Hi, everyone! I reached out to Zach to ask if he had any factory seconds he'd be willing to sell, and he did! He sent the grinder and I've been using it for about a week now.
A few of you may know that I don't own a grinder (until now, that is), but I have used them - be it with friends or friendly neighborhood growers - so I have experience with grinders (mostly cheapo ones or mass produced headshop grinders), but they've never impressed me enough to buy one myself. The closest I've come to wanting to is after using a friend's med 3piece Santa Cruz Shredder, but the form factor isn't as compact or as portable as I'd like (I'm an on-the-go kind of martian), so I've stuck with the ol "scissors and a shot glass, then toss it in a container" method all these years.
That is, until now. Here's a semi-complete* review of my use. Long story short, I ADORE this grinder.
*I do want to add photos, but I can't add any photos right now; phone on the fritz. As soon as I'm able, I plan on either editing this review, or posting a few photos.
The size is perfect, and fits comfortably right into the hand. The black is especially stealthy, as it blends in well with power banks and make up products. It also slips right into the front pockets as fantastic part of my EDC. The biggest plus in presentation besides stealth is that it doesn't take up much space, even in pants with more feminine pockets. As a person who doesn't like to carry bags often when I go out, this is a major plus for me.
The ZAM grinder is modular, consisting of
6 individual pieces:
lid (PTFE lined), debowler/upper grinder, lower grinder, herb catcher (PTFE lined), kief screen, and kief catcher/bottom. The grinder is pretty modular, so you can, for example, forgo the kief screen (for all my 3 piece lovers out there), or even take out the herb catcher itself for a super stealth 2piece grinder that can go completely unnoticed anywhere. The top is also lined with a small PTFE lid, so your herbs are covered no matter how you turn it.
It's not especially smelly, but it's also not completely smell proof? If I hold my nose up to it and smell, I definitely get a hint of woodsy goodness. Upon asking friends as I carry it in pocket, however, there isn't any smell leakage. Same as carrying in hand from a comfortable distance away. I'm pretty sure if you cleaned out the actual grinder part, there would probably be no smell at all. Another plus for the stealth box.
In use with herb, the grind is great; a nice and fluffy medium/medium-coarse, in my experience. When I'm able, I'll grab my friend's SCS and give you guys a real comparison, but (from memory) I feel like they're somewhat similar. I even checked the grinded bud with a 10x magnifier and the bud is not shredded. The trichomes are delightfully intact.
The ZAM grinder's coolest feature is definitely the circular magnet design. You throw a nug in there, press down, turn until your bud is well ground, and you yank that bad boy off to reap your goods. No threads to have to unscrew, no pole that your herb gets stuck on. The magnet doesn't feel SUPER strong. Just strong enough, I guess. I wouldn't mind it being a
little bit stronger, but it's also not too weak. The grinder definitely won't be opening up in your pocket, and takes a deliberate pull to separate.
I freaking love the debowler insert, dudes. It feels like it was made for the dyna and hopper, and keeps me from having to bring extra pockets or picks with me while I'm out. It's such a small convenience, but really changes the game when you're out hiking with friends, your hands are already covered in mud or dirt, and you don't want to touch the herb to get it out of there. In fact, so much of the ZAM grinder is perfect for an active lifestyle that I've taken to bringing it with me whenever I go out running, hiking, or to the lake to fish on the weekends.
I no longer have to bring extra containers, copious amounts of tools, or anything. Just the ZAM grinder and I'm set (with the vapcap at least. Still like bringing my loading funnel for my hopper).
It's also surprisingly sturdy! Yesterday, some buddies and I went hiking on the mountain near us. I'm letting a friend use it, and as he's pushing it closed, he freaking drops it... Takes me a moment watching it bounce down the side of a rocky incline before I sprint after it. "Shit, I just got this, shit, shit, fuck." I picked it up expecting it to be dinged up to hell, but (to my relief!) it's pretty much fine (with the exception of some dirt between the ridges).
I'm glad I waited all these years to get a grinder, and that Zach was amazing enough to make his idea a reality. He took the "grinder" design that everyone has done for ages and actually does something new with it, and IMO he succeeds. The modularity, the portability, and the stealth factor are all ways this grinder excels where others have missed the mark for me.
So, uh, yeah, pretty freakin happy with my first grinder
I also want to add Zach's fantastic customer service, as he threw in an extra silver herb holder. For sure has my business again when your next grinders come out. Already have my friends asking to borrow this one.