Herb Grinders

[biohacker]

I can't believe i'm even writing this but last night I moved back to my Zeus Vortex from the GR8TR. I just find the GR8TR too fine (even the coarse plate) and really see little difference between the coarse and finer plates. The GR8TR is pretty slick, but I still find my Vortex crank to work much easier, and provide a nice coarse shred which is ideal for my Mighty and Supreme vapes.

I still maintain that the Kannastor GR8TR is the best grinder out there.....that uniform finer grind is quite spectacular, but in the end it still requires more maintenance/cleaning than my Vortex, and for the cost just isn't worth it for me (at this point anyway).

Still keeping an eye here for all the new fancy type grinders that are being released! I still am looking for anything that makes my life easier! But I just love that coarse shred.....soooo much easier on my airways, and I find the taste more satisfying.

 

[George1151]

I have the same grinder as your Zeus Vortex (branded by vaporizers.ca). I have never cleaned it but I find unless I do a double grind and upside down the grind is too coarse for my portable (Haze). IN my desktop (Vapir Rise) the crank is fine and I still haven't tried the gr8tr with the Vapir Rise.

I do agree that the Gr8tr likes to be squeaky clean to work at it's best, at least mine does.

But one thing the Gr8tr has over the crank grinder is the fluff. the resulting grind from but plates (fine and course) is super fluffy which results in using less herb for the same effect. Mind you my desktop requires very little herb to have a potent effect, yet lately I find myself using the Haze almost exclusively. I pack away the desktop when not using it so to unpack it, plug it in etc is more effort than is required to use the portable even at home.

 

[kellya86]

So the last few pages persuaded me to part with some cash and buy the gr8tr...

Now I've ordered it, its looking like it might not be so gr8t....

I'll just wait till monday and judge for myself I suppose....

 

[George1151]

I really like mine with no regrets. Just saying it likes to be clean as do pretty much all things that are used in vaping.

 

[biohacker]

@George1151 Where did you buy your crank? it's identical to the vortex? I completely agree about the fluff, but how does that allow you to use less? I just find in my Mighty (or most convection vapes) that the vapour is too harsh on higher temps and the resulting taste lacking when too fine/fluffed.

 

[George1151]

Pretty sure the one I got (see link) is the same as the Zeus Vortex.

http://vaporizers.ca/products/premium-aluminum-4-piece-grinder-w-crank-62mm-taxes-extra

The fluffiness adds to the volume so the same amount in both grinders gives you more volume with the Gr8tr. Now if you pack things tight then it will compress down and you need to add more. But in my Haze I get great hits and long lasting using the Gr8tr with either grinding plate.

Still getting the unthreading of the ginder plate which results in material not falling through properly. thought thorough cleaning fixed that but it seems not. I might contact Kannastor, maybe the one I have is defective.

 

[Stevenski]

One thing I have found is using 62% Boveda packs with my stored herb is that my SLX grinder is performing much better. I usually grind 1-2g per load & it is getting it close to perfect now, once dumped in a bowl & the few larger pieces finger ground is a excellent baseline grind for all my vapes.

Grind & grinders are a funny thing as what works for me may not work for you & vice versa.

 

[Silat]

Pretty sure the one I got (see link) is the same as the Zeus Vortex.

http://vaporizers.ca/products/premium-aluminum-4-piece-grinder-w-crank-62mm-taxes-extra

The fluffiness adds to the volume so the same amount in both grinders gives you more volume with the Gr8tr. Now if you pack things tight then it will compress down and you need to add more. But in my Haze I get great hits and long lasting using the Gr8tr with either grinding plate.

Still getting the unthreading of the ginder plate which results in material not falling through properly. thought thorough cleaning fixed that but it seems not. I might contact Kannastor, maybe the one I have is defective.

I thought I had stopped that unthreading also. But that is not the case. It is a small inconvenience that I can live with as I really like the grind the unit produces.

