Sans a decent grinder, you might as well chop an entire gram in two, clumsily crumble one half with into a rolling paper with your sweaty fingers, then chuck the other half down the garbage disposal. What a waste. With a decent grinder, however, you’re getting the best smoking (or baking, decarboxylating, etc.) experience. Those teeth will slice and dice the dry herb into a fluffy mound of powder, that mesh screen will sift out the chunks and preserve the extra-potent pollen, and that storage compartment will ensure not an eighth is wasted. No dirty smoke, no lost product.
You can seriously invest in this kind of accessory if you want, opting for a stainless steel grinder, or one with a brushed bronze exterior to place with pride on the coffee table amongst your other high-end weed accessories. You can also find some solid, inexpensive options made from zinc alloy with enough teeth and chambers to serve your purposes.
Grinder Basics
Grinders with kief collectors collect trichomes in a separate chamber.
A finer and more powderized pot delivers a more potent high. Stems and seeds are a useless filler that contain far less THC and could be harmful to your health, so trash them if you find them (unless you want to grow).
Grinding plants creates a more workable and efficient form, resulting in smoother, tastier, and more satisfying smoking, vaping or edible experience.
Most popular grinders are built with chambers to separate the potent, tiny trichomes from the flowers. When collected the residue is called kief, a condensed and stronger version of the plants’ beneficial compounds (namely THC). Kief can be added to joints, blunts, bongs, vapes, smoked by itself or used to make cannabutter, tinctures, oils, and cannabutter.
A similar principle applies to edibles, as treats made with finely ground pot taste better, and the cannabinoids and psychoactive ingredients are more readily absorbed by the body.
How Does a Plants Grinder Work?
The most basic weed grinder is the 2 piece weed grinder. This grinder literally only grinds the pot. Simply put a bit of bud in the chamber that has the teeth and twist a few times. The material will be produced and held in the grinder weed chamber. Collect the goods, pack your bowl, and puff on mister.
With a 3 piece grinder, the same thing is done as the 2 piece grinder. But like the 2 piece grinder, your kief will not be collected.
A 4 piece grinder is the grinder that will collect your kief. Use just as you would a 2 piece grinder but this time, let that kief accumulate in the pollen collector chamber and then once you’re ready to enjoy it, open up, scrape with kief scraper, and enjoy the pollen!
ECO Farm Signal Tooth with Drawer Open Window Spice Grinder
Features:
ECO Farm grinders have a unique design. The vanilla grinder adds fun to grinding, the transparent top allows you to observe the entire grinding process, and the retractable drawer allows you to take out what you are grinding at any time. Herb grinder with strong magnet lid helps to significantly reduce spillage and keep leftover herbs fresh and odor free. The screen of the grinder is very fine pollen, and the little scraper that comes with it helps collect the powder. This spice grinder is made of strong and durable zinc alloy metal. The correct size and thickness of the grinder and teeth provide an easy and fast grinding experience. Low profile poly O-rings for smooth lapping and less friction for greater durability.
VIVOSUN 2.5" 4 Pieces Herb Grinder Black Aluminium Spice Grinder with Pollen Scraper
Features:
VIVOSUN herb grinder adopts high-quality aluminum alloy and a strong magnetic cover to make the equipment more durable. The magnetic lid helps you hold the herbs firmly and reduces spills. The stainless steel mesh screen helps to collect the fine powder. Using the free scraper, you can easily collect and remove the remaining pollen from the grinder. VIVOSUN Herb Grinder contains ultra-sharp teeth, which can perfectly grind every part of the herb, from lighter herbs to dense grinds, and now only requires a few twists. These teeth can stay sharp for a long time and are easy to clean. The grinder has unique wave grips on the top and bottom of the grinder. This design makes the grinder easy to hold and twist when grinding herbs. Only a few simple twists can get a fine powder.
What to Look for in a Weed Grinder
Tip #1: More Chambers, More Options
A standard two-chamber grinder will get the job done, but your options become endless once you upgrade to one that has a kief catcher and additional chambers. A friend described adding “middle weed” — weed that’s not kief but more fine than what typically get used — to a Volcano to get a more flavorful high. Mess around with different combinations of consistencies to get different highs.
Tip #2: Look for the Teeth
The teeth shape, and the number of teeth, affect how the weed is broken up. However, more teeth doesn’t necessarily mean better (you don’t want weed that’s too fine right off the bat), and not enough teeth equals chunky weed and more time grinding.
Tip #3: Material Matters
There are three kinds of metals typically used to make grinders: zinc, aluminum and stainless steel. There are plastic grinders on the market, but you might encounter a broken tooth if you’re grinding tough weed. Additionally, cheaper grinders might be coated with paint or a finish, which could chip off and get into your weed. You definitely don’t want to inhale that!
Tip #4 Grip Is Important
The better grip a grinder has, the easier it’s going to be to use. And, an easier grip means you have to use less torque (the measure of force that causes an object to rotate around an axis) to grind the weed. That’s important if you’re a user who experiences a lot of hand pain.
Tip #5 Don’t be Afraid to Splurge
Grinders get a lot of use. A cheaper grinder might not last you as long as something made of high-quality metal. Paying more gives you the peace of mind that a tooth won’t break, the product won’t flake, and that nothing funky from the grinder is getting into your weed.
Conclusion
An herb grinder can indeed elevate your experience, but the grinder market is expansive and can be challenging to navigate for first-time buyers. Even if you consider yourself an experienced smoker, grinder manufacturers are constantly improving technologies that make a weed grinder more useful than ever.
Luckily, there are options for new and experienced smokers that fit every budget. If you’re dreaming of fluffy bud, smooth tokes, and a low-maintenance grinding experience, we hope that our list of the market’s best weed grinders guides you to the grinder of your dreams.