Dissenting opinion alert.
My .02 - I think the upgraded potter is outstanding. It works just as good as a Santa Cruz Shredder to grind material, it drops the material beautifully across the four pots in no time, with no mess, no additional tools/funnels, and keeps the cannabis odor in check (unless your nose is close enough to touch it). It also works as a bulletproof (quite literally) holder for the pots. Jam a few small nugs into the teeth - twist it up a bit, and bam - you've got 4 pots loaded. Toss another few nugs in afterwards, and you have 4 loaded pots, and the ability to recharge all 4 once you've used them up, in just a few seconds. This is an incredibly powerful value proposition in my mind, as in just one small tight, very well made package - you've got a good grinder that leaves little to be desired, decent smell containing storage for 4 pots on the go - or at home, and the material to load up another 4. With the cup (with the tamper and pic stored in the bottom of the cup) and JUST this one accessory - you've got everything you need for 8 bowls... whether you're just moving from one room to another at home, or taking it to a BBQ or what have you, it's the Fries and a Drink to the Burger.
Also - keep in mind, 4 additional pots will run you $40, and the upgraded potter comes with 4 - so the actual cost of the grinder itself is a mere $40, and you really do want two sets of pots (it comes with 5 - 4 in the plastic potter and one in the stem when you get it) - but you'll want a backup set when you're soaking some of the well used pots in ISO - and to prolong the length between cleanings.
Is the grinder as good as a Brilliant Cut? No... but it's as good as a Santa Cruz Shredder, and that is already overkill for the intended purpose - so while I appreciate others preferring to use a grinder of their choice and then using funnels, or their hands to load the bowls, I have a hard time understanding why. Once you get the amount of material you should use to get a perfect fill in the potter, you can easily eyeball it and go from 4 empty to 4 full pots in under a minute - with no chance of a mess, and no fine motor movements needed - and then you have one small, tight, beautifully made product companion.
YMMV - but for me, the potter makes the product. If I didn't have it - I'd be using the Mighty+ with its pods instead - for the convenience factor alone.
If you keep your paraphernalia out and in plain view all the time, have a rolling tray you keep your grinders on to capture any mess you might make, and keep your flower storage container(s) and you tend to vape all in that same 10-15 foot "arms reach with a lean" space - the potter may not be as strong as a value proposition. For me, I like to keep the visible paraphernalia as close to 0 as possible. I keep my flower in a closet in airtight containers on another floor, and generally vape in the family room downstairs. With this setup, I can toss a little flower into the grinder, load 4 pots, toss a little more in for a "round two" and then based on my usage, i'm covered for at least 2-3 days, without having to reload the potter. Then, on my coffee table in the family room - I ONLY have the small Tafee Bowle vape that looks like a cup, and the one relatively discrete potter. For me, this is essential, as in most situations I can leave both out with non-cannabis friendly folks over, and no one has ever noticed. If I was concerned, merely putting the potter into a drawer (and leaving out the cup) and my tracks are covered.
Perhaps the most important point I'd note for you to consider - is the critique, or rather lack thereof, of the upgraded potter. There are folks who will state they prefer using the grinder of their choice over it - but I have not read a single negative comment about the upgraded potter NOT being 1. A very high-quality item 2. Entirely functional 3. Efficacy that is towards the top of the list in terms of the best-of-the-best grinders 4. Convenient.
If anyone feels they get better results/extractions from the TB using ANY other grinder, or there are any direct quantitative benefits of using any other grinder over the upgraded potter, I'd love to hear it. I'm going to bet we aren't going to hear a peep on that subject.... so what it boils down to - is what $40 grinder (remember, you can't forget 1/2 the price/cost is the 4 additional pots) is going to do as good of a job as the upgraded potter, full stop? I submit, you'll be hard pressed to find one that can rival it, let alone best it for $40, and then you're going to have to figure out how you're going to store your pots, and load them without creating a mess. All those problems are solved in this $40 upgraded grinder. So far as i'm concerned - it's a mic drop value proposition.
