New VS3 Gen 2 - happy owner
So I got my VS3 today and thought I'd post about my experience. I have upgraded from the Fellow Opus gen 1 which was not a good experience, massive retention issues 5-3g every time.
I had done a lot of research before getting the VS3 so I already knew about the possible dial drift and motor issues. And I was happy that I would be able to fix the dial drift, and that I could get a replacement motor should it fail outside of warranty. I was very close to getting the VS4, but the price just felt a little bit too high to me.
Firstly I mainly drink decaf (health reasons) medium/dark roast espresso, with occasional switching to regular espresso which is also medium/dark roast. Due to the switching from regular to decaf I was particularly wanting very low retention.
Out of the box the VS3 feels like a totally different league of grinder, even though the price I paid was only very slightly more than the Opus was going for. The manual has plenty of warnings about grinding light roast coffee so this grinder clearly isn't aimed at light roast drinkers.
It took a while to dial my shot in as the manual said espresso grin it from 1-3, but ended up having to go to 5 to get the right grind. Not an issue IMO as it's just a number on a dial. I did notice I was getting about 1/2 of a step dial drift per 18g dose. I wrapped 2 layers of PTFE tape around the thread and there is now no dial drift at all, so that was a very simple fix, and something I was expecting.
The retention on the grinder though, wow, I am very impresses. I get 0-0.1g of retention when using RDT and pumping the bellows a few times. Such a difference to the Opus which I had to bellows and bash it around excessively just to get under 1g retention.
The noise is very quiet compared to the Opus, it takes slightly longer to grind, but not a huge difference.
Taste wise I can't say I notice much difference between the two grinders. The improvements for me are all in the ease of use and workflow, which are huge wins for the VS3. I was finding that I was not adjusting the Opus when it was slightly off as it was just too much of a pain to do, so I would just put up with slightly sub optimal taste. The other issue I had with the Opus was switching between grind settings would lose the previous setting even though it was set the same as before and I would have to dial in the shot again. I've not tested this with the VS3, so I can't comment on it just yet.
There is a small amount of grinds that stick to the outside of the chute. When compared to the Opus which would drop grinds all over the place if it was moved or knocked without the catch cup in it I think the VS3 wins in terms of mess.
Overall I am very happy with the switch to the VS3, I can't think of a single thing that is better about the Opus than the VS3. Other than the lid of the Opus can be used to weigh the beans and RDT them. But that really the smallest of wins for the Opus. That and the taste being equal for both.
If you're happy to do the simple dial drift fix, and potentially switch out the motor once out of warranty (for about £20) then this is a great grinder for the money. I was worried I would regret not going for the VS4, but I have no regrets with the VS3 at all so far.
I'll post any updates here if my thoughts change at all as I use it more.