Deciding between Kegco or monster 3 pro mill

[olotti]

I’ve finally decided after suffering with efficiency issues from my lhbs grain crush and I’m brew8ng more since I got my kegerator that’ll be more feasible to start milling my own grain, plus I want more control in the process to help increase my efficiency to mill the grains finer. So I was looking at these two mills, I know the monster is about 70-80$ more just wondering if it’s worth the extra cost. both get great reviews and I like the monster comes with the base since I’d be buying anyway to mount the Kegco on So all said and done the Kegco will be around 200$ so spend the extra 60$ on the monster. Does the monster really crush the grain more efficiently for the extra cost, I’ll be running either with a drill for an avg grain bill of 14-18# and hopefully that’ll go down if I can mill finer and I’m tease my efficiency. I already got the go ahead from the wife so now just t8me to decide.

 

[VTX1300]

I have the Kegco and love it. one of the best brewery upgrades I have made. Any 3 roller mill will do the job, I just could not see spending the money on a big brand name. this mill has sealed ball bearings, not bushings, so if you decide to motorize it sometime the bearings will take the load. I still run mine with a cheap HF corded drill. Efficiency, consistency and buying grains in bulk were my reasons for investing in a mill.
Hope this helps. The Kegco is a good mill that has given me great service.

 

[olotti]

Thanks for the reply. I have a HF right by me so I’m gonna go get one of those low rpm drills for like 45$ to run this. I do like that the Kegco comes with the 11lb hopper whereas the monsters is only 8lbs.

 

[matt_m]

I have the MM3 and for the most part really like it but if I was buying again I'd get the MM2. Every once in a while the undriven roller doesn't want to turn. It seems to stick ever so slightly occasionally and if you don't check before dumping in a bucket of grain your only option is to empty the hopper. I've seen a fix with a fat oring one one roller to drive the other I'll eventually do. They do make a hopper extension for 15lb which I have. I powered my with an All American Aleworks and built a nice table and its the last mill I should ever need.

 

[stickyfinger]

I was debating upgrading my 17-yr old barley crusher to a 3-roller model. I started conditioning my malt and I thought maybe I wouldn't have to do that if I had a 3-roller mill as it cracks the malt and then crushes it down to size all in one pass. However, I think the conditioning probably gives a better crush than the dry 3-roller result so I've committed to just continuing the conditioning.

If a dry 3-roller crush gives enough benefit for you over a dry 2-roller crush, then maybe it is worth the extra cost, but a conditioned malt 2-roller crush is really amazing (it does take some extra time each brew though to stir in some water to the malt with a spray bottle.)

 

[IslandLizard]

I have the MM3 and for the most part really like it but if I was buying again I'd get the MM2. Every once in a while the undriven roller doesn't want to turn. It seems to stick ever so slightly occasionally and if you don't check before dumping in a bucket of grain your only option is to empty the hopper. I've seen a fix with a fat oring one one roller to drive the other I'll eventually do. They do make a hopper extension for 15lb which I have. I powered my with an All American Aleworks and built a nice table and its the last mill I should ever need.

I have an MM2. The slave roller has been stuck a few times too. Here's what I do:
I always spin the slave roller before milling. You've got 2 to check.
When it spins freely (usually) it's always been fine.
I first start the drill then fill the hopper, which I think is always best.

If it's stuck, check alignment.
Overtightening the frame to the flimsy MDF baseboard they supply can also cause misalignment and thus unexpected lockups. Just easing up a tad on the base screws may fix it.

 

[stickyfinger]

The other thing you can do if you can't get the grain to start milling is to poke a knife down through the malt in the hopper and gently jab at the slave roller to get it to catch. Once it catches it will often keep milling until the malt is all gone from the hopper.

 

[LittleRiver]

I went with the Kegco 3 roller about 4 years ago. It has worked flawlessly every single time, and is still going strong. One of my best brewing gear decisions.

 

[olotti]

Thanks for your reply. I think I’m leaning this way. Seems like a great mill And really affordable.

 

[passedpawn]

Where are these two mills manufactured?

 

[olotti]

Monster mill is USA and kegco is China

 

[stickyfinger]

the age old question of buying american or buying chinese. F*U*C*K*

 

[olotti]

So does conditioning make that much of a difference? And wether USA or China idk I just want it to work well. People still buy Mercedes or bmw over Lincoln but to each their own. I don’t want this to turn into some sort of political debate.

