very well, too. Static could be very low in comparison with most different grinders I’ve examined.
It’s not messy. Each catch cups slide in magnetically underneath the chute, catching many of the grounds and even the annoying light-weight chaff particles that almost all ionizers have a troublesome time coping with.
Workflow intimately
From a workflow perspective, it’s glorious in most classes.
Velocity: glorious. 18 grams of espresso took 9 seconds to grind. So just about 2 g/s, which is quick.
Ease of adjustment: prime of the road. It simply works very properly with that knob. It’s very simple to make micro changes, but additionally to go from espresso to filter espresso.
UX: glorious. The auto-off operate is definitely very nicely calibrated, so it stops nearly on the proper time when all the things is floor. It’s tidy, and it’s simple to dose out and in.
Fellow Opus 2 grind settings
Contained in the lid, Fellow has printed grind measurement options for various brew strategies.
For espresso, I used to be principally between 0.2 and 0.7 on the dial. For pour-over, I used to be extra within the 5 to 7 vary, which is just about spot on with Fellow’s beneficial ranges.
The plastic drawback
Once you open it up, gaining access to the burr out is comparatively easy. You simply twist the load bin counter-clockwise.
The brand new burr is large and hulking. It’s Fellow’s personal in-house design that you just’re not going to search out with another grinders. The engineers have achieved a fantastic job right here.
However then there’s the grinding chamber. The place the metal burr deserves reward I can’t actually love the grinding chamber.
It’s plastic, however the kind isn’t specified. I’d guess it’s seemingly a powerful materials, probably nylon. The impeller beneath the burr can be made from the identical materials.
Most grinders these days include a metal impeller in a metal grinding chamber. So in 2026, I’ve to confess I really feel a bit hesitant giving a powerful advice to a grinder constructed like this.
What does the impeller do?
The impeller sits beneath the burr, spins round on the similar pace because the burr and pushes out the grounds. So it’s sort of a wiping arm. Generally it’s additionally referred to as the “paddle wheel”.
There are literally some grinders that don’t even use an impeller. As a substitute, they’re designed so the grounds simply fall out from the burrs, which I feel is the optimum design. Just about all guide grinders work this manner. But additionally the Baratza Sette and Mx Cool Aries are impeller- and chute-less grinders.
However most grinders do have an impeller, and sometimes it’s made from metal.
A cautionary story
Nonetheless, there’s one other firm that makes plenty of conical grinders with plastic elements: Baratza. They’ve some of the in style grinders of all time, the Encore.
What tends to occur is that after just a few years, plenty of Encores begin grinding slower and slower and have extra hassle pushing the grounds out. That’s as a result of the impeller slowly wears down from all that friction in opposition to the espresso, and it loses its exact match.
Keep in mind, the impeller within the Opus 2 is spinning round at 400 RPM, pushing in opposition to plenty of particles.
Baratza is nice with spare elements, so that you simply purchase a brand new one. Nevertheless it does beg the query: the place did the lacking plastic go?
I feel you’ll be able to see the place I’m going with this. In all probability into your floor espresso.
Now, to be truthful, the Opus 2 continues to be new, so it is a bit theoretical. And so far as I do know, no one has truly measured how a lot microplastic comes from a espresso grinder.
However a examine from this yr discovered that salt grinders with plastic grinding heads shed microplastics into the salt.
That’s a distinct scenario, although. There, the plastic is doing the precise cracking of laborious salt. Within the Opus, the burr is metal, and it’s solely the impeller that’s plastic.
However it’s nonetheless spinning quick in opposition to particles that aren’t trivial.
We’ve seen the identical factor with plastic chopping boards and blenders. When plastic meets friction, it sheds.
And I do know there’s plastic in plenty of espresso gear. I’m truthfully not that apprehensive a couple of plastic dripper. What worries me extra is a plastic half spinning at excessive pace in opposition to espresso particles, each single day, for years. That’s precisely the sort of half we’ve seen put on down earlier than.
So if I’ve the selection, I need that half in metal.
I’ll replace this text as my Opus 2 will get older, so if you happen to’re studying this in a single or two years, verify the underside of the web page for my up to date findings.
American model, made in China
Folks typically complain to me that a few of my favourite grinders are from Chinese language manufacturers.
Effectively, the Opus 2 may come from an American firm, however it’s made in China.