 

[little maggie]

So the last few pages persuaded me to part with some cash and buy the gr8tr...

Now I've ordered it, its looking like it might not be so gr8t....

I'll just wait till monday and judge for myself I suppose....

What do you mean?

 

[kellya86]

@little maggie

Now I'm worried about the loosening plate and that the extra fluffy grind won't be suitable for my eq, which I use the most...

And it looks like it need constant cleaning to work best...

 

[biohacker]

I wouldn't worry about the loosening plate, but that's because i've never had that problem. I make sure the plate is nice and tight.... to the point that it's actually a bit of a bitch to UNscrew it. Maybe my hands are stronger....not sure, but this is an issue that I have never had.

I think the fluffy grind may work well for your EQ, as well as other convection vapes as long as your lungs can handle whatever temps you throw at it. I do notice it's fluffy compared to my "shredded" crank grinder, but my crank produces a much raw'er coarser shred where the buds look like they have literally been ripped apart by shredding. It seems that the GR8TR is so sharp and efficient that it just melts through the bud!

Cleaning is one of the main reasons I prefer my crank....it basically never needs it. The GR8TR can get sticky if you don't keep on it, but it's just the nature of this kind of grinder. It's still the best of them all IMO, but just not the right one for me unless I require/need that medium-fine or fine fluffy grind.

 

[Silat]

@little maggie

Now I'm worried about the loosening plate and that the extra fluffy grind won't be suitable for my eq, which I use the most...

And it looks like it need constant cleaning to work best...

Do not worry. It is great. I always take some bud and let dry overnight before it is sent to the grinder. If you use moist bud then yes there will be some cleaning eventually. The grinder does not get any "dirtier" than any other unit.

 

[biohacker]

Great point @Silat..... I actually think the GR8TR stays cleaner longer than most, and that hefty top mass makes a huge difference, as does the solid body/jar style vs the Vape GR8TR due to the extra length for more mechanical advantage.

Dry herb will keep your grinder cleaner way longer!

 

[George1151]

I thought I had stopped that unthreading also. But that is not the case. It is a small inconvenience that I can live with as I really like the grind the unit produces.

Agreed, however for the price (definitely at the high end if not the highest end) the device should be engineered so that you don't have to unscrew the bottom and tighten up the removable and replaceable plates almost before every use. Quite a few people have reported that this doesn't happen to theirs. Maybe there was a bad batch? Btw I have the plate screwed in as tight as it can possibly go.

 

[Silat]

Agreed, however for the price (definitely at the high end if not the highest end) the device should be engineered so that you don't have to unscrew the bottom and tighten up the removable and replaceable plates almost before every use. Quite a few people have reported that this doesn't happen to theirs. Maybe there was a bad batch? Btw I have the plate screwed in as tight as it can possibly go.

George have you written GR8TR about this? (sorry if you already answered that question)

 

[little maggie]

Agreed, however for the price (definitely at the high end if not the highest end) the device should be engineered so that you don't have to unscrew the bottom and tighten up the removable and replaceable plates almost before every use. Quite a few people have reported that this doesn't happen to theirs. Maybe there was a bad batch? Btw I have the plate screwed in as tight as it can possibly go.

I've had mine for at least a year and I've never had to tighten the plate. It does seem like yours is defective. I don't know if it comes with a warranty since I haven't had a problem with it. Seems like yours needs to be replaced.

 

[BurtBigMacklin]

Agreed, however for the price (definitely at the high end if not the highest end) the device should be engineered so that you don't have to unscrew the bottom and tighten up the removable and replaceable plates almost before every use. Quite a few people have reported that this doesn't happen to theirs. Maybe there was a bad batch? Btw I have the plate screwed in as tight as it can possibly go.

My plate has unscrewed on me once.

I found that if your herb is dense and still a little spongy/moist, then when grinding it can loosen the plate. To combat this I turn my grinder in a counter clockwise motion. Also, I try to take out any big stems.

