Cereal Killer Mill: Fallen apart after 3 batches.

[augiedoggy]

Never mentioned AIH in my post. I have nothing but good experiences with them. I simply relayed my experience of buying a new product and having it fail. Advising others against purchasing.

When I purchase a new item I don't plan on having to do running repairs in such a short time. Reparable or not, to me that is a failure of the product

As I see it potential buyers of this grain mill could see this thread and read all the positive experiences others have had with the product and form their own opinion. Similarly the majority of reviews on this product are excellent. I do not share your opinion that I "slagged" any company.

I don't feel that giving my opinion on a product is out of line in this public forum. The banner articles "Brew and A" repeatedly and regularly ask the question; (paraphrasing) "what is one product you bought that you would not recommend". Clearly this is an acceptable topic for discussion here so I am not understanding your vitriol.

Clearly I have angered/offended some through my lack of skill/knowledge in grain-mill maintenance. That was not my intent. I have no objection to the post being removed by moderators if they feel the need.

and by that same token Its not unreasonable for others to want to understand why you came to that opinion and for them to ask for more info on what you based this thread on? You created the thread and made statements about a product that others have have not had those experiences with... You should be able to explain the reasoning behind the complaint you made right? especially is it was a reasonable complaint that you felt obliged enough about to share here and recommend other take your word and advice that its junk and and not purchase this?

You may have a real valid point about an issue and I for one am just asking for more info to help sort this out and help others realize why you feel the way you do?

 

[Hello]

Above someone mentioned using washers and reattaching the screws. My MM2 came with washers as well and it seemed logical. The hopper is put together with a lot more than 2 screws though.

What do you think about adding washers and getting the screws back in place? Have you asked AIH if they'll replace as well? It sounds like people do mention the hopper is flimsy, which is unfortunate. I don't know how it compares to the Barley Crusher, but I found the BC hopper pretty good. I believe it may be nearly as thick as my MM2 hopper.

I didn't think you were bashing a company, regardless of the product being exclusive to them. Your product fell apart after 3 batches and that in it of itself is not good. Hopefully you can get another and it will live as long as it was intended. A budget mill to me is a Corona Mill. I don't think your expectations were out of whack.

A picture would help though.

 

[botigol]

Gavin, while I agree with your intent (post #25), your original post contained no useful information in order to start a productive conversation. Some qualification of the issue should have been presented, especially given that you stated, "Avoid at all costs." This type of statement is quite strong and should have something to back it. Since you made the purchase, I would think that you at least saw the star rating on their website, if not read some of the reviews, which should have made you wonder why your experience was so different and look for an answer.

Offhand, it seems that you should have done a quick search to see if this has been an issue and if that search came up empty, started a thread with a more exploratory tone, "Has anybody had this issue?" Given this route, you would have ended up with the same requests for pictures, entreaties to contact AIH and offers of help, but without the backlash.

 

[Gavin C]

Gavin, while I agree with your intent (post #25), your original post contained no useful information in order to start a productive conversation. Some qualification of the issue should have been presented, especially given that you stated, "Avoid at all costs." This type of statement is quite strong and should have something to back it. Since you made the purchase, I would think that you at least saw the star rating on their website, if not read some of the reviews, which should have made you wonder why your experience was so different and look for an answer.

Offhand, it seems that you should have done a quick search to see if this has been an issue and if that search came up empty, started a thread with a more exploratory tone, "Has anybody had this issue?" Given this route, you would have ended up with the same requests for pictures, entreaties to contact AIH and offers of help, but without the backlash.

This is a fair point, as is the point earlier made that the tone was very negative and absolute. I posted in anger after the thing fell apart on me after 3 batches and having lots of grain get through unmilled on each batch. I did contact the vendor and they have been very helpful. They too requested pictures which I will provide once I get the time.

Exasperation got the better of me prior to my post. I did not post pictures at the time as I did not intend on doing any repairs right away. I tried putting the bits back together without success; granted I didn't try hard enough. That is fair criticism. Mea maxima culpa.

I believe a new product should not require repairs if used as intended. I am not going to cut off my nose to spite my face however and will try to get on it this weekend and post before and after images; hopefully showing a decent result.

Thanks to all posters for sharing their positive experiences with the mill. Hopefully after a few deep breaths on my part, a bit of better thought out repair attempts, and some patience I will be able to use my mill for some time to come.

 

[Gavin C]

An update.

Fixed the mill with minimal difficulty. It seems the screws/nuts were not cinched down very tightly.

Straightened out the metal where it was a bent
Loosened the nuts to allow full insertion of the hopper into its slot
Tightened the nuts/screw

The small gap between the hopper and the roller setup that was there out of the box is no longer present. I think that was the cause of the grain getting by un-milled. Chalk that one up to inexperience on my part; I was not aware the hopper and roller block were so tenuously united on a grain mill

In summary, I can better understand the reaction my negative post elicited given the simple nature of the repair required. I didn't take any photos as promised; the process was so rudimentary it seemed pointless.

One lives and learns. Lesson here; don't write while angry.

In retrospect I still wish I had purchased a more robust product for a higher price. For the money paid my expectations were certainly higher than I experienced with the CK. I have no doubt that this view is likely to be in the minority.

 

[blizz81]

In retrospect I still wish I had purchased a more robust product for a higher price. For the money paid my expectations were certainly higher than I experienced with the CK. I have no doubt that this view is likely to be in the minority.

I mean, really, it's more a shipping / packing mishap than the inherent "robustness" of the hopper in question here. Any thicker material for a hopper would just be a waste really, and it doesn't matter if they fastened it with 6 nuts and screws, it could still get bent. My barley crusher was bent a bit from shipping. Easy enough to bend back into place.


I understand the idea of spending money on a product and expecting it to be 100% from the get-go, but also, most people willing to buy a grain mill with a hopper are also willing to spend 3 minutes with a pair of pliers. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with this from a design standpoint, not the world's easiest thing to pack / guarantee 100% in shipping with people tossing around boxes, etc.

 

[2B_Brewing]

Yea I've had those bolts loosen that hold the hopper to the mill. But as you can see from a picture I posted earlier, my drill is permanently bolted to the wooden base and I use to grab it by the hopper to carry around. That's alot of weight, so I shouldn't have been surprised when it feel apart once. Just more careful now.

 

[patthebrewer]

Count me in as another guy with zero trouble with mine! I have at least 1K lbs thru mine(actually lost count) in the almost two or so years I've had mine. I actually used it to replace another popular brand that had the bronze bushing wear out in.

Really well spent money IMHO

 

[OzzyBrew]

I had similar issues to Gavin at first. But I'm a dolt and caught myself lifting it by the hopper a couple of times. I just loosened the screws, pushed the hopper back down, retightened and have had zero issues since. I agree with other posters that a small washer would also help. Otherwise this has been a great mill. I BIAB with a megapot and have a Breweasy and use this, with factory settings, on both systems. Isn't it so awesome to be able to grind your own grains?!?!?!?!

 

[markstache]

Some general recommendations for new CK owners:

• Adjust hopper position and tighten bolts
• Check gap (back out eye bolts and nuts, insert feeler gauge or credit card, tighten)
• Add duct tape around edge (it's sharp!)
• Clamp base to bucket, then attach drill, then pour in grain (I tipped mine doing this in the wrong order)

As always, ask on HBT if you're having issues.