BrewLiam
I’ve had both, albeit I didn’t have the Duo for very long.
It feels a bit unfair to say the Philos is night/day better built because the Duo is very well put together and the Philos (for reasons still unknown) is marketed as ‘light commercial’ so is incredibly solid and heavy. It’s better built yes, but to the point it’s not really relevant in the home environment.
Also a lot of the above comes down to the fact the main body on the Philos is just a huge piece of machined metal which makes up the bulk of the heft.
People whinged about the faceplate being stuck on with double sided tape but given that’s how pretty much every badge on any product is applied I think it was blown out of proportion. It’s screwed on though on models shipped now anyway.
My issue with the Duo was that it retained too much coarse grind when switching between filter and espresso (something I do multiple times a day), probably due to a lack of any kind of ‘thwacker’ and anti-static aspects. Both of which the Philos has.
Also, you really need to swap burrs to get the best results with filter on the Duo. Not a huge job, but not really the same as just using one burr as on the Philos.
The biggest benefit for me is that the I200 burr is incredibly good for both espresso and filter. People often like to say a grinder is really just a vehicle for whatever burrs are fitted. That’s true, and the I200 was designed for the Philos, so works perfectly.
Personally I prefer 64mm burrs to 83mm. It just suits my tastes better and find they produce a balanced cup with body, but just the right amount of clarity. That’s personal preference though and many people prefer 83.
Additional little nuances on the Philos are the auger/pre-breaker/whatever it is, and the anti-static grounding plate, both of which help lower ‘noticeable’ retention. As in, not the 0.x grams you’re unlikely to notice in the cup, but how the grounds don’t stick to the dosing cup and are generally nicely fluffy.
If you’re only drinking espresso, really it comes down to whether you prefer 64mm or 83mm burrs. Also whether you like the look of either more.
If you regularly switch between filter and espresso then, due to the simplicity of doing so along with the excellence of the I200 burr, (with my pitchfork at the ready) I’d go as far as saying there isn’t a better grinder under £1500 than the Philos.
Customer service from both companies has also been great in my experience.
