Herb Grinders

wake n blake

A Weed Nerd
OK, so I got my cosmic case mini today... 1.5" chrome.
It's very nice... very well made... and a very strong magnet for it's small size. And it is very small, but it grinds BIG haha... that's some stellar cliche writing, there.
Anyways, I just wanted to post a couple pictures... it was 21.50 from a private seller on Amazon (with shipping) and came in 2 whole days... they also sell this bad boy on ALT.
I'll let the pics do the talking, but the grind is perfect for the LB--which means it's great for any vaporizer (finer grind = more surface area = you on your ass).

2011-05-04 13.54.23 by blake.t.morgan, on Flickr

2011-05-04 13.54.51 by blake.t.morgan, on Flickr

2011-05-04 14.49.52 by blake.t.morgan, on Flickr

That's a 4.5/5 for me... the only reason it's not 5/5 is because my herb is dry (but still crazy sticky)... I don't know if it will grind the same consistency with something more moist/"fresh"

And it's so portable... should easily fit into anyone's LB stash case.

Good day, all



blake
 
wake n blake,

los

Well-Known Member
has anybody tried the 4pc sc scout? been thinking about getting one for my mflb, i believe it to be smaller than the smaller 4pc sc. the holes look pretty small as well which is what im looking for and i could collect kief while im at it as well. or should i just stick to a 2pc? any input would be appreciated, thanks
 
los,

chucku

Charles Urbane
los said:
has anybody tried the 4pc sc scout? been thinking about getting one for my mflb, i believe it to be smaller than the smaller 4pc sc. the holes look pretty small as well which is what im looking for and i could collect kief while im at it as well. or should i just stick to a 2pc? any input would be appreciated, thanks

I have it, it works well. It is my on the go grinder. Usually I use my medium 2pc SC since I like to keep the kief with the ground product.
 
chucku,
I'm a HUGE supporter of Scout grinders, since they allow you to carry material in a convenient airtight container while also always having a grinder on hand. I have a Beta Scout-type grinder from Puffitup and it is my mobile container, all my glass jars have been retired.

Vapeworld had a Scout grinder under the Aerospaced brand, but it's been out of stock for like, literally, a whole year. I had a little debacle concerning ordering when it was listed as In-stock, but eventually the vapeworld people apologized very sincerely.

Daniel, I also have the Puffitup 2 piece. It's a nice model, as is the four piece, nice and heavy, strong magnet, well embedded screen, etcetera. If you're an MFLB user, I definitely recommend the 2 piece.

There's a bunch of new Aerospaced grinders on Vapeworld from last I looked, including this "push" grinder. Odd. http://www.vapeworld.com/grinders/aerospace/aerospaced-grinder-push
 
charliedontsurf,

max

Out to lunch
LivingInSpin said:
Here are some pics from the push grinder that OO has recommended.
Good info and pics. Thanks. Seems like a good option for a one session grind.
los said:
has anybody tried the 4pc sc scout? been thinking about getting one for my mflb, i believe it to be smaller than the smaller 4pc sc. the holes look pretty small as well which is what im looking for and i could collect kief while im at it as well. or should i just stick to a 2pc? any input would be appreciated, thanks
The 4 pc. Scout is the only SC with holes smaller (3mm) than 5mm. I think the medium and large have 6mm. A two piece can give you a finer grind than any 4 pc.

Has anyone used the puff-it-up 2 piece grinder?
Yeah, and it's a good deal for $10 delivered, but IMO the MnB Classic, from this seller 2 pc. Classic is well worth the additional 4 bucks. The teeth have edges that others don't have, and the anodizing is a bonus.

The Titan Titan 56mm is also a nice 2 piece (2.2") at $13 delivered, but the MixnBall teeth cut better and it requires less frequent cleaning.
 
max,

WatTyler

Revolting Peasant
WatTyler said:
..... I'll let you all know how it goes.
OK, my Futurola grinder arrived, so as promised I'll give my opinion. And I'm now done spending more money on herb grinders- I've been through enough, and so I might as well spill my guts and do some pics and let you know my overall conclusions. Mods- let me know if it's too many pictures and that costs FC money or something.....

I'm most interested in the grind rather than 'style' and so I don't limit myself just to the CNC metal grinders. They're really nice to have and certainly the most pleasant to hold and operate, but when it actually comes to grinding, in my methodology at least as I'll hopefully demonstrate, they're not always the most effective for grinding herb ( IMO!!! I don't think this will be a popular opinion amongst invested premium CNC fans). But I do believe that they are more than adequate for most vapes though, and they certainly feel the most satisfying to use and certainly do have their place in on my coffee table. But I do use something different, in my mind 'better' because of the finer grind, for my MFLB and PD.

