Monster Mill

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periwinkle1239

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This has been talked about on here plenty already, but what is everyone's opinion of the Monster Mill? Either version 2 or 3?

I was going to put off buying a grain crusher for a little while, but figure if I buy bulk (50 lb bags) of base malt that the mill would pay for itself eventually.

The Monster Mill looks the coolest. Am I right?
 
My LHBS has the MM3-2.0 mounted up with a high torque drill and it is quite the beast. The three rollers yield a great crush and it'll eat my grain bills in about a minute.
 
Considering people on here are making beer with everything from rolling pins to corona mills, you can't go wrong with either the 2 or 3. I got the mm2, and couldn't be happier. My efficiency went up too. I'm also planning to get in on a group buy to offset the cost.

I got the base mill and made a hopper out of a plastic trash bin and some scrap wood.
 
I have the MM2 and I've been very happy. Built like a tank and does a great crush.
The MM3 might be even nicer, but I doubt there's much need in a non-commercial setting.

L
 
I have a corona mill clone for About $19. I'm guessing, since it was a Christmas present, but the one I indicated was $19 and I was told they got one elsewhere because the shipping on the one I flagged was too much.

I got 75%+ efficiency on the 2 brews I have done with it so far. I can take the $125+ savings and use it for ingredients!
 
I went with the MM2-2.0 model with hardened steel rollers (last longer than the other rollers by leaps and bounds) and couldn't be happier. I also opted for the base, hopper, and hopper extension from Monster at the same time (ordered direct). The entire thing is built like a tank. I use my 18v DeWalt cordless drill (1/2" chuck) to run it. With a 39# hopper capacity, there's no way you'll want to hand crank it. Customer service/support from Fred is top notch too.

I had a BC before this and it's a toy when compared with my Monster mill. The C&S my brew buddy has also looks small when you put them side by side.

I reviewed tons of posts by corona mill users before getting my first mill. All the crud they needed to do to get the mill adjusted so that it would crush properly was too much work IMO. Plus, the tiny hoppers included (even when you ordered a larger one it only held a few pounds) was ridiculous... The BC I used for some months did a decent job, but neither the corona or BC are in the same class as the Monster mills. It's like the difference of tether-ball to MLB... :eek:

If you go with the 2" diameter rollers with the Monster mill, I don't see you ever regretting it. Get the hardened steel option and your great grandchildren will be using it to brew after the alien invasion is over. :eek: :D :rockin:
 
I opted for the MM2 pretty much because I didn't see myself needing 2" rollers. I haven't had a lot of time to use it so far, but I will say so far it's worked great. Much better than the mess my LHBS puts out. Also the support is excellent. When the mill arrived one of the plates was damaged and with a single email Fred shipped out a replacement.

The only two reason I opted for the Monster Mill over the Crankandstein was because I liked the hopper design much better and because I liked that the entire roller was knurled. But from what I've heard it is hard to dislike either of them.
 
I have the 3 v.1 with 1.5" rollers that are Stainless (Hi-my name is Spanky and I'm a stainleholic).

Anyhoo, the owner of MM uses a 2 roller and says he can't tell the diff between the two in crush. The 3 is great and I love the crush. If you are going to motorize it, that means you are going to make your own base (likely), and that means it will give you some headaches regarding squaring on the mount. With the 3 roller, there's one more roller in there to bind (because the end plates of the mill aren't totally square with each other) when you get going. This issue would be mitigated with the 2 roller somewhat.

If you don't 'have' to get the 3 roller, get the 2 roller. That's from an owner of a 3 roller. I love mine though, I just have to fill the hopper all the way before I start the motor (so there's enough weight to force the rollers to keep going and not bind). I'm still working on a solution, but this works every time so it's less priority.
 
I have a monster mill 3 2.0. Honestly for a home brewer I think 2 is plenty. I had some issues with getting started and it turned out my gaps were off. The 3 you have to disassemble to recheck, the 2 is easier to check. I use the harbor freight low rpm hi torque drill and it works great. If you put a board next to the mill, parallel to the rolles and put the handle on the side of the drill, the handle of the drill will grab it and it makes very easy to grind.
 
I got just the basic mm2... With hopper and base...works great!

instead of the hopper extensions...get a friend...they can pour it in the hopper while you grind...
 
Seriously, a $1.50 walmart trashcan holds ast least 10 lbs. I think I put 12 in it last time. Definitely no more than 12.
I just cut a rectangle out of the bottom. I would like a more attractive hopper, but I blew my mill budget on the mm2. Get one.

ForumRunner_20120123_225057.jpg
 
I have the MM3 1.5" rollers. I bought it almost two years ago. I have never had it jam up and since I replaced the set screws I have held the proper gap since the day I got it. The set screws that are supplied (or at least used to be) were rounded thumb screws. I took them out and put real no **** pointed set screws in the holes. They have not lost their grip and maintain a very nice gap that I just verified again a couple weeks ago. I have the normal hopper that they offered a the time and I just power it with my 18v drill. I think it has about the right speed and I already own the drill. Maybe in the future I'll motorize it but it's not happening any time in the near future.
 
I got the 3 roller and its fantastic. One benefit I have noticed compared to others is that i don't ever have to use rice bulls anymore. My friends still need hulls for some batches. I attribute this to the 3rd roller helping keep the husk a bit more intact.

Efficiency wise, two roller mills can achieve the same. I think it is probably overkill for a home brewer. But for those of us that want to feel like we have the best possible, the 3 roller is the one lol. I have run hundreds of pounds through this thing and i don't regret it one bit.