 

[George1151]

No stems. The Aurora Temple Catatonic CBD that I mix with other strains is pretty moist and sticky. All my herb is in seperate mason jars with Boveda 62 in each since they arrive at my house. I have been turning counter clockwise as per a tip from someone on this thread suggested it.
Wrote Kannastor yesterday, might receive reply until Monday. Interested to see what they say and will post.

 

[little maggie]

My plate has unscrewed on me once.

I found that if your herb is dense and still a little spongy/moist, then when grinding it can loosen the plate. To combat this I turn my grinder in a counter clockwise motion. Also, I try to take out any big stems.

I go back and forth from clock to counterclock wise. I also hold the grinder on it's side- just because it's easier for me to do that way. I do that with all my grinders. Maybe that makes a difference in the loosending.

 

[subway13029]

My gr8tr has never came unscrewed and I've had since 4/20 and use exclusively and haven't had to clean yet? Compared to my scs which constantly had to be cleaned and always left herb in the top chamber. The 4 piece scs that is. My 2 piece scs works fine. The gr8tr is the best grinder I have used. Especially for vaping. It works universally for all of my vapes. But obviously we are all different people and all like different stuff so there ya go..

 

[domike]

Hey guys im from brasil and here we do not have a lot of easy acces on having all of this grinders and vapes! It is very expensive when i buy it from any store! Buuut i bought a titanium space case 4 pieces and small and my friend bought a gr8tr vape! Titatnium is little smoothest than the gr8tr but the gr8tr really looks like an universal grinder to all the vapes! I had the problem when the plate started to unscrew, but i just need to spin it to the other side and thats ok, and the space case sometimes i need to use it upside down! Id like to see space case making the "titanium vape" hahahaha! Now im tryng to figure out wich one is gonna be my next one, im gonna start to make videos in portuguese and try to get the international debate on brasil! maybe SLX, or SCS, have you ever tryed the groove form aerospaced! #keepvaping

 

[°k]

Ola @domike welcome to FC!
Not sure what your budget is or what you mean by expensive (that varies a lot from one country/person to another), but I'm thinking maybe you could find the QB-Gon interesting as it's a different design AND it's on indiegogo which means you don't go through a shop that imports it for you in Brazil but it'd be sent from Greece (which might or might not be a great thing for the shipping fees), just thought I'd mention it as it has its own thread.

I'm wondering regarding this unscrewing plate issue if one couldn't maybe just put a thin piece of thread seal tape (plumber tape) around the screwing part to keep it in place just like with screws? (if it's properly put it shouldn't be in contact with your beloved plant)

 

[DrHermman]

Hi guys!
Sorry I missed a bit of the discussion here about the GR8TR, but I've been a bit busy this week and mine is still working flawlessly! I just love using it

I changed to the finer plate a couple of weeks ago and haven't got the need of screwing the plate again since then...
The maintenance is being quite the same as my old plastic one... Just some brushing now and then, and it keeps grinding perfectly! Still haven't planned a deep cleansing, but will report when the moment comes

Peace!

 

[George1151]

Wow Kannastor rocks!!! I contacted them on the weekend regarding the grinding plates on my Gr8tr jar grinder that don't seem to stay secure and loosen up with use. First thing this morning I had a response asking for proof of purchase and a few pictures and tonight was notified that they are sending me a new one. 2 - 3 weeks for delivery was told.

That is good customer service.

 

[kellya86]

Wow Kannastor rocks!!! I contacted them on the weekend regarding the grinding plates on my Gr8tr jar grinder that don't seem to stay secure and loosen up with use. First thing this morning I had a response asking for proof of purchase and a few pictures and tonight was notified that they are sending me a new one. 2 - 3 weeks for delivery was told.

That is good customer service.

Does this suggest that it is a known problem, that has been rectified on newer models????

I wonder if mine will do it???

It will be interesting to see if you spot any differences that may have been done to cure the issue....