So here's a selection of what I currently have below;
dscf0316r.jpg

-At the top left we start with the Volcano 2 piece, along with a clear plastic 'original grinder', which is virtually identical tooth and grind wise.
-Next to the right is a Wooden Molino 2 piece with plastic insert teeth.
-Below right of that in black is a medium generic no name CNC metal grinder which I bought to replace my medium 2 pc space case, which I lost :mad:, but this is the best replacement- EVERY bit as effective (IMO) for less than 1/2 the price.
-Then above right of that in aluminium is my 4 piece.
-On the far right is my coffe grinder- specially sourced because it had a particularly small grinding bowl (40g (1.5oz)- I think most of the others were 70g).
-Moving towards the left along the bottom are two electric herb grinders- someone on here (charliedontsurf?) say's they're great, and I've been trying to find that success....twice so far.... but more on that in a min.....
-Then we have the 1.2" tiny portables- just generic no names- I originally had a M&B Nano II, until I lost that too, and looking for a replacement I actually found the no name imitations to be better with a friction ring, which my Nano never had, and so went with those.
-And finally in hideous yellow on the left we have the new Futurola which arrived today (you don't get to choose the colour :/ which is a bit fucking stupid really when it's my grinder- Grass City are too big for my faithful business- no customer service- no phone line even anymore)

Here's my new Futurola in it's retail box, along with the buds I used to make this demonstration. They were dry and well cured. Different results may be experienced with different 'phytosubstrates' ( :cool:) and moisture levels.
dscf0317lf.jpg


So verdict on the grinder? - It's a horrible yellow, but that's superficial.

It's a nice large size (not portable) and easy to get a good grip on for twisting. Feels pretty smooth whilst grinding due to low friction between the halves, sharp cutting teeth, and plenty of torque from the large diameter grips.

The teeth configuration looks impressive, although the teeth are only sharp on the 2 cutting edges. They feel slightly flimsly, but I don't think that's the case- maybe it's just a bit of flex that actually gives the material strength (although I could still certainly easily imagine breaking one). They should stand up to a bit of grinding under normal expected circumstances. No extra plastic bits, broken bits or manufacturing defects.

The 2 halves fit tgether snugly and I can imagine that it might get gunked up pretty quickly in heavy use and jam when turning, as most grinders are prone to do. I think I might have seen somewhere in the advertising for this though that cleaning is meant to be easy- I could well imagine just chucking it into the dishwasher occasionaly.

So the thing that really matters- THE GRIND;
dscf0320.jpg


So I grind for about 20 seconds I guess- making sure that there are no points of resistance at all as I turn the grinder around.


Still, it's pretty coarse. Coarser than a 4 piece CNC.

Overall not impressed. I doubt I will be using it again and have pretty much wasted 10. But all in the name of research, and like I say, I think I have drawn my long term conclusions now and know what grinders I like, and so the research is more or less done except for new innovations as far as I'm concerned.

So here's a comparrison with the grind from some of my other grinders. All were ground for around 20 seconds (4 piece upside down for 15 sec, 5 upright), until there was no more bumping and jarring whilst twisting the teeth.
dscf0322o.jpg

At the bottom right is the electric blade coffee grinder product which I use sometimes for the MFLB. Super fine.

And here are some links to some closer up grind comparrisons, if anyone's interested;

Futurola VS Storz and Bickel grinder;
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/263/dscf0323x.jpg/

CNC 1.2" 2 piece VS 2.5" 4 piece
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/863/dscf0324.jpg/

Wooden Molino VS 2" CNC
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/861/dscf0325o.jpg/

Probably not the most illuminating pairings to consider, but I wans't really thinking at the time I took the pics :ko:

But this in my view is the best one, and it shows the three I use the most. It compares the grind of a 4 piece CNC (standard teeth, 5mm holes) in the bottom left, with the Wooden Molino at the top, and the electric coffee grinder at the right.
dscf0330j.jpg

I use the CNC 4 piece alongside my SSV, the Molino alongside the PD where it looks nice as well as working like a champ, and the coffee grinder I use for the LB (although I maybe honestly do also use a 1.2" 2 piece portable more often with this, as it's 'on the go')

So after all of this I have reached the conclusion that the cheap and cheerful Molino is acutally my favourite grinder for both form and function.

Space cases and such high end named grinders are nice to own, but IMO have no performance advantage over any other metal CNC. And a basic metal CNC is still nice to own, but actually (and again IMO :lol:) don't offer any performance advantage over plastic cutting teeth. In fact IMO plastic teeth can actually do a better job and can be every bit as durable in normal use.

