OK, here's my review:
The innovative Chewy 2 electric Grinder has become me-&-my-vapes’ best friend. Still healing from a broken wrist and rotator cuff problems, I don’t miss twisting and turning a conventional grinder.
Running on one 18650 battery, the device has a cylindrical blade arrangement that can turn both clockwise and counterclockwise to grind your herb, which is held in place in a large deep chamber and pushed against the blade assembly with a spring trigger. The chamber lid closes with a strong magnet, so it also doubles as convenient stash box.
You hold the device directly over the vape chamber, bowl, stem, crucible, etc. of your choice and Chewy 2 slowly (very slowly) grinds and dispenses herb piece by tiny piece. So in effect, it’s a great funnel for tiny bowls. It actually is the only possible way I can load my tiny Firewood 4 capsules without spilling material everywhere.
Personally, the first thing I noticed was that it seemed built for right-handers. Being a lefty, the button placement felt a bit unnatural to me. Just means I have to hold the button with my finger, not the thumb, which was a little awkward at first, but I got used to it. Just like right-handed scissors…but I digress.
This gadget is super streamlined, with a classy silver-grey anodized aluminum finish. Very sleek and tech-y looking. It almost looks like a weird futuristic cellophane tape dispenser at first glance. Nothing about it says “Weed Grinder!:”
Don’t laugh, but the first time I used it, I was already rather medicated. I kept pressing the button, grinding and grinding, but nothing was coming out. Damn! Look at the instructions. Apparently the little plug over the dispensing mechanism was still plugged in. Duhhh…When I opened it, a big blob of unruly herb emerged all over the table. However, it was definitely a nice fluffy vape-appropriate grind. OK, you said you wouldn’t laugh…
By the way, when you pull out the silicone plug/poker to grind and dispense, it even has a tiny little hole to park it in so it doesn’t get lost. Details like that really impressed me. How considerate to include something like that for us.
It took a minute to get used to the spring trigger. Sometimes the last little bit of material gets stuck in the blades. Plug/poker to the rescue! Although the poker is a little too short to easily get into the blade area to clean it out. I’ve taken to just shaking the whole thing out over some paper when it gets stuck. Sometimes when nothing comes out, it seems empty but there is still some stuff trapped in there that can surprise you when you tap on the device. Now I just press the button a second or two at a time repeatedly. It’s very slow but more careful and stuff doesn’t get lost,.
I’ve only had it for a few weeks so it’s hard to tell at this point how long the blade assembly will stay clean and sharp. Well-cured herb doesn’t stick, but the icky might. Time will tell. Perhaps they will sell replacement blade thingys in the future, although I can’t tell if the blade parts come out for cleaning.
Anyway, if you have steady hands and good near vision, holding it and loading a vape is no problem. The button takes very little pressure. On the other hand, if your grip and vision is compromised, it could be frustrating and messy, but that might be true for holding anything.
The Chewy 2 definitely makes the whole process easier. It’s a nice fluffy grind, but be careful because it will also chew up any stems into little pieces, and vaporizers aren’t fond of stems. So try to remove them before loading herbs into the Chewy 2.
The unit I received for review also came with a flashy gold padded soft plastic case. Kind of cheap looking compared to the grinder itself, but it does protect the machine, and seems to be airtight. Opening the velcro on it took a lot more effort than using the grinder.
As for the Chube that was also included, my impression is that it is for much larger quantities than I’ve ever possessed all at once—or loaded into a vape. I also imagine that material would stick to it inside because it is silicone. It’s a clever idea, but It might be geared more for smokers. On the other hand, it doesn’t require any twisting or batteries and might be suitable for carrying a larger amount, say, on a backpacking trip.
All in all, I am pretty darn pleased with the Chewy 2. It does the job and could certainly improve quality of life for many people.