u/Clintowskiii

Hope this is ok to post here. If not please let me know!

Outin sent me the Fino for review as part of the Fino Comparison Challenge event they posted recently.

I wanted to start off by talking about the overall build quality, because that was one of the first things that stood out to me. The Fino feels genuinely premium in hand — solid, well-machined, and thoughtfully designed in a way that immediately gives confidence when using it. Nothing about it feels cheap or rushed.

I'm still pretty new to espresso and mostly drink flat whites, so this isn't a super technical breakdown-just what I've been seeing as I’m not experienced enough to know if something tastes over/under extracted.

All shots below are 18g in.

I started with the Ninja Luxe. Strength 3 on that machine is a 1:2 ratio, so that's what I was aiming for.

Thanksgiving Coffee Peru De Miel
Level 3 Click 1: 28 sec, 36g out

Verve Seabright
Level 3 Click 1: 21 sec, 34g out

Right away the main thing I noticed: I hit a wall on grind size. I couldn't go any finer to slow things down. That's probably the biggest limitation I've run into with the Fino, at least paired with the Ninja. For comparison my Luxe’s grinder is anywhere from 13-16 for most coffees and I can still grind finer all the way to 1 so lots of wiggle room.

Switched over to the Outin Nano next.

Trader Joe's Rwanda
Click 1+2: 19 sec, 45g out
Click 1+1: 25 sec, 39g out

Old World Colombia Huila
Click 1+2: 28 sec, 35g out
Click 1+1 : 32 sec, 37g out

Click 1 is the finest setting, and Outin recommends around 2+1 - 3 setting for the Nano for optimal extraction. There’s also stepless adjustment so you can still tweak in between as the numbers are just reference points.

The steps go 1 → 1+1 → 1+2 → 2, My Fino likes to be 2 or below for sure. When I’ve used 2 or higher it’s too coarse for the Nano and I get no crema and shots are too fast. This is just my experience as you may have different results depending on beans, roast level, age of the bean etc.
I’m a big user of light, medium- light, medium I don’t really enjoy anything on the darker spectrum.

I’ve seen some people complain about the Fino taking too long to grind. My average time is about 2 minutes. Hand grinding might be slightly faster but I’ll take the extra time over having to had grind multiple drinks a day. Very convenient and they actually stated it’s intentional so there is no heat causing the flavor to be compromised which I really appreciate. Also lets me prepare other parts of my workflow while it does its thing.

I also laid out the grind side by side (K6 vs Fino vs Ninja). The Fino throws a bit more of that papery chaff from the beans compared to the others. Not sure if it affects pulls but definitely does not grind the chaff as fine as the other grinders.

Clumping-wise: worst on my K6, then Fino, then the
Ninja Luxe (barely gets any) WDT fixes all of them pretty easily though.

One thing I do wish was a bit more refined in the espresso range. Smaller adjustment increments at that level would’ve made a noticeable difference and taken the dialing-in process to a more precise, top-tier feel. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but it does feel like an area with real potential.
If there’s ever a future version or a “2.0,” I think focusing on expanding the fine grinding range or tightening those steps could really elevate the grinder even further.

Overall, I think theres a tradeoff with this grinder, fine tuning vs convenience. For a home espresso setup, it doesn't give you that fine control if you're trying to really dial in a shot. I kept wanting just a little bit finer and couldn't get there. But it’s definitely usable and I will be reaching for it on lazy mornings when I don’t feel like messing with the K6. But with the Nano, it actually fits pretty well. Feels like it was a match made in heaven portability wise. You can get a little more dialed in as well with this pairing vs home set up and Fino combo.

Big upside for me is the added convenience. Not having to hand grind 2-3 drinks at work every day is honestly huge.
That alone makes me reach for it more than my manual grinder. That’s not even including days I make my coworkers drinks as well.

Taste-wise, everything's been solid. Pulled tasty shots with lots of crema on both the Ninja and the Nano. I'm not super experienced and nuanced on calling out a great shot vs just a ok one but nothing has stood out in a bad way.

Also, a big thank you to Outin for including me in the Fino review event. I appreciate the opportunity to spend time with this grinder and share my experience, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what they come out with next.