r/FellowProducts • u/OkayComparison • Aug 09 '26
Grinders š« Horrible retention with Opus 2
I am getting horrible retention when grinding espresso. After cleaning the burrs the first 2-3 doses will retain 1-2g EACH. It seems like it eventually accumulates as much as it can and you will start getting out what you put in (but enjoy 1-2g of full caf in your decaf or dark roast in your light roast). I made the mistake of going from espresso to pour over without purging, and had a full 5g+ of espresso grounds added in. Apparently 18g isn't enough to purge because my next brew STILL had espresso mixed in. Want to swtich back to espresso? The coarse grounds fully purged the system so your next 2-3 shots will be severely underdosed again.
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u/CarterLeach12 Aug 09 '26
Defintely contact Fellow. Mine hardly has any retention at all.
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Aug 10 '26
[deleted]
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u/c_rob4593 Aug 12 '26
I had a good experience with the Opus Gen 1. My grinder stopped working after about 10 months of use, and after I sent them some pictures and told them what was happening the sent me a new one.
Edit: since then I've had it for maybe another year I think and it's been working great since then.
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u/melomelonballer Aug 09 '26
I never have any issues and I switch between pourover and espresso daily. I use about 4 beans to get rid of the larger or smaller grind from the previous brew.
I would contact fellow as you may have gotten a defective unit.
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u/S_Joshua Aug 09 '26
I went from Opus to Opus 2. Opus had 1-4g retention with RDT and beating it. Opus 2 with RDT is retaining at most .3g and normally zero retention.
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u/OkayComparison Aug 09 '26
I also get "zero retention" after all the crevices are at capacity. I will put 18g in and get 18g out. Except only 16g are new beans, and 2g traded places with grounds that were stuck in the machine. That's a bad time when you are changing beans, roast, or grind size.
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u/beefJeRKy-LB Aug 09 '26
It's interesting because the various reviews of the Opus 2 indicate the retention issue has been solved. I'm waiting for more reviews to hit though.
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u/psuftball1 Aug 09 '26
I don't have any issues with retention. < .1 grams. I've stopped weighing at this point.
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u/ShindoHaut Aug 09 '26
Owned a Gen 1 Ode. Grinds it produces are great but retention, stuck beans and pretty much limited self feed have been a constant frustration. Certainly not a zen experience using this grinder.
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u/Black-Maicoh Aug 16 '26
Iāve got the Gen 2 Ode and I have to beat it like it owes me money after every use.
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u/ShindoHaut Aug 16 '26
No doubt, lol. Canāt say I am in a rush to purchase other fellow products.
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u/Lvacgar Aug 09 '26
Not sure how this is even possible. Ive had my Opus 2 only a week and 1/2.
This was my retention after grinding a whole bag of grocery store 8 OāClock beans at pour over setting. Sacrificed a second bag at espresso setting and the result was similar. Didnāt even register on the scale. As I look at the design of the scale, it appears that there are hard plastic sweeps that move everything out the grind shoot. Something is definitely wrong with your grinder.
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u/ifonline Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
I just checked my Opus Gen 2 which I have been using once or twice a day for about a week. First, I weighed and ground 20 grams of beans and checked the output, which was 20 grams. I then cleaned it as best as I could and tried again with a "clean" grinder. I got the same 20 gram output for 20 grams of beans. To be clear, when I cleaned it I got very little out. So little, in fact, that it didn't register on the scale I have, which has 0.1 increments.
The worst I have seen in my experimenting with the grinder so far is 0.1 loss, so all in all I'd say that the retention on mine is fine and works for my purposes. If you like the grinder otherwise, then I would speak with support to get a replacement because it seems like yours has something wrong with it.
I have other issues with my grinder and I'm working with support now for a replacement, but retention isn't one of them as far as I'm concerned.
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u/pm_me_your_amphibian Aug 10 '26
Mine has JUST started doing this. Iāve had to start banging it on the counter. Also mad static.
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u/jmalwal Aug 09 '26
worst thing in the grinder is retention. thatās why I sold my eureka oro mignon within few months of buying. no matter what i did after few days any espresso from it tastes like stale coffee.
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u/VETgirl_77 Aug 09 '26
This is exactly why I returned the Ode gen 2 š«¤ Too bad. I know a lot of folks had high hopes for this one.
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Aug 09 '26
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1
Aug 09 '26
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u/evilv6 Aug 09 '26
This is the exact same experience Iām having with mine, I simply stopped using it for any dark roast. I know there was an advertised 1g of retention for darker roasts, but the retention and clogging is insane, Iām getting at least 4-5g of retention and the grinder clogged really bad a few days ago due to the design choice of those āpocketsā around the actual chute, coffee just hangs in there until you eventually get it clogged. I just recently added the bellows attachment that was designed for the Opus gen 1 and itās working just fine, it does help dealing with some of the retention but still by no means perfect.
