Hello everyone!
Long time lurker, first time posting.
For a while, I had a "grinder fetish" and kept buying the damn things in search of... well... not really sure. Bought literally a dozen plus grinders in a period of just a few months. My conclusions?
#1 - The VERY BEST grinders I personally found that I liked are SLX and Santa Cruz Shredder, especially the SCS 3-piece versions. Both of these brands are nothing short of spectacular!
#2 - Just about EVERY STUPID GRINDER COMPANY in the WORLD does the central magnet mounting ASS BACKWARDS... with the magnet protruding from the lid half, causing the user to need to keep the center portion of the grinding area clear of herb, or it gets mashed down in the center by the lid magnet, making the grinder "gap" and work incorrectly. The ONLY grinders I have found that do this part of the design CORRECTLY are SLX, Santa Cruz Shredder, and Cosmic.
#3 - I have owned both 4-piece as well as larger 2-piece Space Case grinders. Fit and finish are comparable to Santa Cruz Shredder, except for the above annoying design problem that plagues even the much touted Space Case! I now own only a single (large sized green 2-piece) Space Case, with no plans to invest further in that brand.
#4 - Cosmic grinders are nice, but a bit overpriced IMHO. I personally think that SCS is easily the equal of Cosmic, and lower priced to boot!
#5 - I have tried most of the "name brand" Chinese grinders, and personally I would stick with Chromium Crusher or Slug Life... both of these brands are quite high quality, especially for the price. However, I've found that since obtaining my SLX and Santa Cruz Shredders, I never reach for the Chinagrinders any more. Oh... BTW, I have no love for Sharpstone... that is the only Chinese "name brand" grinder that has ever broken and shed a tooth on me. Straight to the garbage!
#6 - There is a company in China that is making solid titanium grinders in 2" and 2.5" sizes. These are NOT "Titanium coated" grinders, but rather solid titanium CNC machined units. They are available on Amazon.com rather inexpensive (around $13 and $20 respectively) and they are GREAT grinders! Still, I don't reach for them any more since I found SCS and SLX. Linky(s):
https://www.amazon.com/KOBRA-Grinde...p/B01BXSXPLI/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8
https://www.amazon.com/Titanium-Her...00BH409FY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
#7 - Unless you are trying to collect Kief, I personally think that 3-Piece grinders are THE WAY AND THE LIGHT, and my definite preferred configuration. Less mechanical complexity, fewer threads to go wrong, more lightweight/compact, and no screen to clog or break. The SLX grinders are "by default" a 3-piece design (with removeable "screen tray"). The SCS 3-Piece designs are almost ideal... especially when you consider that GREAT concave finger scooping collection chamber!
#8 - For travel, a SCS 2-Piece in small (1.5") is Da Shizz! For home, I prefer something 2.4" to 3" in diameter, with a collection chamber (3 or 4 piece). My current "go-to" home grinders are the SLX 2.4" (Purple) and the Santa Cruz Shredder Large 2.75" (Matte Teal) 3-Piece grinder. I reach for either depending on my mood. If I could only have one? The SCS Teal Large 3-Piece would be it, no doubt.
#9 - I've found that I just don't have much use for "Medium" sized grinders... anything from 2" to about 2.25" seems too big for travel, but too small for comfortable home grinding of a decent quantity of plant. However, this is just me and my preferences... your own mileage and requirements might vary.
#10 - If you buy Santa Cruz Shredder, from their website, you will notice that most of their grinders are available in "Gloss" and "Matte" versions. I've bought and used both types. I personally prefer the "Matte" finish... in my mind it just looks better, and seems to do slightly better at "non stick" than the Gloss versions. One other thing... most online retailers of Santa Cruz Shredder grinders seem to completely ignore this version difference, and don't tell you which finish type is being sold. Idiots! First law of retail? TELL THE BUYER WHAT THEY ARE BUYING! Sheesh... it's just not that hard... mouth breathing morons. I would advise that you buy straight from SCS website, at least until their distributors get their $h!7 together.
#11 - I have never tried the Space Case "Titanium" (actually Titanium compound coated) grinders. Until such a time as Space Case changes their misleading marketing hype wording to say "Titanium Compound Coated" or something more honest like that. I believe in voting with my dollars, and I do NOT reward companies (with my money) when they do misleading marketing BS like this! So... Space Case... are you listening?
In short, buy what you want and what you can afford, but my own experience says that you really can't do much better than SLX or Santa Cruz Shredder! I would be happy with either brand (in large size), if I could only have one grinder forever.
