Crankenstein 2S

[r8rphan]

Anyone ever used one? It's $76, which is the cheapest I've found for a barley crusher...

Is the adjustment range sufficient? Is it difficult to adjust? Does it keep it's adjustment once set up?

From the website:

2S
$76.00
A basic mill with a settable gap. Dual eccentric bearings can be removed, turned and locked back in place to adjust gap. Factory preset .045" Adjustment ranges from .025" to .065". Two rollers 4" long, 1.5" diameter, cold rolled steel, diamond knurled pattern w/grain-engaged gear teeth at ends Aluminum frames, SAE-841 bronze bearings, eight 1/4"-20 mounting holes for sturdy versatile setup, bolts included Tool-steel driveshaft 3/8" diameter with 3 flats for positive drill chuck attachment Precisely sized, trued and polished axles spin freely with minimal wear This is a basic grain mill guts kit with instructions ready for you to add a base, hopper and drive source. Factory-direct & brand new.

 

[Bobby_M]

Difficult to adjust is relative. You do have to take the mill completely apart to adjust it. The 2D is only $20 more and can be adjusted without disassembling.

 

[cklages]

Actually the 2a is $20 more and the 2d is $40 more. They are all adjustable, Its just the work involved in adjusting that changes(although I am not personally familiar with the 2a). I bought the 2d and love it, but once I dialed it in, I don't really do very much adjusting. In fact with all my experimenting, I ended up setting it back to the same setting that it shipped with. It is nice to know that I can easily adjust it when I want to. Is that worth $40 to you? Only you can answer that question.

 

[r8rphan]

So then, I hear the quality of the Barley Crusher is suspect, so the question comes down to the Crankenstein or the Monster Mill?

 

[r8rphan]

Think I'm gonna bite the bullet and get the Monster MM3...

 

[sensibull]

So then, I hear the quality of the Barley Crusher is suspect, so the question comes down to the Crankenstein or the Monster Mill?

I don't want to hurt anybody's business but I looked into the history of the company split a little bit and I went with the machinist's product (Crankandstein), instead of the marketer (MM). The Monster Milll actually offers a bit more bang (and bling) for your buck, but I chose to support the originator, not the spinoff. I also emailed Don a few times and received fast, courteous, and informative replies very quickly. Just my $.02, FWIW.

 

[r8rphan]

Yeah, there seems to be some politics involved between these two companies.. and one set of people went one way because it's the original, and others went another way claiming the C&S guy treated the MM guy poorly...

The C&S guy may be a machinist and the MM guy a marketer, but obviously a machineist is also involved in the MM versions, because that is 'required' to produce the product... and lets face it, we're not talking about a very complex device here...

From what I can see, they are pretty much identical products in quality with minor differences in features.. The C&S version is $30 more when the MM3 is already considerably more than I was planning on (or should) spend on this..

The C&S version offers detents, with less adjustment range... While the MM offers knurled knobs,and a larger adjustment range....

Right now, it's the price point that has me leaning towards the MM more than anything... But I'm still interested in hearing why and what others went with...

Reviews in various threads around here seem to indicate that purchasers are very pleased with both products...

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

I recently bought a CrankandStein 3D mill. Before deciding to go this route, I read every thread I could find about the three popular mill makers of this type of mill.

I wanted a 3 roller mill with stainless rollers. Barley Crusher only makes 2 roller mills and no stainless options. But most owners of them seem to love them.

C&S vs Monster Mill: I don't want to rehash details of the split between Don and Fred, there is already plenty of debate on that around various brewing forums. And, I really haven't formed an opinion about who might be the bad guy here, if there is one. Don and Fred Actually both seem like great guys, and both offer impeccable customer service.

Personalities and business relationships aside, here's why I went with a C&S mill:

Monster Mill seems to be making a decent mill now. But when Fred first started out on his own, he began selling a copy of the C&S mill from the C&S website that he owned which I believe aren't the same product he sells now. I find nothing on the Monster Mill website that says where they are made, so I assume not in the USA.

The original C&S mill made by Don hasn't changed much. It is a design that has withstood the test of time. I paid more, but I'm willing to pay more for a product made in America, by an American craftsman.

Just my thoughts,

Moose

 

[Bobby_M]

Sorry, I did mistype. I have the 2A and it's plenty easy to adjust. I wouldn't adjust a 2S. It's a pain.