Which is Better?
Grinding up your bud is part of the process. A part that seasoned smokers will develop preferences about and newbies can find a bit confusing.
With a market full of options, neither of those statements should be any surprise.
Whether you are exploring a new way of grinding or exploring grinding altogether, you have two main options: hand grinding or electric grinding.
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Many people will find coffee grinders are a more convenient method than hand grinding. Coffee grinders are fast, effective, and can be bought around the price of a good quality hand grinder. However, some people may prefer the portability, chambers, and control of a hand grinder.
Without a doubt, grinding preferences come from old-fashioned trial and error.
That means you may have to work through what you do not like in order to find your perfect grind. However, this article will help you narrow down what is worth trying.
What Does A Good Grind Do for Your Weed?
Breaking down your bud into finer fragments helps the smoking process in a few ways.
Grinding ensure your weed burns slowly and evenly. If you have ever seen an entire piece of bud disappear to a bong or a joint that burns down one side faster than the other, you will know firsthand the importance of an even grind.
Grinding will also allow you to pack a bowl, joint, or whatever you choose more fully for a better smoke.
The fine, packed pieces will give more surface area to roast for a better smoke as well.
Overall, grinding your weed is an important step to make the most of your product.
Hand Grinders
Traditional hand grinders are a very common grinding method among pot smokers.
Hand grinders will require the user to twist the lid back and forth which moves the sharp teeth and grinds up the cannabis.
This simple tool is a staple to many smokers and there are some good reasons why.
Pros:
- Availability- Just about any smoke shop and some gas stations will sell hand grinders. Online there are countless hand grinders to choose from making them even more widely available.
- Price- The cost of a grinder can depend largely on which one you are looking for. Higher quality materials, more compartments, and other factors will raise the price.
While there are pricier hand grinders, you can generally get one that will do the job for around $10. This makes hand grinders easy to find and affordable. - Portable- A simple hand grinder is compact and easy to take with you anywhere you may need it. This is much more versatile than a coffee grinder with needs to be plugged in, is bigger, and makes noise while being used.
Further, after weed is ground you can store it in the grinder until you would like to smoke it.
Even if you are transporting the grinder it will be shut tight to keep everything inside and fresh. - Control Over the Grind- A hand grinder will work slower than a coffee grinder. This may sound inconvenient to some, but other people like the slower processor because it allows them to get their weed ground to exactly where they like it.
- Chambers- With a hand grinder, kief will be caught and held in one of the chambers. Hand grinders can come with two or more chambers. By collecting the kief, it is much easier to separate and add to top off a bowl or make into edibles.
Cons:
- Difficult for Anyone with Pain in Hands or Wrists- Pain management and arthritis are common reasons to use marijuana. The process of hand-grinding requires fine motor movements and quick turning back and forth.
The user has to keep this up long enough to grind the product down. If you smoke to treat any pain in your hands or wrists, grinding weed by hand will clearly be painful and possibly difficult. - Slow- A hand grinder is much slower than a coffee grinder which will have your pot ready in a few short bursts. Grinding by hands will take longer as the blades move more slowly at the speed you turn them.
While a grinder does not take an unreasonably long time, it is comparatively slower than a coffee grinder.
Coffee Grinder
There are a lot of misconceptions behind using a coffee grinder for weed, such as it will turn your bud basically to a dust and there is no control over the grind.
This is not the truth. Many coffee grinders are actually sold as coffee and herb grinders. These little machines are designed to chop up small kitchen items from tough beans to more fragile herbs.
With this is mind, it is no surprise coffee grinders can be a great and convenient way to get your pot ready to smoke.
Pros
- Consistent Grind- A coffee grinder with settings will allow you to adjust the grind you would like. Once you have a grinder on your preferred setting and know how long to let it run for, all you have to do is push the button! The machine requires little work and produces a consistent result every time.
- Easy on Hands and Joints- As mentioned, a hand grinder is not ideal for anyone who has pain in their hands or wrists. If you experience these problems, a coffee grinder is the perfect way to grind weed pain free.
- Quick- A coffee grinder will get the job done much quicker than a hand grinder can. Not only is the machine faster than anyone can hand grind, but it can handle more product than most hand grinders. This means more weed ready to be packed in less time.
Cons
- Price- Coffee grinders are not an expensive item to buy, but more expensive than a cheap grinder. A simple coffee grinder can be purchased for around $20.
While higher end coffee grinders come at much steeper prices, for simple weed grinding spending that much is not necessary. About $20 is not much for something you can use regularly, but when compared to a hand grinder, coffee grinders are the more expensive choice. - Not Portable- A coffee grinder is a bit noisy and has to be plugged in. Unlike a hand grinder it can not double as storage for your ground weed between uses or on the go.
If you regularly need to grind weed anywhere outside of your home, a coffee grinder may not be ideal to rely on.
Final Recommendation
The best recommendation would be to use a coffee grinder regularly.
This is based on the convenience and consistent product of a coffee grinder. The ease and consistency of a coffee grinder are hard to beat.
When you can have perfect, ready to go weed in just the push of a button and a few seconds why spend time cranking away with a hand grinder?
For those who have any pain in their hands or wrists, a coffee grinder is the better option. This will make the process of smoking much easier on your joints.
Especially if you are using marijuana for pain management or treatment for joint problems, irritating the issue with a hand grinder is counterproductive.
However, having a hand grinder on hand in case you need to take your flower with you is a good idea.
As two reasonably low-priced tools, having both is a solid option that won’t leave you picking at nugs with your fingers or a pair of scissors under any circumstances.