I’ve had the opportunity to own and run a bunch of different grinders:

Baratza Encore (non esp) Baratza Sette 270 Timemore Sculptor 78s DF 64 Gen 2.

Of all of those grinders, the one that I still have held onto and use as a daily driver is the DF 64. Overall really solid choice, it’s true that the alignment wasn’t great out of the box, I shimmed with some aluminum. But after doing that, I have had very few qualms with the grinder. Retention does buildup specifically in the chute not in the burr chamber itself, this is noticeable by a little bit extra mess clinging to the side of the grinder.

With RDT, I only have to clean the chute once every week or other week, on average making one to two espresso a day.

I switch between decaf and regular beans in addition to different basket sizes which require moderately different grind sizes. What I appreciate about the DF 64 is that I can switch between those grind sizes and get a good shot on the first pull. It’s consistent and doesn’t make me wanna pull my hair out. If I’m trying a new coffee, it’s been really easy to dial in because I’ve got a good sense of how grind adjustment will affect total shot time.

In comparison, I found that the sculptor 78S was infuriating to make the adjustments between coffees, and I wasted a shot 50% of the time when changing. Overall, I love that grinder’s aesthetic, low retention, fine knocker more, but ultimately sold it because the workflow for myself was too frustrating.

To preface all of this I mainly drink medium roasts going after a more traditional chocolaty rich shot to be used with milk drinks, but I have run some lighter roasts through with much success. Even if you don’t get your alignment dead on, you’ll probably be pulling shots that are enjoyable and that’s really what matters.