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Encore ESP vs Stagg EKG Kettle

Reddit rates both Risky Buy. The split is what you want: the Encore ESP — buy only if you value repairability and see fixing a plastic burr holder as part of the ownership deal. The Stagg EKG Kettle — buy only if you value precise pour control and a kettle that looks as good as it works.

Baratza Encore ESP
Baratza · Coffee

Encore ESP

Risky Buy$199.95
66% of 1,343 owners recommend
~1 in 4 failure rate — ~1 in 4 long-term owner reports describe a failure, most involving the burr holder or burr ring assembly, typically between 3 and 25 months of use. That is the highest failure rate of the 6 coffee grinders we track — well above the category baseline of 5%. Warranty outcomes are split: roughly half of reported cases were resolved under warranty, but a meaningful share landed outside it.

Buy only if you value repairability and see fixing a plastic burr holder as part of the ownership deal.

+ Parts are cheap and widely available; owners report grinding for years after replacing the plastic burr holder.

− Durability is a recurring concern; the plastic burr holder is the single most-cited failure component.

Full verdict →
Fellow Stagg EKG Kettle
Fellow · Coffee

Stagg EKG Kettle

Risky Buy$165
52% of 828 owners recommend
~1 in 3 failure rate — Reliability is flagged as elevated, but the failure rate here is uncertain: too few long-term owners reported back to compute a reliable rate. Isolated reports name the base (14 reports), unspecified failures (13), the kettle body (13), the heating element (7), and firmware updates (7) among the components mentioned. Warranty outcomes lean slightly unresolved — 53 cases landed outside warranty versus 48 resolved — so coverage is not a sure backstop.

Buy only if you value precise pour control and a kettle that looks as good as it works.

+ The gooseneck pour and aesthetic are a recurring highlight — repeatedly mentioned as the reason owners chose it.

− Reliability is the single most cited complaint, recurring across threads covering the base, heating element, and firmware.

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Questions people keep asking

Which is better, the Encore ESP or the Stagg EKG Kettle?

Reddit rates both Risky Buy. The split is what you want: the Encore ESP — buy only if you value repairability and see fixing a plastic burr holder as part of the ownership deal. The Stagg EKG Kettle — buy only if you value precise pour control and a kettle that looks as good as it works.

Is the Baratza Encore ESP worth it?

Reddit's verdict is Risky Buy. Buy only if you value repairability and see fixing a plastic burr holder as part of the ownership deal. A repairable entry-level grinder with a real failure pattern — good if you're willing to wrench on it, not if you want it to just work.

Is the Fellow Stagg EKG Kettle worth it?

Reddit's verdict is Risky Buy. Buy only if you value precise pour control and a kettle that looks as good as it works. Precise pour and beautiful design, but ~1 in 3 long-term reports describe a failure — this kettle divides owners sharply.