BC vs MM2....

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crazyseany

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I'd like to buy a grain mill and had my heart set on a Barley Crusher as my first mill.

direct it would be about $140 shipped...(7lb hopper) and 14+ days waiting?

I can get the Monster Mill2 (2 roller) for $165 ... With base, 11 lb hopper, and mill body (and pick it up... I think)

I have a 3/8" drill and was planning to use it either way...

oh yeah I pick up my 100lbs of grain tomorrow and would use it to brew Saturday... (although I don't have to... I have a kit "Munich Helles" that I had ground last week when I bought it...)

thanks,
sean
 
I'm super-impatient, so I would grab the MM2 if it's assembled.

Make sure the MM2 has everything you need to get started. I went with the BC because I only saw monster mills with just the mill and housing...I would've needed a base and hopper.
 
monster has the following mills each with different options:
mm2: 1/2" shaft, 303SS
mm3: 1/2" shaft, 303SS
mm2-2: hardened steel, 303SS
mm3-2: hardened steel, 303SS
 
do you think the standard MM2 is sufficient? Is it comparable to the Barley crusher?

I'm aleady catching grief for wanting to spend some $ ! Lol
 
Too many times tearing it down to clean it. If you read a lot of the discussions about the BC, you will find a percentage of people who use it, seemingly like it but brush aside the issues and settle for it because they already own it. It is not a machine that you would call "rock solid". Ok for casual use only IMO.
 
crazyseany said:
or after I grab my grain tomorrow I could just swing by and use your BC???? Lol
Click to expand...

I dont know if he would let you, but this is the best idea ive heard... use one of each and see which one you like better! Also if they will let you tear it down to clean/ service it that would be bennificial.
 
sudsmcgee said:
I must not brew enough or something because I've never had to clean or tear down my barley crusher.
Click to expand...

I've put over 1000lbs through mine with no problems. Tore it down once and it didn't really need it, malt conditioning really helps, no dust = long life.


_
 
I've owned both with the MM3-2.0 being my current mill for the shop and I have to say I absolutely love it. I wasn't disappointed with the BC but I have to say the knurl did start to wear out and it was not operating as well as it did when I first got it. I also had to tear it down more than a few times to clear up stuck rollers. Both did thier intended jobs but I have a feeling the MM will last longer.
 
I've only run ~600 pounds of grain through my BC so I guess the jury is still out? :D

The term "tear down" makes it seem onerous. It literally takes less than ten minutes to take a BC totally apart, brush out the bearings and roller ends, put a drop of mineral oil in each bearing, and put it back together.

It takes me longer to clean a friggin' Corney keg...

Cheers!
 
well unfortunately the lhbs I went to was out of mills ! :(
but I asked to order a MM2 with a hopper... Also bought a bunch of hops and some other things... Including all the stuff to make some mozzarella cheese :)

I bought all the speciality grains and we used my 2row I had and he kindly ground it all for me...

so tomorrow is my first AG brewday! I hope all the holes in my fingers heal up from finishing up my mashtun!

wish me luck!
 
Good Luck - report back when you use the MM-2, curious to know how it works out. We seem to get a lot of BC reports and less MM's. Or it could be that I just skip the MM's.
 
I used my MM2-2.0 for the first time last weekend (Saturday) and immediately saw why people love them. It easily ate through the grain and produced a much better crush than the BC I had did. Of course, you're talking two different diameter rollers here. I did opt for the hardened steel rollers on mine, as well as the hopper, base, and hopper extension. A monster it truly is...

I used a clear bucket to catch the grain as it went through the mill. VERY impressive to watch.
 
5430-dsc00602

Need I say more! I know I'm showing a 3 roller vs. 2 but still just look at the difference.

DSC00602.jpg
 
Go mm-2 for sure. I hadn't brewed for a few months until yesterday, and forgot how much I hate my Barley Crusher. I cleaned and oiled it a few months ago and only used it once and already it stops pulling grain through the rollers 10 times during a 12 lb batch. Dumping the grain then refilling the hopper is really a PITA, 10 times later.
 
bandt9299 said:
Go mm-2 for sure. I hadn't brewed for a few months until yesterday, and forgot how much I hate my Barley Crusher. I cleaned and oiled it a few months ago and only used it once and already it stops pulling grain through the rollers 10 times during a 12 lb batch. Dumping the grain then refilling the hopper is really a PITA, 10 times later.
Click to expand...

I don't have either, but have been following this thread to make a call on which mill to buy. How can it stall that much and still be a top selling mill? Do you have it set to grind your malt into sawdust?
 
I have not tried to contact them but there are many threads I've read from people not being able to get support. Best case they tell you to clean it (and that is from the older threads.) The knurl on mine has noticeable is not as sharp as I was and dosen't like to grab anymore. I've used it to death. I understand these things won't last forever. They should not say they have a lifetime warranty if they don't. But then maybe they do and what I've read is not normal.
http://forums.morebeer.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=39699
 
Malticulous, wear on the rollers is exactly why I went with the MM2-2.0 with the hardened option. With the hardened steel, they should last just about forever...
 
