Herb Grinders

Hi all. I've been away from this thread for a while and would love it if someone could catch me up to speed. Is the consensus opinion here that -- for fine grinding electric beats manual, or is it visa versa? I remember early posts about how coffee makers strip the herb of its THC in a way that's counterproductive. I've also read posts that suggest that we cannot get the fine grind necessary for efficient vapor use with a manual unit. The Silex Proctor cofee grinder above looks promising, but is it really the best choice for our purposes? Is it easy to collect the keif? Does there exist a manual metal grinder that can grind as fine, if not finer, than an electric one? All opinions are welcome
Thanks.

I think some of us are over thinking this whole grinding issue. Some vaporists don't even use grinders with their whip vapes, they snip at the bud in the wand with a pair of manicuring scissors as they're vaping. I use an electric coffee bean grinder for when I want my bud powder fine for cooking but use a simple two piece space case aluminum manual grinder for vaping. The more you turn it the finer it will be. Then bang the grinder onto a piece of paper that's on a coffee table and collect all the kief and you're in business.

Has anyone tried this electric grinder from Gratefulbuys?

lowfront said:

Just posted this in the LB thread and figured since i took the time to put it in here as well

I'll give you my grinder recommendation.

Proctor Silex

http://www.amazon.com/Proctor-Silex-E160B-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00006IUX5


http://smallcoffeegrinders.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Proctor-Silex-grinder.jpg


Grinds so freaking well, I bought this one after using a mr coffee one and the new one blew it out of the water.


Also added perk to it is that angle that changes on the top of it. Do you see it there? Its almost like a window?

That collects kief compressed basically. And it collects a LOT. So if you want it all its right there for ya. Or just put it back in the bud. I just put it back cause the LB does wonders with the kief.

And its significantly quieter compared to others.. So it doesn't sound like your turning on a damn vacuum at midnight.

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I just got this Proctor Silex grinder yesterday. What an awesome grinder! I've never seen so much kief collected. I'm sure it's rife with plant matter, but it's still kief, and still gets the job very well done. I have good control over the grind. I can grind fine or coarse. Super quiet. Cheap. Highly recommended!

CombustionJunction said:

http://smallcoffeegrinders.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Proctor-Silex-grinder.jpg
I just got this Proctor Silex grinder yesterday. What an awesome grinder! I've never seen so much kief collected. I'm sure it's rife with plant matter, but it's still kief, and still gets the job very well done. I have good control over the grind. I can grind fine or coarse. Super quiet. Cheap. Highly recommended!

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+1

Cool that others have discovered the greatness of that cheap proctor silex. I got that one a bit ago, and it does seem to do the trick, with a decent ability to control the grind. I still make use of my four pc. mendo mulcher, but it's great to have both in the arsenal.

so, im on the look out for the best coffee grinder

I want something that collects decent amounts of keif, can grind small amounts of bud (note I said small and not a quarter at a time) more like a .5 or 1g at a time and get the grind very very fine. (one of the vapes I grind for is the launch box)

I have tried the walmart hamilton beach one, 14.88$ I didnt like it, it has a large chamber, and doesnt do small loads well.

I have a bed bath and beyond one... its decent on all accounts, just wish it was a bit finer... I end up grinding it a little further with my fingers.

I just picked up a Mr coffee one from wally, has the removable container, etc.... hopefully this will do the trick

and soon I will try out the proctor silex that everyone loves.


any other suggestions?... I want it to be local, and under 20$ hopefully.