As many people know the Volcano teeth do work well- the're an intuitive pyramid tooth design. This performance is easily matched in the lesser known Molino, but supplemented with a nice wood finish that perfectly complements my PD and wooden stem cup and little wooden bowl for ground weed. Kicks the ass off the ugly orange of the Storz and Bickel. And it was a steal at about 7 ($10?).
Molino grinders
You've got to watch out though- wood can be weak and I broke the first one I owned when tapping out the herbs :( (you don't get THAT with a Space Case :lol:) but I was convinced enought to buy another.
dscf0333r.jpg


Edit- the battery powered electric grinders- Charliedontsurf- is it you that swears by the one from EDIT? After hearing this I first got the metal one in my pic above, as I thought it would be better. But it's not. It goes proper fast and knocks the keif off, but the blades get caught really easily and bring it to a stop. I still didn't want to pay the full price of the plastic EDIT one so I got one that looks exactly the same off of ebay for half the price- it's 'grassleaf' brand, although cheap quality and packaging. Looks to me exactly the same as the one on EDIT, but I have the same issues getting it to work as I do with the metal version. Too fast, but not enough power, and a coarse grind. How does yours work? Is it grassleaf?

Edit II- terrible writing- I'm in a rush. I'll edit it later to make better reading ;)

I will just add the ranking in order of coarseness of grind, coarsest first;
  • Futurola[/*]
  • CNC 4 Piece (med size, 5mm holes)[/*]
  • Electric (battery) Grinder[/*]
  • CNC 2 piece (med size)[/*]
  • 1.2" CNC 2 piece[/*]
  • Storz & Bickel= 'Original Grinder' (the clear plastic one) = Molino Grinder[/*]
  • Electric Coffee Grinder[/*]
 

SmokingElectricity

Well-Known Member
^^^that a quality post right there. :thumbs up:

i've been looking at molino for a minute now...

also think i'm gonna cop one of those 1 7/8" sharp crushers that max pointed out...
 
SmokingElectricity,

OO

Technical Skeptical
danielofski said:
How long would it take to grind a gram with the push grinder?
i use approximately 0.035g per sesh.
i imagine it would take a long time to grind up an entire gram, which is a month's worth for me.
i did a quick calculation, and it could take up to 5 minutes.
this was never a consideration for me, because of the small amounts i use.
 
OO,

max

Out to lunch
SmokingElectricity said:
^^^that a quality post right there. :thumbs up:

i've been looking at molino for a minute now...

also think i'm gonna cop one of those 1 7/8" sharp crushers that max pointed out...
Very nice post indeed, especially the pics.

1 7/8" sharp crushers
I think my Sharp Crusher is the best buy you can find on a medium 4 pc. I think there's a misunderstanding on the size though. If there's one smaller than 2.25" I haven't seen it. Mine is the 2.5" plain aluminum (actually 2 3/8", as usual)- 2.5" Sharp Crusher. The price has gone up $2 since I bought mine, but $17 delivered is still a great price.

They have a 2.25" size now in plain aluminum (my :2c: avoid the black-any brand) 2.25", which is selling for $15, including shipping.

I'm also now seeing Sharp Crushers with the gimmicky clear top and grinding handle, as well as the non aluminum alloy used on the original Chromium Crusher. This pretty much confirms (to me anyway) that one single factory is making various so called 'brands' like Chromium Crusher, Sharp Crusher, and Sharpstone-maybe more. This mixing up and changing of styles and materials is confusing as hell on one hand. OTOH you can be assured that they're all now 100% CNC (including Sharpstone, which for years wasn't), and should be equal in quality. IMO just stay away from the colors and the gimmicks, and go for the best price.
 
max,

max

Out to lunch
That's the same 2.25" model (probably an actual 2 1/8") that I linked in my previous post. The 2" figure is the height.
 
max,
Great post WatTyler, very informative and it definitely makes me want to get a conventional coffee grinder.

I see you have two electrics, I have the one which has an offset cup and not the one which is just a straight piece, hope that makes sense - stupid me, I'll just say I have the one which is purple. Mine came with no name and was from grass city I think, under like 10 dollars or so. I was getting bulk papers for a friend (300 raws for like 4 dollars, holy monkey!) and thought why not.

