More Than Just a Grind – All About Weed Grinders

Just like a good cigar requires the perfect cutter, your flower deserves the best grinder.  Part of any Cannabis Connoisseur’s collection of things that are a must have is their weed grinder.  If you like to smoke flower and haven’t paid much attention to how you are preparing it for your bong, bowl and blunts, maybe it’s time you did.

Were you aware that a good grinder can increase the shelf life of your weed by maximizing the use of your flower just in how it’s ground up and stored?  Keep reading to learn how to get the most out of your Flower Investment with the use of a grinder, and why you should consider investing in or upgrading your current one.

Grinders are great for breaking up buds to extract most of the dank, smelly flower and its terpenes while filtering the pollen from the trichromes. A grinder also acts as a storage container for your bud while it’s being broken up to perfection.  

With the better three, four and even five-part grinders, as the buds are being lightly crushed between the grinding blades, and it falls to the chamber below you can collect and savor all that wonderful pollen being created where it can later be scraped up from the bottom tray. Nothing is wasted.  It truly is a must-have piece of equipment.  

Smoke Better and Quicker 

Another benefit of a grinder; It is faster to grind weed with a grinder than by hand. Doesn’t matter how sticky the bud is, a grinder will always be faster, and then you can smoke sooner. You also get a better “roll” and consistent smoke.  Ground flower rolls, smokes, and burns better.  Tighter rolls, slower burn and everyone is happy.  And best of all, your trichomes and terpenes will be happier.  Breaking up buds by hand leaves a lot of the delicious resin on your fingers and not in the bud where it belongs, so no more wasted anything! 

A grinder is an essential piece of equipment that doesn’t have to cost much either.

The plastic grinder isn’t going to set anyone’s budget back too far.  A plastic grinder costs less than $5.00, whereas a good three-, four- or five-piece grinder can range in price from $7.99 to $49.99.  

The best thing to look for in a grinder is how it will fit into your budget, and how to maximize it to your needs.

Types and Difference

Grinder Cards- This type of grinder is one piece and the size of a credit card.  It’s made from stainless steel, has grinder blades on the surface, fits in a wallet and works in the same fashion as a cheese grater, and for the on-the-go lifestyle, 

Plastic –These types of grinders are only available as a two-piece grinder and is available in a variety of sizes and colors, see description below.

Two-Piece/Single Chamber: Two-piece grinders are the basic in grinding up your buds. Available in plastic or other materials such as zinc alloy, they’re inexpensive and great for the budget-conscious or an on-the-go lifestyle.  They’re lightweight and come in a variety of sizes for discreet carrying and require minimal upkeep. How they work: each lid, or side, has rows of sharp teeth and when they are twisted together, back, and forth, it breaks the bud up.

For the plastic grinders, use hot soapy water to clean the sticky remnants of the flower that gets stuck to the plastic grinding teeth and you are good to go.   Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for all other types of grinders for maintenance and care.

Three Piece/Two Chamber, Four Piece/ Three Chamber, Five Piece/ Four Chamber  Grinders

If you are looking to extend the shelf life of your flower investment, as well as get every smidgen of this green gold, then a three-, four- or five-piece grinder is the best investment for the long haul.   Depending on who the manufacturer is, these are often made with materials like zinc alloy, aircraft grade aluminum, or even ultrasonically cleansed anodized aluminum or other similar materials, The “chambers” are stacked above one another.  In the top chamber, the bud goes by the holes with the sharp blades to break up the bud to a finer grind, which falls to the chamber below where the bud falls atop a stainless-steel screen, and there is a chamber below that to catch the pollen/kief, and, sometimes, below that there will be a chamber to store more bud. 

Some grinders have a handle and a transparent lid, and you can watch as it grinds up the stickiest of an earthy, herbal flower to a fine fluffy pile of weed ready for any bowl or joint.

For the stored pollen or kief, it has its own chamber and can be scraped out with a scraping tool that usually comes with.  Kief is used in preparing edibles but is great for sprinkling on top of bowls or into joints; it can be a nicely filtered, tasty, thc, trichome treat.

Electric Weed Grinders

For those that find using a hand grinder difficult, or one needs to have the latest and greatest in gizmos and gadgets, there are also electric grinders that can get the job done.   Some things to consider when using an electric grinder is the source of the power. or is it battery operated?  They also vary in pricing ranging from $29.99 to over $100.00, and come in different shapes, sizes, voltages, and capacity.  There are pen size versions that you can take on the go, and larger ones that look like a small coffee grinder. Some have transparent lids that allow you to see the weed being ground.  The nice thing is that there is an option for everyone.

Using a grinder is without a doubt the best way to prepare one’s weed when preparing for a smoke sesh.  And remember life does not have to be a grind; it’s just easier if you use a grinder.

Always remember to smoke responsibly and support the industry.