Well, I've had this electric grinder for at least 15 years and I don't know if I would recommend it for vaping; I'm not sure. I think it's great for grinding ABV to powder but you really have to dig around in there in the nooks and crannies for everything, usually I poke around with a bamboo skewer to get everything out.
http://www.amazon.com/Braun-KSM2-BLK-Aromatic-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00005IX9N
That's probably the reason I don't over analyze and just use a good manual disc grinder like the space case, etc.
That said, the only downside to the space case and pretty much every manual grinder that I've used is that the resin builds up after a while making it hard to turn.
I keep a ziplock bag around for this eventuality - I dump in some rubbing alcohol (ISO is not necessary) and the grinder (separated of course) shake it up then an hour or two later
it's as good as new - however this does need to be done VERY often.

that's what's the deal and it is what it is.

steven22 hope u like mr coffee grinder, i like it & would wuv tu hear comparison btwn silex

I just got a 2.25-inch Mendo Mulcher and the first thing I noticed is it's built like a "brick shithouse". This thing should last forever. It grinds a consistently fine size after a few turns with little effort. It really cuts through everything. The only thing that I noticed is that there seemed to be a small bit of drag or resistance when turning, not much mind you but a slight drag, enough to notice. This is in part due to the extremely tight tolerances, and some metal to metal contact which is completely normal. I found a way to completely eliminate the drag. I took some "Bomb Ass Butter" a natural bee's wax wood treatment made by Ed's Toke' N Totes and applied it around the parts that are in contact with each other. I used a Q-tip for the application. This worked very well and completely eliminated all of the drag making the turning smooth and effortless. I then loaded my Mulcher with some herb and gave about 10-12 turns with no resistance at all except for chopping through the herb. I've repeated this 5 times with no increase in drag. I'll have to watch to see how many times I can use it before I experience an increase in drag, but so far so good. Right now it's still very smooth. The "Bomb Ass Butter" bees wax can be easily cleaned off with a paper towel and reapplied as necessary. The treatment did not interfere with the herb in any way, no sticking around the inside edges at all; the herb just came out as normal with no evidence of bee's wax cross contamination.

I also have a 3-inch wood grinder from Ed's Toke' N Totes and applied this same technique and it works the same completely eliminating all drag when turning.

This method may be applicable to other aluminum or wood grinders that may require a bit of lube to make a much smoother grinding process. I hope that this information can be used by those of us who may also have experienced some drag or sticking with their grinders.

Happy grinding to all and all.

Watch those Mendo Mulchers, there were reports from a few people that you get metal shavings in your herb when you use them, look closely for shiny little flecks of metal.

DeepFried, thanks for the heads up on this.
I've heard about other grinders having this problem as well as the Mendos. This has been reported to one degree or another with the cheap imported grinders as well as the more expensive and well known ones. It seems that this is a somewhat uncommon occurrence with great majority of grinders working fine. Anytime you have a manmade manufactured item you will inevitably have some that will be out of tolerance, but in this case it seems to be exception rather than the norm, but it does happen.
I've used my Mendo about 20 times since I received it and was purposely looking for the presence of shavings and have found none. Iv'e even used a magnifying glass and found none. It may have something to do with the bees wax lube I've put on thereby eliminating the direct metal to metal contact without the benefit of the lubrication. Of course I haven't put any of the bees wax on the actual cutting/mulching teeth as this would in fact lead to other problems. I tend to think that the shavings people are getting are from the teeth touching and rubbing due to out of spec mechanical tolerances, but the Mendo has so far been great with no shavings and is ultra smooth with the applied bees wax.

lycan hi, i had a harpstone grinder & after few weeks of use, a few teeth have a sheen on them, kinda like small layer of aluminum sorta polished off, i'd imagine this continues. happy with a steel blade coffee grinder , dunno if titanium coated aluminum grinders r stronger , less resistant yet grinder teeth r aluminn so small layer wears away after lots of use

a few teeth have a sheen on them, kinda like small layer of aluminum sorta polished off

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Herb wearing off aluminum after a few weeks? I think it's more likely the teeth were polished up, rather than off. I've used all grades of grinders, from the cheapest generic to Space Case. I've never significantly worn, bent, or broken any teeth, or seen any metal particles in the ground herb. Of course you need to clean any grinder before 1st use.

