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Fellow Opus

Fellow Opus

Scored on 138 verified owner verdicts, from 1,138 comments read across 4 communities
TL;DR
Praised for grind quality and looks, but heavy grounds retention, static, and mess are near-universal gripes, with a plastic build and fiddly espresso dialing-in pushing many to return it.

32% of 138 verified owners recommend the Fellow Opus, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

See the problems 70 owners report →

What 138 owners say
1,138 comments reviewed · scored on the 138 clearest verdicts
32%
Recommend
44 owners
17%
Neutral
24 owners
51%
Don't recommend
70 owners
Last 6 months:5% recommend(42 recent verdicts)↓ trending down 39pts vs older reviews
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
32%
137
Other forums
0%
1
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiowner comments
77%
22
Affiliate blogsipaid commission
100%
1
No clear verdictiSetup, tips & quirks
5

Affiliate blogs here say 100% recommend, while the owner-based score is 32%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.

The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube and Affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.

What owners like
  • Excellent grind quality for the price · 20 · 14%
  • Strong value as an entry-level grinder · 16 · 12%
  • Handles espresso, pour over and filter well · 12 · 9%
  • Attractive design and quiet operation · 8 · 6%
What owners flag
  • Heavy grounds retention requires banging the grinder · 35 · 25%
  • Static and mess scatters grounds everywhere · 14 · 10%
  • Inconsistent and drifting grind from one use to the next · 13 · 9%
  • Awkward, fiddly adjustment makes dialing in a pain · 10 · 7%
  • Cheap plastic build that breaks or fails · 9 · 7%
Who it's for
A great fit if
  • Budget home baristas starting into espresso
  • Pour-over, Aeropress, cold brew and moka users
  • Buyers who value the look and quiet grind
  • People fine mitigating retention by tapping or spritzing
Look elsewhere if
  • Anyone wanting a low-retention, mess-free grind
  • Users who switch grind settings frequently
  • Buyers wanting a durable non-plastic build

Synthesized from what Fellow Opus owners say — not a spec sheet.

How buyers rate it elsewhere

Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.

Top quotes, sourced

1,138 reviewed · 161 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
Reddit▲ recommend

I absolutely love my Opus and would happily buy more of their stuff

YouTube— neutral

The retention is insanely frustrating me BUT because of its unbeatable price, I will bear with it

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

after just a week I was fed up with the Opus (1 minute grind time for 18g, inconsistent retention requiring beatings, drifting grind setting, messy etc.)

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

200 dollars was my budget, purchased the Opus...and got a 200 dollar disappointment. Grind consistency is terrible, static is terrible, retention is terrible compared to the cheap ass Bodum.

YouTube▲ recommend

I have an Opus, and don’t get me wrong, I love it

Reddit— neutral

I bought a Fellow Opus because it was considered to be ok for espresso at a very low entry point. It's "fine", though dialing in is a pain if you want to be granular

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I've come to the decision that I'm really not happy with my Fellow Opus, it does a good job, but the retention is a pain in the ass, and the anti-static stuff is awful, there are fines stuck to everything.

YouTube— neutral

Have this grinder, I use for pour over, it's good to use bar the issue mentioned in this video which is excess coffee coming out over time onto base.

YouTube▲ recommend

I love my opus it makes great espresso and pour overs . I can recommend it as well .

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

Fellow opus, visually appealing design, but dialing in espresso with opus is unnecessarily difficult. You have take off lid to access micro adjustments. Very inconvenient

YouTube▲ recommend

I have had an Opus for about two years, and I'm pretty happy.

Reddit— neutral

I got a fellow opus because I do pour over and aeropress also. It’s ok don’t love it but it gets the job done.

YouTube— neutral

The V60s from Opus have been great, the espressos (using the Flair) are hit or miss

YouTube▲ recommend

This grinder is awesome.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I bought a Fellow Opus, at the time it was the darling of this sub but the retention issues became apparent not long after using it. It's tough. I have a DF54 now

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

Just sent back the Fellow Opus grinder because it was terrible with retention. I had to bang on it so hard it felt like I was being abusive!

Reddit▲ recommend

Fellow Opus looks and performe well . My wife love the looks also .

Reddit— neutral

I have a Fellow Opus! It was expensive and I did have to adjust the burrs (watched a video for this) to get it to grind at the size I needed. But haven't had any trouble with it since then.

Reddit— neutral

The opus does just fine with little quirks (banging on the top or trying to use the lid as bellows, a little more retention, etc) it’s quite affordable

YouTube▲ recommend

I love my Opus, and largely use it for espresso.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I do have a Fellow Opus that I use for pour over/cold brew but not a fan of the mess or retention so I think I’m about ready to quit on it.

Reddit— neutral

I have a fellow opus which 100% grinds fine enough to pull a shot, so I didn’t consider upgrading it. The only things that’s annoying is the retention

YouTube▲ recommend

I love mine.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I replaced my fellow opus (still in return window) with teh J-Ultra manual grinder. Same price, worlds better actual grinding capabilities.

Showing 124 of 161

Common problems & things to know

Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.

Redditⓘ good to know

On my Fellow Opus some beans required 2.5, some 3.0, some even coarser.

Redditⓘ good to know

Static wasn't a problem when new, but eventually enough gunk gets caught up in the exit opening and clogs the anti-static pins.

Redditⓘ good to know

I have a fellow opus and an ode gen 2. I use both but started out with the Opus.

Redditⓘ good to know

I've been experimenting with slow feeding and it does seem to improve the grind

Redditⓘ good to know

Yeah I know the retention is a thing. Spraying has helped with that for me.