Use better batteries than the ones provided. Crude pictures and Chinese language instructions told on the box how you should start the motor and let it get up to full speed -before- tipping the herbal material into it. So get the motor revving and then tip it, then when the grind has seemed to max out, start shaking the grinder vertically while keeping the motor on. This forces the material into the blade instead of just letting it right on top of the spinning blade surface, resulting in an even finer grind. This has been the most effortless and thoughtless grinder I've used up to this point, and it does as fine a grind as anything else I've tried as well. IME, that is. These are obviously shitty, made in China grinders with bad manufacturing standars, and I may have gotten a good one.

I can already feel the plastic cup becoming weaker, it's really flimsy and I have to be careful to be ginger taking it off and on the grinder body.

I've gotten great results and have rarely used other conventional grinders since, just the my Puffitup scout when out and about. Your post does make me want to pick up a cheap coffee grinder though.
 
charliedontsurf,

SmokingElectricity

Well-Known Member
max said:
That's the same 2.25" model (probably an actual 2 1/8") that I linked in my previous post. The 2" figure is the height.

i have a bunch of 56mm grinders and they range from 1 7/8" to about 2" either way, not a big deal.

max.

if you have one, do you think you could post a pic of the teeth array and holes?
 
SmokingElectricity,
max said:
LivingInSpin said:
Here are some pics from the push grinder that OO has recommended.
Good info and pics. Thanks. Seems like a good option for a one session grind.
los said:
has anybody tried the 4pc sc scout? been thinking about getting one for my mflb, i believe it to be smaller than the smaller 4pc sc. the holes look pretty small as well which is what im looking for and i could collect kief while im at it as well. or should i just stick to a 2pc? any input would be appreciated, thanks
The 4 pc. Scout is the only SC with holes smaller (3mm) than 5mm. I think the medium and large have 6mm. A two piece can give you a finer grind than any 4 pc.

Has anyone used the puff-it-up 2 piece grinder?
Yeah, and it's a good deal for $10 delivered, but IMO the MnB Classic, from this seller 2 pc. Classic is well worth the additional 4 bucks. The teeth have edges that others don't have, and the anodizing is a bonus.

The Titan Titan 56mm is also a nice 2 piece (2.2") at $13 delivered, but the MixnBall teeth cut better and it requires less frequent cleaning.

Do you know if the 4pc SC mini (1.25") has the 3mm holes also?
http://www.justvaporize.com/index.p...magnetic-top-grinder-with-pollen-catcher.html

I'm trying to decide between that one or this 4pc GotVape for less than half the price of the SC:
http://www.gotvape.com/store/got-vape-herbal-grinder-4pc-30mm.php

Great thread, BTW.
 
Andre Dawson,

chucku

Charles Urbane
Andre,

The sc mini 4 pc used to be known as the 4 pc scout. It does have 3 mm holes. It is my choice for on the go grinding.
 
chucku,

max

Out to lunch
SmokingElectricity said:
max said:
That's the same 2.25" model (probably an actual 2 1/8") that I linked in my previous post. The 2" figure is the height.

i have a bunch of 56mm grinders and they range from 1 7/8" to about 2" either way, not a big deal.

max.

if you have one, do you think you could post a pic of the teeth array and holes?
My 2.5" (63mm) measures 61mm, so I'd expect the 2.25" to be about 54-55mm. Looks like they've changed the design of the 2.5". Mine has the typical diamond shaped teeth and 36 holes. If you click this pic 2.5" Sharp Crusher you can magnify it quite a bit and see that the tooth design is now better (same as MixnBall), with 4 slightly curved sides to each tooth for better cutting. It also now has only 24 holes. The 2.25" pic doesn't magnify much, but the teeth look like they have the same shape. The heavy alloy models (original CC material) seem to have the diamond shape teeth.
 
max,

CowGuy

Well-Known Member
I just picked up a mflb and have a 4 piece chromium crusher that I've been very happy with. Since picking up the mflb I'm looking for a very portable 2 piece grinder, I'm looking for something that grinds very fine any suggestions as to what will give me the perfect consistency for the mflb?
 
CowGuy,

jeffp

psychonaut/retired
i had and i liked my four piece chromium crusher but i gave it away when i got a small two piece space case. the more you turn it the finer it grinds and the grind is consistent.
i don't have a launch box (yet) but i would suggest if you haven't already that you turn your CC upside down when grinding to replicate a two piece until you get one.
 
jeffp,

max

Out to lunch
Cowguy, the Cosmic Mini has gotten some good reviews. I haven't tried one, but just from looking at Cosmic pics, I'd have to favor the MixnBall Nano-more teeth (better shape), smaller, and cheaper. Hard to find, but everyonedoesit.com has them. I get the finest grind with it of any hand grinder I've used. You might consider a cheap electric blade coffee grinder for the MF too. You get a finer grind than any 2 pc. can provide.
 
max,
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