I understand that Sharpstones are now 100% CNC, so bent or broken teeth shouldn't be a problem anymore. I think all the grinder makers these days have seen the benefit of manufacturing from a solid piece of quality aluminum. I've been using a cheap Sharp Crusher lately ($15 delivered) and it does as good a job as any other I've used, including Space Case. I'm sure there are still some cheap, crappy grinders out there, but if an eBay or on-line seller wants good word of mouth, he's going to stick to a quality product.

As for a coffee grinder, it's probably perfect for a vape like the LB, where a really fine grind is what you want. But with most other models using the typical screen, I'm looking for a coarser grind- pretty much what you get from a hand grinder. A 4 pc. is great for my SSV, while I'll use a 2 pc. and its finer grind for my PD.

ok may b i take another lQQk @ it, herb can b fluffy or small stems may b there these stems i tink after few weeks/months on my old sharpstone grinder . o well take a finger nail push about as hard u think stem may pass by alumin teeth, put pressure on alumin part of grinder outside or inside on teeth, fingernail may leave mark or indent dunno perhaps wrong i am sorry again

Lycanthrope said:

I tend to think that the shavings people are getting are from the teeth touching and rubbing due to out of spec mechanical tolerances

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after some use a grinder will accumulate some resin on some of its surfaces. most times youll find this stuff stuck on the inside rim of the lid, and the outside rim of the bottom part of the grinding chamber (next to the silicone washer). and ive noticed that when this stuff flakes off or just comes off in general that the side that was stuck to the grinder surface is VERY smooth and shiny. anyway im wondering if this is what people are seeing in their herb... i can easily see how someone would see shavings of this stuff shining in their herb and thinking that its metal shavings from the grinder.

i only say this because I, like Max, have never once seen any metal shavings in any grinder i have ever used.

I've noticed that the resin buildup on the on the inside rim of the lid, and the outside rim of the bottom part of the grinding chamber will collect some after about 10 or so uses, but the bees wax (Ed's Toke' N Totes -"Bomb Ass Butter") seems to make the resin easier to be removed with a Q-Tip wet down with alcohol or even a paper towel. The resin still collects but does not stick so well to the surfaces that have received the bees wax treatment. I reapply a thin coat of the bees wax after each resin removal, and it keeps the turning action very smooth and does not let the resin stick hard to the surfaces. Just a little bit of the bees wax goes a long way when applied properly in a thin coat.

Hello all!

While doing some grocery shopping, I noticed a marble spice grinder (Amazon Link...image at bottom) for sale at our local co-op. Decided to buy it on a whim in an effort to more finely grind my herb.

Got it home, washed it out, and tried in on some fresh-ground herb. I use a 4-piece Space Case Titanium as-is, but was able to get a much finer grind when using the marble spice grinder afterwards.

I'll report back later on my findings and efficacy of this product once I run the effluent through a few 'tests.'

Cheers,

NA

Yes. It worked. Quite well.

Signing out,

NA

There was a member on here that swore by the mortar & pestle, he like it better than a grinder.

I myself have not tried one because I always thought it would smear the trichomes into the side of the bowl.

i have one of these but it is tiny. i have been looking into getting another, but all the ones i see appear to be more decorative than functional.
thanks for the link.

I looked at a few last night that look nice, I like the modern approach to these

Marble marble marble. Don't waste your money on wood, it has no grip.

Of course I'm talking about experience with spices for food.

I was curious what all of your findings were when it came to what type of grinder is best.

Diamonds, pins, or spikes?

Diamonds like this: http://www.vapeworld.com/herb-grinders/aerospace/3-pc-scout-magnetic-grinder , Pins like you get in what are usually inexpensive grinders, or spikes where they come up to a point?

Spikes/Pyramids/Shark-teeth win hands down imho. I've gone full circle from cheap plastic grinders, to expensive CNC aluminium grinders (flat topped teeth), back to cheap plastic grinders. As sharp as the CNC teeth edges are, I hate having to rub or clean the teeth's top and making sure herb doesn't get stuck there making a mess or affecting the grind. Grinders that bite into any herb you place on them, and have a minimum of distance between them (producing a finer grind for vaping) get my vote - and it turns out they're the cheapest :-)