Best Grain Mill??

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agentEhrman

agentEhrman

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This morning I went down to start crushing grains to find that my corona style mill was broken. After a short talk with SWMBO, it apparently fell over off the bench it was on when she was putting empty bottles on the same bench.:(

Needless to say, she feels terrible and wants to buy me a new one. I never really like the corona mill, and I keep hearing about the barley crusher. After looking it up, I almost pulled the trigger on the 15lb capacity one a few minutes ago.

I would like to know what other mills I should consider, if any, and why you like them. If I'm going to spend $150, I better get it right the first time here..

In the mean time, I decided to brew up and extract IPA, and use a coffee grinder for a half pound of crystal to steep.

As always, thanks for any input or feedback. This forum is as much help to a new brewer as any other book or reference!
 
I think it's kind of a loaded question...you're just going to get a bunch of subjective answers. So here's mine :)

I went with the CrankAndStein 2D. I was looking for a bare bones mill because I like to go the custom route on my builds. It's been working awesome and I recommend their mills. That said, as long as the rollers are machined well (true) I don't think you can go wrong with any of them (CrankAndStein, Monster Mill, Barley Crusher, MaltMill, and so on).

Some mills tend to be more bare bones and some are pretty much ready to go out of the box...just depends what you want to do.
 
I love my Monster Mill MM2-2.0. Two inch diameter, six inch long rollers beats most (far better than a BC, which was my first mill). Even the standard MM2 has 1.5" diameter rollers. I went with the hopper and extension giving me a 39# hopper capacity. :ban:

There are llenty of threads discussing the different mill options. You might want to wade through them.
 
I went with the 3-roller monster mill. Standard size and material rollers. I didn't see the hardened rollers as an advantage. I doubt I will ever crush enough grain for that to be a need. If you are going to wet mill then stainless rollers are a good idea. I don't know if it makes that much of a difference in crush to go with 3 rollers over 2. It looks cool though. I think it runs slightly quicker than a 2 roller. If you are doing high gravity 10 gallon batches then the larger diameter rollers would get you more throughput to get your grain milled in a more reasonable amount of time.

I used MMs base and hopper and went from there.

image-1275528935.jpg
 
I vote Monster Mill MM2 (I didn't get the 2" rollers but I did go with the stainless upgrade, probably not really necessary but I store mine in the garage and thought I'd be safe). It's the only mill I've ever used but I did a TON of research and thought for the money it was the best value. I went with their base and hopper as well. The Rebel Brewer mill looks nice too; however, that wasn't available when I purchased my mill - would definitely be worth a look though.
Good luck, and happy brewing
 
I was looking in the same price range and went for the Monster Mill 2. It's about $175 shipped direct from Monster with the base and standard hopper. At 1.5" x 6", the rollers are larger than most competitors, hardened steel, and it's well built. Works great. I had considered the JSP MaltMill but their website sucks and seriously lacks info. Not a huge deal but I also didn't want to rig up a hopper.
 
I've been really happy with my Rebel Mill, but haven't had any experience with others outside of my LHBS.
 
What's the best bang for the buck when it comes to a mill that you can attach a drill to for power?
 
tom_gamer said:
What's the best bang for the buck when it comes to a mill that you can attach a drill to for power?
Click to expand...

I got a crankandstein 2s mill for $78. Barebones set up. I made a hopper for it. I put my 10-15 lbs of grains through it with no problems. I hook my drill right up to it and grind. I havnt heard of a lot of people using it but it's perfect for me!
 
tom_gamer said:
What's the best bang for the buck when it comes to a mill that you can attach a drill to for power?
Click to expand...

I say the MM2 (MM2-2.0 even more so). The standard has 1.5" diameter by 6" long rollers. The 2.0 version is the same except with 2" diameter rollers. I have the MM2-2.0 with the hardened steel rollers and have zero issue powering it with my 18v DeWalt cordless drill. With the 1/2" shaft it will be easy to adapt to a motor.
 
Kmcogar said:
I got a crankandstein 2s mill for $78. Barebones set up. I made a hopper for it. I put my 10-15 lbs of grains through it with no problems. I hook my drill right up to it and grind. I havnt heard of a lot of people using it but it's perfect for me!
Click to expand...
I got one....had it for several years. I chose this one because I know the guy and could drive to his house and pick it up.

Bottom line on mills: Any roller mill will work fine. Unless you are milling hundreds of pounds a day, the lower priced 2 roller from any of the manufacturers will work fine.
 
