There’s nothing like the smell of fresh buds from your local dispensary and the anticipation of the first hit. Back in the day you would have to break off little pieces from the nugget and smash them into your pipe or other smoking device. Now that you are a refined smoker you grind up the cannabis for a more efficient smoking session. Packing your bong bowl or pipe with finely ground herb will result in an even and complete burn, maximizing the terpenes delivered to your system.
If you're looking for the best weed grinders available, there are several things to consider before making your purchase. The quality of the ground herb produced by the grinder, ease of use, cleaning and maintenance, unit longevity, and price are all important factors to think about. When the herb is uniformly ground, the cannabinoid and terpenes become more easily released from inside the bud, allowing for better vaporization. This is especially important for dry herb vaporizers which require complete heating of the loaded product. To help you find the right grinder for your needs, we have compiled a list of the best weed grinders on the market today.
Basic Plastic Grinder
At first glance these grinders are a great option, primarily driven by their low cost, but upon use the flaws become apparent. The operation is pretty simple, load the cannabis into the grind chamber and twist continuously to fully grind. Plastic grinders tend to produce a coarse ground herb which can be annoying to release from the molded plastic teeth. They should not be overpacked or the twisting action will be difficult, in addition, the halves might not mate properly upon assembly causing a binding situation. As the grinder is used multiple times, ground flower and kief gets packed along the rim and mating surfaces. As these deposits build the twisting action of the grinder seizes up and the grinder becomes useless. You can take the time to scrape all the built-up material from the perimeter, but the use of cleaning agents is a no-no because the plastic will likely degrade when exposed to alcohol and alike.
Multi-chamber Aluminum Grinder
These robust grinders shred nuggets with their sharp, sturdy teeth and come in a wide range of appealing colors. With two, three or sometimes four chambers, aluminum grinders can separate the ground herb by size, especially nice if you like to sprinkle a little kief on your bowl. In a multi-chamber design, the buds are loaded into the primary chamber and the grinding teeth tear the plant apart. Holes allow smaller particles to fall into the chambers below which can then be separated and the contents collected. With three chambers, a screen or other filter separates chambers two and three, further refining the ground particle sifting.
Using these grinders requires loading, twisting for the grind and decoupling for collection of the various grinds. This is manageable until you’ve used the grinder several times. With continued use, the grind residue builds up on the perimeter of the grind cap or in the center where the magnet holds, making the twisting action anywhere from difficult to impossible. Being made of aluminum, you can drop the separated parts in alcohol, scrub all the corners and lips, and hopefully reacquire a fully functional grinder. With a price point anywhere from $30 to $100, these can certainly be useful for some,but there are definitely higher quality grinder options available on the market.
Electric Grinders
Automatic weed grinders take accessibility to a new level by removing the force required to twist a traditional grinder, key for many cannabis users with restricted hand motion. There are several approaches used on electric grinders, but most of them use a double-tooth approach similar to the aluminum twisting grinders. Electric grinders can make fine or coarse cut flower depending upon the length of time applied.
The downside with most electric grinders is their use of coupling parts and mating grinding surfaces, as well as dispensing holes. Due to the electrical components, these grinders can’t be dunked in alcohol to loosen the built up weed residue, making cleaning an arduous task. Ranging anywhere from $50 to $150 it is probably best to save your money for the…
Wakit Grinder
The pinnacle of weed grinding, Wakit uses unrivaled ball-and-chain rotation to smash the buds into a perfectly ground pile. Unlike manual grinders Wakit requires no rotation by the user, simply place the nuggets on the included tray, bring the Wakit over top and depress the top to activate the motor. The ball and chain spins around at high speed continuously breaking the buds into smaller bits which can then be easily collected by lifting the Wakit off of the grinding surface. You can adjust the coarseness of the grind by applying longer or shorter taps to the top.
Where other electric grinders have a cap that engages the grinding teeth, the Wakit has no such encumbrance meaning that no grind resin builds up. The result is a grinder that will never seize up, providing literally years of maintenance free use (we’ve actually used the same grinder for over two years!). In addition, the grinder rarely, if ever, needs cleaning; the most you’ll want to do is scrape the kief buildup off the interior which takes almost no effort. The battery has an impressive lifespan and can conveniently be recharged with the USB cable that comes in the package.
