Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Grinders * (*But Were Afraid to Ask)

OK, the younger readers (which means anyone under 40 to me these days!) probably aren’t going to get a reference to a book published in the 60’s but we all need to know a bit more about grinders and grinding.

When it comes to vaporizing, grinders are a must. Grinding your herb improves the efficiency of the process by increasing the surface area of the material being vaporized. This allows for better airflow as the heat travels through your herbs, releasing the vaporized essential oils.

Your grinder should be safe, non-toxic, and not to mention, efficient. It should also be durable and fits your attitude towards vaping.

In this blog, we have tried to simplify the process of selecting and investing in a new herb grinder. If you are new to the world of vaping, deciding which herb grinder to choose can be confusing at times, simply because there are so many grinders available on the market today.

A herb grinder can have anywhere from 1 to 3 compartments depending on the manufacturer. Usual materials used on herb grinders include metal, acrylic, or wood.

Wood grinders look and feel good and are organic. They are generally hand-made since they are hard to produce commercially.

However, there are disadvantages to wood grinders:

they are typically built with one compartment.
they often use varnish that can potentially mix in your herbs
they are less durable/efficient due to the softness of wood: the sharp edges of the grinder teeth so important to effective grinding get quickly worn down

Metal grinders are the most popular/common in today’s vaping world. Metallic grinders are generally constructed of aluminum, stainless or titanium.

Metal grinders have several advantages:

they can be built with as many compartments as is required
they are quite durable/efficient since metal does not get quickly worn down
they are very solid.

Acrylic grinders are, in my estimation, not the best choice. They are the least durable of all the grinders hence why they are usually so cheap. I also find that they are quick to build a static electrical charge which makes it more annoying to get the ground herb out of the grinder.

Besides the materials of which they are made, grinders also vary in format.

2-piece grinders (also known as ‘1 compartment grinders’) have one compartment in which the herb is both ground and stored.

There are disadvantages to 2-piece grinders:

the grind produced by them is often inconsistent with regard to size
they do not allow the keif (the super fine and very potent material so beloved of cannabis connoisseurs) to separate from the ground herb
retrieving the ground herb can be quite difficult since the teeth are in the way

3-piece grinders (aka two-piece compartment grinders) have the same grinding compartment as the typical 2-piece grinder. However, there are holes in the base of the top compartment that allow the properly sized ground herb to fall into the second ‘collector’ compartment. With this design, you have consistent sized herb ready to use in your vaporizer. However, the keif is still mixed with the rest of the ground herb.

4-piece grinders (aka two-piece compartment grinders) basically works the same as the 3-piece grinders but incorporate a screen which allows very fine ground material to pass through the third and bottom keif collecting chamber. Soothing Vapours stocks two different 4-piece grinders: Dry Herb Grinder 4-Piece and Dry Herb Grinder Handle Operated

There are factors that determine how well a grinder will function and how it will cost you.

Herb grinder teeth

One of the things that dictate the ground result is the teeth of your grinder. As rule of thumb, the more teeth that you get from your herb grinder, the better it is. More teeth give finer results, which means better vaping experience. The best grinders in the market have around 50 teeth for a 2.5” diameter grinder. Aside from the number of teeth, it is equally important to note the shape of the teeth. The shape allows the grinder to churn the herbs into small bits efficiently. Herb grinder teeth shape ranges from square to long and narrow. In our experience, diamond shaped grinder teeth seem to provide the most consistent accurate sizing of your ground herb. It also matters if how the teeth are positioned. If the teeth are evenly placed throughout the grinder, then you can expect consistent results from this kind of product.

As mentioned above, there are many factors that you need to consider if you are planning on investing in a new herb grinder:

Price: How much are you willing/able to afford for a grinder? Generally, the more expensive grinders last longer. More expensive grinders usually comes with more compartments and include a keif catcher.
Manual or electric: Electric versions can be quite expensive and require batteries to operate. There are more moving parts which means that electric versions probably don’t last as long. Electric herb grinders are difficult to clean. We recommend that you stick to the manual options: they are just better value, more controllable and reliable.
Size and capacity: Dry herb grinders come in a variety of sizes. Smaller grinders (40 – 50 mm or 1.5 – 2 inches) in diameter offer functionality while also giving a level of both discretion and portability. However, they can only handle a small amount of material per grind. A mini to small-size grinder will be best suited for those who consume smaller amounts and do not travel by automobile. Medium size grinders occupy the 62 – 70 mm or 2.5 – 3 inch diameter range. These grinders are perennial favorites because they offer a still-decent level of mobility while also being able to make short work of a hearty load of dried herb. If you use a grinder very often, a bigger size is most likely going to last you longer as well. Large size grinders range from 76 mm or 3 inches to the “jumbo” size of 95 mm, which equals a staggering 3.75 inches in diameter. These larger grinders will not travel as well or as easily as the smaller sizes, but it can handle a pile of herb grinding.
Magnetic lid: A magnetic lid ensures that your herb stays in place when you are grinding them down. Though not every grinder has a magnet, it is always a good idea to stick to options that have them.
Maintenance: You will need to make sure that you clean your grinder on a regular basis. If you don’t clean it frequently enough, the resin will eventually get so sticky that it wont turn smoothly. Metal grinders can be scrubbed with a cleaning tool or toothbrush, preferably someone else’s that yours. One of the most effective cleaning tools for you herb grinder can be found in your kitchen. You can make use of the common dishwashing soap mixed with 50% water to get the job done. All you need to do is to soak your herb grinder for a night. The next day, you can rinse it with warm water, and then wipe it dry. Another great solution that you can use to clean your metal herb grinder is to make use of isopropyl alcohol. IPA can dissolve and remove the gunk that gets stuck in your device. Boiling water can help get rid of the stiff material that gets stuck in between the teeth of your herb grinder. Once you’ve removed the pieces of your grinder, just soak the material in boiling water for around 10 minutes. When cleaning your grinder, keep in mind that different materials may have different reactions to the cleaning methods that we’ve posted.

Finding the right herb grinder for your needs shouldn’t be an ordeal. Soothing Vapours offers some tried and true grinders that we use ourselves on a daily basis: hyperlink to grinders

Happy vaping, my friend!

U.P.