I opted for the Crankenstein 2s on sale at Brewmasters Warehouse. Built a bucket top and hopper combo for under $10. Factory gap setting is .045 and I find that double milling works best for my small batch BIAB. Great efficiency and I can finish 7 lbs in less than 10 minutes from taking it off the shelf to putting it back. I was very interested in the Cereal Killer, looked like a great deal for a mill with a bucket top and hopper included. Less than what I paid for just the mill from Crankenstiein but the CK has been back ordered for a long time and I couldn't wait.
 
Golddiggie said:
I say the MM2 (MM2-2.0 even more so). The standard has 1.5" diameter by 6" long rollers. The 2.0 version is the same except with 2" diameter rollers. I have the MM2-2.0 with the hardened steel rollers and have zero issue powering it with my 18v DeWalt cordless drill. With the 1/2" shaft it will be easy to adapt to a motor.
Click to expand...

This right here. I wanted a 3 roller but the 2.0 version was a little pricey so I got the standard 3 roller. When you start looking for sheaves with a bore of less than 1/2" it's slim pickings.
 
The Rebel Mill almost has me, but it's not in stock on the website right now. This could make my descision for me, as I don't want to wait for fear of my pipeline going dry!

What do you think about the MM2? With it being the cheapest one they sell, do I need to go better or upgade anything? Or should I just get the barley crusher? LOL
 
agentEhrman said:
The Rebel Mill almost has me, but it's not in stock on the website right now. This could make my descision for me, as I don't want to wait for fear of my pipeline going dry!

What do you think about the MM2? With it being the cheapest one they sell, do I need to go better or upgade anything? Or should I just get the barley crusher? LOL
Click to expand...

IMO/IME, going for the cheapest is most often a BAD idea. You don't need to go top of the line, but at least get something that you won't regret later. I went for the BC initially because it was in stock at the reseller (so no waiting) but I couldn't get the larger hopper (out of stock). With the SMALL (and shorter) rollers there, I soon regretted getting it. I've now used the Monster MM2-2.0 for far more batches, and even more grain, than I did with the BC and have zero regrets. You could, most likely, get away with the normal alloy rollers. I would go for the 2" diameter ones again in a nanosecond though.

I also ordered my Monster mill direct. So, no issues with a vendor/reseller getting it in stock. I did email with Fred about the mill and confirmed they had everything in stock. I think it shipped out within one or two business days of placing the order. Arrived a few days after that.
 
IMO, the MM2 base model is going to be perfectly fine for 90% of users. I have one and it's fargin' awesome. If you're planning on motorizing with a permanent setup, then I'd suggest going up to the MM2-2.0 instead for the 1/2" shaft. After having used both the MM2 and a Barley Crusher, I would advise anyone to steer clear of the BC, as I didn't find it to be all that well made. For those on here that swear by the BC, my guess is that they've never used a Monster, as the difference is night and day.
 
LLBeanJ said:
IMO, the MM2 base model is going to be perfectly fine for 90% of users. I have one and it's fargin' awesome. If you're planning on motorizing with a permanent setup, then I'd suggest going up to the MM2-2.0 instead for the 1/2" shaft. After having used both the MM2 and a Barley Crusher, I would advise anyone to steer clear of the BC, as I didn't find it to be all that well made. For those on here that swear by the BC, my guess is that they've never used a Monster, as the difference is night and day.
Click to expand...

So very true... I very often purchase items that far exceed my expected needs (at least for the near term or first few years). With the mill, I wanted to be SURE I wouldn't be looking to buy another one when I go to 10 gallon, and then beyond, batch sizes. I'm already brewing so that I get 6 out into kegs (about 6.75-7 gallons into fermenter). I'll be able to motorize my MM2-2.0 without issue. I'll need to mount it to something to make that easier, but that's a minor item. The hopper I got (with extension) from Monster blows the hell out of what BC sells.

I also like the customer support from Monster. They (or rather he) is fast to respond to emails and works to make things right without you needing to threaten him. That, alone, makes the purchase even more worth it in my eyes. Besides, it's one of the few products for home brewing that we can be sure is 100% made in the USA. :rockin:
 
Do some searches on this forum; some folks experiencing / reporting stuck rollers on a bc
and very poor customer service (no response to email, etc.). In alll fairness other folks have reported 1500+# of grain through their BC. Based on customer service reviews and the inability to contact the BC folks by phone I went with a competitor... Really don't think you can go wrong with any, for me it came down to service if I need it.
 
gsanstra said:
Do some searches on this forum; some folks experiencing / reporting stuck rollers on a bc
and very poor customer service (no response to email, etc.). In alll fairness other folks have reported 1500+# of grain through their BC. Based on customer service reviews and the inability to contact the BC folks by phone I went with a competitor... Really don't think you can go wrong with any, for me it came down to service if I need it.
Click to expand...