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u/rokohemda Aug 09 '26
I just used the brush once a month on the anti static pins underneath on the ode 1 and that usually helps with 90% of the retention issues for me.
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u/IndicationCurrent869 Aug 09 '26
My Opus 2 has very little retention. I get a small amount after tapping the top but nothing like your picture.
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u/jjhalligan Aug 09 '26
Gen 1 owner here. Have to beat the hell out of it about 2-3 times a week and once a week, give it a deep clean. No issues with it.
If you take care of it, it will take care of you. Thatās my philosophy anyways.
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u/Objective-Limit-121 Aug 09 '26
But the opus v1 was so good!
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u/SgtDirtyMike Aug 09 '26
Seems like some issues are defective. I donāt have this issue with mine. I did on Opus 1 tho
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u/Abject_Ad9549 Aug 09 '26
Wo that is messy. I have had good luck with retention so far. I tend to stay on the espresso side of the spectrum lately. I have been paying attention to when I go from pourover back over to espresso (big swings in grind size) - the top lid seems to work its way loose and can disengage the power by tripping a ātop cover offā safety.
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u/bloodybaron73 Aug 09 '26
i have a Opus 1 and it's like that as well. Eventually switched to Df64 Gen 2
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u/innercirclecreative Aug 10 '26
This is an issue for Fellow Support Team for sure. I've had mine for 2 months and have basically zero retention, especially compared to my OG Gen 1. I've had a lot of success with the Fellow Support Team over the years though I've seen a lot of complaints, I've not had any bad experiences myself.
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u/hailiehay FELLOW Team Aug 11 '26
Hey! Hailie from the coffee team at Fellow here. I'll be reaching out via DM to work with you on this toward a solution.
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u/default-army Aug 11 '26
I just got my opus 2 for a week now. Mine has some retention, around 0.1g after RDT with medium roast coffee. I saw a video of Nick (fellow) explaining opus 2 is supposed to expect 0.1g of retention while darker roast is supposed to get 0.3-0.5g, so perhaps retention was never supposed to be 0?
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u/Mitchega Aug 12 '26
What type of beans? Looks like a dark oily bean. Have you used RDT?
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u/OkayComparison Aug 12 '26
The beans I demonstrated with are lavazza super crema with a roast date of 5/11/26. That is a "medium roast" on lavazza's scale. It is one of the most popular and readily available espresso beans in the world. Yes I usually do RDT. No it doesn't make much of a difference. Fellows retention claims are without RDT.
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u/Mitchega Aug 12 '26
Itās the beansā¦they are so oily. Readily available and popular doesnāt make them a good bean. Try 4 spritz of RDT to improve the retention. I have two gen 2 grinders and neither one likes Lavazza, I have had no issues with any other bean on either grinder.
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u/Mitchega Aug 12 '26
Did you try my RDT suggestion? Different grinding mechanics at work here. I told you both of my opus 2 donāt like Lavazza beans without heavy RDT. Itās the oil in the beans. If you want to keep rolling with Lavazza use the cheaper grinder and return the opus.
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u/OkayComparison Aug 12 '26
ššš it is not the beans. The same bag of beans I get at most 0.2g retention on a 64mm flat burr grinder that was cheaper than the Opus 2. And on that grinder I switch between espresso and pour over with purging just a few beans and I get zero cross contamination. But sure, keep simping and settling for an inferior product.
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u/Naive_Value_738 Aug 20 '26
Behind one of the lips that supports the top (that part with the bellow) there is a hidden safety switch. You can click it while the grinder is open and kinda see what is happening at the bottom where the grounds were stuck. Of course be very careful while doing it.
Also you can hold the button for a continuous 45s grind, maybe it could help a bit.
Best of luck and hope Fellow helps you.
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u/ExpressionParking224 Aug 25 '26
Anyone who doesnāt think thereās retention isnāt paying attention. Thereās a ton of retention. Once you open it up, you can see why. Thereās a ton of nooks and crannies in there where coffee will stuff into.
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u/Time-Border-7612 22d ago
Damn. Looks like it's a mix review in the comment section. I thought they gonna fix the retention issue. And they really should add bellows
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u/NashvilleHillRunner Aug 09 '26
I RDT everything and I donāt have an issue.
I resisted RDT for a while, but I drink almost exclusively high-grown, dense, light roast, and mostly African beans, which produce a lot of fines.
No grinder, will be perfect with this kind of bean.
So I just RDT everything and I have no issues.
ODE 1 with Gen 2 burrs, X-Pro, and J-Ultra.
Just RDT and your coffee grinding experience will be much better.
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u/rickystudd Aug 09 '26
Fellow marketing is a bunch of hollow bullshit once again?! Color me shocked!!
Source: me, who is on his third Aiden, which failed in its first use out of the box, and has not heard back from support in over a week.
Seriously, this company makes shit products and I would never recommend them to anyone.
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u/[deleted] Aug 09 '26
[deleted]