Golddiggie said:
Malticulous, wear on the rollers is exactly why I went with the MM2-2.0 with the hardened option. With the hardened steel, they should last just about forever...
Click to expand...

The 303 upgrade? As a machinist I was actually a little dissapointed that that was their alloy of choice. 303 is just a free-machining stainless steel, far from the hardest. Its about 85 rockwell B I think. The corrosion resistance is what would attract me to that though, especially if you're conditioning the malt with water before you mill it.
 
bottlebomber said:
The 303 upgrade? As a machinist I was actually a little dissapointed that that was their alloy of choice. 303 is just a free-machining stainless steel, far from the hardest. Its about 85 rockwell B I think. The corrosion resistance is what would attract me to that though, especially if you're conditioning the malt with water before you mill it.
Click to expand...

No, the hardened steel upgrade option. It's NOT the 303 upgrade. Check out the MM2-2.0 options. They use 1144 alloy steel, which has the hardened option... The option isn't available for the standard MM-2 model...
 
Bomber, I have my mill set on the default setting, no smaller. Muntons 2 row seems to go through just fine. But I bought a 55# bag of briess and had nothing but problems. Malt Euro same problems. Default setting on Saturday 65 % efficiency. Been using it for 4 plus years.
 
Golddiggie said:
No, the hardened steel upgrade option. It's NOT the 303 upgrade. Check out the MM2-2.0 options. They use 1144 alloy steel, which has the hardened option... The option isn't available for the standard MM-2 model...
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for the link. That is probably the mill I will buy.
 
bottlebomber, I also went with the hopper, base and hopper extension. The hopper, by itself, holds 11#. With the extension, it can hold 39# of grain. :rockin: I got tired of the 7# capacity of the BC I had. I had thought about either making, or having made, an extension for that hopper, but I was able to sell my BC and use that money towards the Monster mill.

Looking back, I wish I had picked up the MM2-2.0 the first time. Unfortunately, back then I was between jobs so I had to get something lower cost. Plus, I was under a tight schedule to get the mill and the BC was in stock at the vendor I got it from. Now I know why people love the Monster mills. Watching it in action is amazing.
 
Golddiggie said:
bottlebomber, I also went with the hopper, base and hopper extension. The hopper, by itself, holds 11#. With the extension, it can hold 39# of grain. :rockin: I got tired of the 7# capacity of the BC I had. I had thought about either making, or having made, an extension for that hopper, but I was able to sell my BC and use that money towards the Monster mill.

Looking back, I wish I had picked up the MM2-2.0 the first time. Unfortunately, back then I was between jobs so I had to get something lower cost. Plus, I was under a tight schedule to get the mill and the BC was in stock at the vendor I got it from. Now I know why people love the Monster mills. Watching it in action is amazing.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the review, and the advice. I don't like buying these type of items impulsively, and really depend on this kind of feedback. I was about to buy a BC recently too, since it seems like so many people have them. But I'm really glad I waited.
 
Don't get me wrong, the BC is a good mill. But it's not in the same class as the Monster mills with their two inch rollers and/or hardened options. Plus having six inch long rollers makes it even better. I can see running many thousands of pounds of grain through this mill. I'd just need to set it up with a stationary motor when I get into more larger batches more than 12 gallons into primary/fermenter).

Plus, the man from Monster is a member of these boards. I got good info from him before I placed my order. If you have any questions about their products, reach out to them. My mill arrived in tip-top shape and went together pretty easily. I'll take pictures of it assembled next chance I get as well as the next time I send grain through it. I really do love the larger hopper setup. Especially since many of my batches call for 13-18# of grain. Not counting the really big brews. I'm now ready for 10+ gallon batches. The more modest OG batches will fit in the hopper without refilling. Bigger ones, probably not. My bigger issue will be buckets to mill the grain into. Really liking sending it into clear buckets (food grade).
 
Does Monster Mill give us any kind of coupon or shipping discount deals as HBT members?
 
Golddiggie said:
Don't get me wrong, the BC is a good mill. But it's not in the same class as the Monster mills with their two inch rollers and/or hardened options. Plus having six inch long rollers makes it even better. I can see running many thousands of pounds of grain through this mill. I'd just need to set it up with a stationary motor when I get into more larger batches more than 12 gallons into primary/fermenter).

Plus, the man from Monster is a member of these boards. I got good info from him before I placed my order. If you have any questions about their products, reach out to them. My mill arrived in tip-top shape and went together pretty easily. I'll take pictures of it assembled next chance I get as well as the next time I send grain through it. I really do love the larger hopper setup. Especially since many of my batches call for 13-18# of grain. Not counting the really big brews. I'm now ready for 10+ gallon batches. The more modest OG batches will fit in the hopper without refilling. Bigger ones, probably not. My bigger issue will be buckets to mill the grain into. Really liking sending it into clear buckets (food grade).
Click to expand...

I was told when I purchased my mill that I could easily run 50K + pounds of grain through it, sold!
 

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