Don't sweat this purchase too much though. Everyone on here seems to like whichever mill they own whether its the bc, jsp, monster, or other. It's just nice to be able to mill your own and get the same crush every time. You'll like whatever you get.
 
I have an MM3 and it's awesome. Have never heard any complaints about the MM2 though.
If you buy their hopper, do your self a favor and kick in for the extension.
 
I'm going to have to buy that extension.

I also have noticed not needing rice hulls. I have on a number of occasions forgot to use them and ended up just fine. I did buy a 50lb bag last year on my clubs group buy so I have plenty to use.
 
Forgot to mention that the guys at Monster are really helpful too. Had lots of questions about gapping, motors, rpm's, binding. They got back to me right away and kept with it until everything was up and running perfectly.
 
Forgot to mention that the guys at Monster are really helpful too. Had lots of questions about gapping, motors, rpm's, binding. They got back to me right away and kept with it until everything was up and running perfectly.

Completely agree there. Fred was VERY helpful and answered all my questions about the mills. I'm confident that my mill will last a LOOOOOONG time... :D
 
I have the Monster Mill MM3 v2 and it is killer. When through 40pounds of grain in about 5min. and it was perfectly ground. Spend the money, motorize it and you will be a happy as long as you are brewing.
Cheers
 
After reading all the reviews I could find on here. I have narrowed my choice down to the MM-2 (possibly the v2) or the JSP MaltMill. I have heard nothing but good things about both mills, so it probably doesn't matter but what do you guys think? Has anyone compared them?
 
I got the MM2 v1 because everybody loved it, and I couldn't see how spending an extra $50 or so on the 2.0 would gain me anything for my first mill.

I'm perfectly happy with the standard mm2. I hit 82% routinely, so I really don't intend to upgrade unless elves steal it. Even then, I'd probably get the same one.

Your first thought after breezing through your grain bill in a couple minutes will be... "did I really just spend $xyx on this"? Then you will finish your brew day and say "yeeeeees". Get either one, but don't second guess the v1 if you go that way.
 
The opinions here are great. Over the weekend I went to the LHBS and used their MM3 with 2" rollers. Badass...I still don't know which one I'm going to get. I need to stop spending so much on home brew equipment. Decisions decisions...
 
Another one to consider:

http://mashmaster.com.au/p/4571858/mashmaster-minimill-stainless-steel-grain-mill.html

Hopefully it doesn't add more confusion to you... :D

Bah... For what that thing costs you can easily get the MM2-2.0 with hardened steel rollers (will easily out-last the stainless rollers) in 2" diameter (not the 1.5" that is the one linked above). Plus, the Monster Mill uses 6" long rollers, not the 5" long ones of the mashmaster... Plus, for about $15 less you can get the base and hopper from Monster.

IMO, having the notches on the adjustment nobs is a 'nice to have' but really unnecessary. Considering how once you have the mill adjusted, and dialed in, the chance that you're going to change it is rather remote.

Just to cut through some of the potential confusion and put things into perspective. :D
 
I purchased a MM3-2.0 recently. Still gathering pieces to motorize it. What gap do you guys find is the preferred gap?
 
I think I have mine gappped at .32 or .34". I highly encourage buying real set screws. There's nothing wrong with the supplied thumb screws but I just think that true set screws holds your gap better. I hadn't checked my gap for six months and when I finally remembered to check it before running it, my gap was exactly what it was before. I have read of others (not necessarily MM owners) losing their gap over time.
 
I think I have mine gappped at .32 or .34". I highly encourage buying real set screws. There's nothing wrong with the supplied thumb screws but I just think that true set screws holds your gap better. I hadn't checked my gap for six months and when I finally remembered to check it before running it, my gap was exactly what it was before. I have read of others (not necessarily MM owners) losing their gap over time.

Where did you buy these screws?
Last time I milled on my MM-2 I noticed that gap loosen from previous setup.
 
Where did you buy these screws?
Last time I milled on my MM-2 I noticed that gap loosen from previous setup.

Or reach out to Fred and request that he sends them to you. That's what I did when I was getting one of the sides replaced (to address a gap slip issue). He sent me hex head bolts threaded correctly for the mill.

If you don't want to wait, then you could get them locally, or from McMaster-Carr (use smokinghole's item for reference)...
 
Bah... For what that thing costs you can easily get the MM2-2.0 with hardened steel rollers (will easily out-last the stainless rollers) in 2" diameter (not the 1.5" that is the one linked above). Plus, the Monster Mill uses 6" long rollers, not the 5" long ones of the mashmaster... Plus, for about $15 less you can get the base and hopper from Monster.

But geared rollers are hard to resist. :D
 
6in long, 2in dia, geared, hardened steel rollers would be really nice... And that got me thinking. I have full access to a top of the line machine shop here at school (Cal Poly), why dont i just make it? The only thing I might have trouble with is the eccentric bearings to adjust the gap but i think I can just buy those. I needed a new project anyways!
 
Im definitely going to have to look into this!! Its got potential to be the meanest grain mill this side of the rockies :ban:

Can anyone post a close up of the eccentric adjuster on some of your mills? Im not sure how Im gonna do this part yet.. and i still have to figure out where to get 3in dia hardened steel rod with out breaking the bank and making this project cost more then it would to by a MM.
 
You'll need to get the 3" diameter rollers, knurl them, THEN send them out to be heat threated and tempered. Otherwise you can pretty much forget about putting the knurling pattern into them. Not sure which alloy Monster uses for their rollers, but you'll want either the same, or something very close.

I suspect that by the time you've designed the mill, worked through all the issues, and gotten it to work, you could have bought either one of Monster's three roller (2" diameter) mills with all the options or two of the MM2-2.0 mills. :eek:
 
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