And the construct high quality is definitely considerably worse than the Chinese language model grinders in the identical value vary. The StarSeeker Edge and the DF54 each include a metal grinding chamber and a metal impeller. The DF54 weighs 4.3 kg, nearly twice as a lot because the Opus 2 at 2.3 kg.
So if you happen to pay further for the Fellow identify, you’re paying for design and workflow. Not for construct high quality.
How does the Fellow Opus 2 style?
However workflow and construct will not be the entire story. So how does it truly style?
The Opus 2 is generally marketed as an espresso grinder, and for espresso it does a stable job.
I used all the things from darkish roasts to medium-dark and extra trendy medium roasts.
Darkish roasts, it nails them. I might say it’s laborious for a grinder to actually be excellent with darkish roasts and be higher than the remaining. It’s extra that some are good for them and a few are unhealthy, and this one falls into the nice class.
Once we transfer into medium and medium-dark territory, it’s a bit bit extra nuanced.
At this roast stage you’re beginning to have the ability to choose aside flavors. And right here I might begin to contemplate whether or not a flat burr grinder would do higher.
Personally, for the marginally darker facet of medium, I might somewhat take a flat burr such because the Eureka Mignon for these smoother chocolate flavors.
And if I used to be seeking to discover the completely different layers a bit extra, for a barely extra trendy mild to medium espresso model, I might favor just about all of the completely different variations of SSP burrs within the 64 mm measurement. The MP for contemporary mild taste separation, and the HU or Solid for conventional and extra full-bodied.
However now we’re additionally speaking about grinders which are rather more costly. You in all probability must spend double the worth to search out one thing that simply clearly beats it.
Fellow Opus 2 for filter espresso
Filter espresso is a distinct story.
I did a bunch of side-by-side brews in opposition to a equally priced conical grinder, the StarSeeker Edge. In 8 side-by-sides, I most popular the Edge each time.
All of them had been mild roasts on the Hario Swap, with my typical recipe: two pours, the primary 50% as percolation after which 50% as immersion.
The Opus truly offers you fairly good constancy on the flavour notes. Nevertheless it simply lacks sweetness and growth. And if you attempt to unlock that sweetness by going finer, you principally get extra bitterness.
In my pour-over grinder comparability, I put the Edge on the entry stage for gratifying pour-over. For me, the Opus 2 doesn’t fairly get to be in that dialog.
It’s not unhealthy, and it may do it in a pinch. I simply have many grinders in my assortment that I might somewhat use.
As an example, I’d a lot somewhat use a hand grinder with a heptagonal burr, or one thing like a Timemore S3. In my hand grinder information, I might take the fashions within the medium and good classes over the Opus. And fairly just a few of them are in that $100 to $200 value vary.
Who’s the Fellow Opus 2 for?
So who is that this grinder actually for?
Should you’re spending round $200 and pour-over is your primary factor, I’d get the StarSeeker Edge or a DF54. Each are in the identical value vary. They simply style higher to me. Plus, you’ll be able to improve the DF54 with the brew burrs, after which it’s simply in a complete completely different league.
If espresso is your primary factor, the Opus has the higher workflow of the three. And within the cup, I feel it holds up nicely in opposition to each. It offers you a really flattering conical profile, the place the Edge will not be fairly as balanced.
Nonetheless, if you happen to’re principally making cappuccinos or brewing very darkish roasts, you received’t discover a lot distinction between any of them.
In comparison with the Baratza Encore ESP on the similar value, I feel the Opus is the stronger total grinder, with a lot better workflow.
The Encore ESP simply feels a bit previous and dated as compared. Each have an analogous plastic building with plastic impellers. So right here there’s much less cause to go for the Encore ESP.
Conclusion: must you purchase the Fellow Opus 2?
I anticipate we’ll see offers the place you get the Opus 2 bundled with the Espresso Collection 1. Should you discover one at a extremely good combo value, I can’t actually blame you. And if you happen to don’t share my concern about plastic, it’s the workflow champ at this price range.
To me, it’s a bit bit bizarre that Fellow sells a barely extra premium model of the grinder, with a wood lid and a steel adjustment dial, for a bit more cash.
I might a lot somewhat see a “Professional” model with a metal grinding chamber and impeller for that very same quantity. At that value level, it could actually be the no-brainer espresso grinder underneath, let’s say, $400.
Supply hyperlink – coffeechronicler.com
