Herb Grinders: Everything you Need to Know
Herb grinders are considered as the cornerstone of consuming herbs. Whether it’s by using an herbal vaporizer or if it’s by smoking your botanicals using a glass pipe or a bong, achieving a good grind lets you maximize your yield.
Here’s why.
Why You Need an Herb Grinder
Whether you get your herbs from a trusted seller, your local dispensary, or even if you grow them yourselves to pick them at the peak of perfection, your buds and your flowers will initially come in small nuggets. Smoked or vaporized as it is, the nuggety botanical plant matter will typically burn unevenly and will provide inconsistent results. Usually, your “nugs” will look crisp or burnt on the outside while leaving the center raw and fresh. Unless you like wasting your dry herbs, grinding is the way to go.
Here are a few reasons why you need a good grinder.
- Better Rolls
Herbs ground using a grinder offers better consistency and lets you roll better joints, spliffs, reefers, and blunts. Hand-rolled shredded dry herb lets you achieve a tighter roll typically resulting in a slower burn.
- Pack More Herbs.
When using a dry herb vaporizer, packing an herb chamber with ground botanicals allows you to load more herbs and cover better surface area. Moreover, you can adjust the consistency of your grind depending on the type of heating technology your vaporizer uses - combustion or convection.
- A Time Saver.
For obvious reasons, using an herb grinder does the job faster than breaking down the herbs by hand.
And one of our favorites…
- Maintains Potency.
When you break your nugs by hand, the trichomes on the flowers stick to your fingers, especially if you’ve got sweaty hands. The rich trichomes not only give the herbs a frosty aesthetic, but it also holds some of the most potent active ingredients your botanical plant matter has to offer. Using a grinder prevents that from happening and even catches some of the pollen knocked off from your buds for later use.
Different Kinds of Herb Grinders
Although grinders look pretty straightforward, you’ll be surprised at how much variety these herb grinders offer.
Let’s start with manual herb grinders.
2-Piece Grinders
A 2-piece grinder uses a simple two-part design. Both the top and the bottom half are outfitted with blades or “teeth” that are responsible for cutting your herbs in small pieces.
Pros:
- Thin and discreet.
- Easy to use.
- Light and portable.
Cons:
- Can only hold a small amount of herbs.
- Ground herbs stay in the same compartment.
3-Piece Grinders
If you want an upgraded design, you can opt to use a 3-piece grinder. They offer an extra compartment at the bottom having small holes bored at the floor of the grinding section, so the herbs cut in small pieces fall off the storage compartment. This design keeps the grinding section clean as the ground materials fall off a separate layer which you can also use to store your ground herbs.
Pros:
- You are able to store more ground dry herbs.
- Offers an additional compartment.
Cons:
- Does not have a kief catcher.
- Slightly bulky.
4-Piece Grinders
Out of all the manual herb grinders, 4-piece grinders are probably the best. They are outfitted with a screen to filter the actual ground material and collect the pollen from your herbs that were knocked off the buds from the grinding process. Instead of the pollen sticking on the sides of the grinder, they are collected in a special chamber that lets you easily scrape off your potent kief.
Pros:
- Comes with a kief catcher.
- Can grind and store a significant amount of dry herbs.
- You can achieve an perfect grind.
Cons:
- Larger and heavier.
- Probably won’t fit in your pocket.
Electric Grinders
As the name suggests, electric grinders let you grind your herbs without having to twist the grinder back and forth. That’s why electric grinders are a godsend for those who hate having to manually operate their shredders - usually medicating patients who use cannabis to help them deal with arthritis and rheumatism. All there is to do is to load up your herbs and press some buttons. Some electric herb grinders come with special features like the ability to adjust the speed and the consistency of its grind depending on the material in it, or the ability to load the ground herbs directly into a pre-rolled cone or into a vape pen.
Pros:
- Convenient and easy to use.
- Offers consistent results.
- Comes with special features.
Cons:
- Typically, battery operated so you will need batteries.
Other Alternatives
If for some reason you can’t get your hands on an herb grinder, there are other alternatives that still provide a relatively decent result. One of them is the herb grater. They look like your average cheese grater and work like one. You rub your nugs against a serrated metal surface which grinds your herbs into smaller pieces.
Pros:
- Compact and lightweight.
- Easy to carry.
Cons:
- Does not grind as good as an actual grinder.
Things to Look Out For
Different herb grinders come in different shapes, sizes, design, technology, and material. If you’re set on getting yourself an herb grinder, here are some things you should be looking out for.
Materials
One of the most common materials used to make herb grinders is metal - typically aluminum. Grinders made out of aluminum are more durable and are easier to maintain. Today’s metal grinders are often finished by anodizing the surfaces which makes them hold up well against abrasion as well as wear and tear. Some metal grinders are even coated with a special finish to give it non-stick properties.
There are also grinders made out of acrylic. These grinders are cheaper than their aluminum counterparts which makes them appeal to beginners and those testing the waters. That said, they are not as durable and dependable as metal grinders.
Lastly, you’ve got wooden grinders. And although they look classy and aesthetically appealing, they’re a pain to clean. Plus, depending on the quality of the wood used, your herb grinder can have small pores that absorb the trichomes and can even harbor unwanted microorganisms.
Teeth
The teeth or the blades used on a grinder has a significant impact on the quality and consistency of your grind. Metal grinders will typically have diamond shaped blades that efficiently cut the herbs in smaller and finer pieces. They are by far the best choice if you’re looking for professional quality results.
Some grinders are equipped with pyramid-shaped teeth. These are typically found on plastic grinders and can do a decent job of separating the buds from the stems.
There are also grinders outfitted with pole-like teeth that can help with segregating the herbs although they are notorious for rolling the herbs into small lumps rather than cutting them into smaller pieces.
Using an Herb Grinder
Regardless of what type of grinder you invest in, with the exception of electric grinders, the process of using one stays the same. Here’s how it’s done.
- Remove the lid of the grinder to access the grinding section. Place a reasonable amount of weed in it.
- Replace the top lid and twist the grinder. Give it about 8 to 10 twists or until the torque feels smooth.
- Remove the chamber that collects the ground materials, or if you’re using a 2-piece grinder, just remove the lid.
- Collect the ground herbs and load it in your vaporizer or transfer it to a pipe or a rolling paper.
Finding and investing on a grinder falls on your personal preference. You can go with affordable 2-piece grinders if you’re pinching pennies or you can splurge like a high roller and buy expensive ones if you value the benefits you get from it.
When you’re ready to get started, check out our collection of high-quality herb grinders here at the Vape Vet Store.
Related Blog Posts
DO I NEED A GRINDER WITH A DRY HERB VAPORIZER?