Good to know, BC is claiming lifetime warranty and looking good on pri$e too. MM2 is looking better now..
 
I got a Barley Crusher for my birthday. Took about 2 weeks to get. I added to the 7lb hopper with some sheet metal I had laying around. Worked perfectly right out of the box. Better efficiency than my LHBS.
Through Beersmith.com the BC w/7lb hopper is about $110 and the 15lb hopper $133
 
I like my crankenstein, a buddy enjoys his barley crusher. Ultimately I don't think there is a huge difference in mills available, so I focused a bit more on cost and customer service. When I was looking to get a mill, barley crusher was under huge scrutiny in regards to supply/demand issues and not responding to prior customers complaints and new customers inquires.
 
I bought a BC through AHS a while back. First thing I noticed was an uneven gap and a wobble in the roller. AHS worked hard to get with the folks at BC and after about two weeks I had a replacement roller on the way to me direct from BC. I installed the new roller and the same problem was present. AHS was kind enough to still return the unit for me as I did not feel like another round of waiting for a response from the folks at BC. Eventually I will look for something different then the BC. Customer service ranks high. AHS has a return customer, BC does not.
 
tom_gamer said:
What's the best bang for the buck when it comes to a mill that you can attach a drill to for power?
Click to expand...

This definitely played into my decision for the Monster MM2. I bought a nice 3/8" Dewalt plug in drill for my corona style mill so wanted to keep the same "motor". My drill works great with the Monster MM2.
 
HomebrewMTB said:
This definitely played into my decision for the Monster MM2. I bought a nice 3/8" Dewalt plug in drill for my corona style mill so wanted to keep the same "motor". My drill works great with the Monster MM2.
Click to expand...

I already had an adult size cordless drill (1/2" chuck, 18v DeWalt) when I was looking for a mill. You can turn a 3/8" shaft with a 1/2" chuck but you can't fit a 1/2" shaft in a 3/8" chuck.
 
Just put in my order at Monster Mill! Thanks for all the help everyone. It was an easy decision with Rebel being out of stock. Now I can't wait to try her out!
 
Mounted my Monster the other day. :eek:

mounted_mm2-20_mill-57375.jpg


I made the hole a little too wide, so I'll be filling in the gap with something before using it (gaffer's tape comes to mind :rockin:). No more lugging the mill around to use it. I even have a mechanic's roll-around stool that I can use to sit on while running the mill with my drill. :D

BTW, I like milling into the clear buckets since it's easy to tell when you're getting close to full.
 
are there any mills that have geared 2nd and/or 3rd rollers? from the looks of them it seems even the higher quality MMs and the like rely on only one roller moving.. is that true or did i not notice when i was looking into them?
 
jammin said:
what model did you get?
Click to expand...

Ordered the MM2 but with 1/2" drive, Base & Hopper kit, and the hand crank. Yeah, I won't likely use the hand crack but wanted it for that 'just in case the wireless drill dies' moment. Oh and the crack doesn't normally work on the 1/2" drive but Fred was willing to modify it for me to work, nice :)

Robert
GypsyBrew
 
revansCAAD8 said:
Ordered the MM2 but with 1/2" drive, Base & Hopper kit, and the hand crank. Yeah, I won't likely use the hand crack but wanted it for that 'just in case the wireless drill dies' moment. Oh and the crack doesn't normally work on the 1/2" drive but Fred was willing to modify it for me to work, nice :)

Robert
GypsyBrew
Click to expand...

IME, Fred is a stand-up guy... Although it would have been nice if he, or someone from Monster, had replied to my pattern request (for putting holes in the microwave cart) last week (sent the message last weekend)... I got it done, but it would have been easier with the pattern. :drunk:
 
revansCAAD8 said:
Ordered the MM2 but with 1/2" drive, Base & Hopper kit, and the hand crank. Yeah, I won't likely use the hand crack but wanted it for that 'just in case the wireless drill dies' moment. Oh and the crack doesn't normally work on the 1/2" drive but Fred was willing to modify it for me to work, nice :)

Robert
GypsyBrew
Click to expand...

Great choice! Fred has provided great service for me and I am sure he will take care of should something come up. Smart thinking on the hand crank;)
 

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