 

[stickyfinger]

ha ha ha. totally dude. The global economy (as it used to be before corona...) was brutal but also awesome but also brutal but also awesome... anyway, i don't want to get into politics either.

so, let me just say that in almost 20 yrs of homebrewing, i can safely say that conditioning the malt DEFINITELY results in an AMAZING crush. You get a very very tight crush with very intact hulls. I really don't think anything can touch it in terms of crush. However, if you don't use a recirculating mash system like I do (HERMS) it might not be that important. I also use 1# rice hulls in addition to conditioning to add a little more insurance and especially to give great results with small malt bills in a large mash tun when fly sparging (as I always do.)

So what is your brew method? BIAB, batch sparge, fly sparge? I guarantee you will love conditioning if you fly sparge. If you BIAB or batch sparge, I think you can get away with a 2-roller mill very tight, without conditioning, and still get great extraction and no sticking issues. If you fly sparge, look into conditioning with a 2-roller mill. that is my opinion.

 

[day_trippr]

Big difference. Read the thread you just started...

Cheers!

 

[olotti]

ha ha ha. totally dude. The global economy (as it used to be before corona...) was brutal but also awesome but also brutal but also awesome... anyway, i don't want to get into politics either.

so, let me just say that in almost 20 yrs of homebrewing, i can safely say that conditioning the malt DEFINITELY results in an AMAZING crush. You get a very very tight crush with very intact hulls. I really don't think anything can touch it in terms of crush. However, if you don't use a recirculating mash system like I do (HERMS) it might not be that important. I also use 1# rice hulls in addition to conditioning to add a little more insurance and especially to give great results with small malt bills in a large mash tun when fly sparging (as I always do.)

So what is your brew method? BIAB, batch sparge, fly sparge? I guarantee you will love conditioning if you fly sparge. If you BIAB or batch sparge, I think you can get away with a 2-roller mill very tight, without conditioning, and still get great extraction and no sticking issues. If you fly sparge, look into conditioning with a 2-roller mill. that is my opinion.

i brew AG with a 10 gal mlt and batch sparge for 5 gal batches.

 

[olotti]

Big difference. Read the thread you just started...

Cheers!

Really mr curmudgeon. Just looking for some thoughts. U didn’t have to reply either if my thread was to rudimentary for you cuz basically your reply amounted to nothing.

 

[stickyfinger]

Well others can chime in but i think for batch sparge all you need is a simple 2-roller mill with a tight crush for good results ala Denny conn.

 

[stickyfinger]

Ha ha. Dont get pissed at Day underscore Trippr. Everyone knows he’s kind of a d*i*c*k* but he has a wealh of knowledge to share too. Just dont piss him off. . Ha ha

 

[olotti]

Ha ha. Dont get pissed at Day underscore Trippr. Everyone knows he’s kind of a d*i*c*k* but he has a wealh of knowledge to share too. Just dont piss him off. . Ha ha

eh I’ve been around awhile I‘m familiar with our old day tripper. I think for the money then I’ll prob go with the Kegco or the monster 2-2 pro.

 

[stickyfinger]

can you try out a fellow brewer's mill to make sure you like the result? that is the best way to choose. i think a 2-roller cheap mill will be great for you though. then put the extra money into other stuff. honestly, i've been using a low speed high torque drill with my mill and it works awesome. easy, cheap and can be used for other household chores...

 

[trevelynzx]

mm3 is no doubt a great well made mill. but you’d think for the $ they would have build in an easier way to adjust the gap other than taking the whole thing apart.

 

[olotti]

can you try out a fellow brewer's mill to make sure you like the result? that is the best way to choose. i think a 2-roller cheap mill will be great for you though. then put the extra money into other stuff. honestly, i've been using a low speed high torque drill with my mill and it works awesome. easy, cheap and can be used for other household chores...

I wish I knew someone With a mill. I do not. Ok well I’ll look at the 2 roller mills and I plan on buying low speed high torque drill I could always use one.

 

[stickyfinger]

i really think you'll be happy going that way. if not, i apologize!

wow, you have to take apart the mm3 to adjust the gap? that seems really stupid. maybe i'm not getting why that isn't important though?

 

[jekeane]

I hate my MM3.

I had a cheap barley crusher dialed in and loved it till it gave up the ghost.

I replaced it with a mm3 and my efficiency dropped 10%. I have gapped the mill with several different tools and I can’t get back to where I was.

MM couldnt explain the issue. I have used my friends MM 2 roller and went right back to my original efficiency.

 

[Dog House Brew]

I have MM3 w stainless rolls. It is an original from when Fred started. Love the mill and have the hopper extension. Powered by an a 1/2” Skill drill from the 70’s. Plugged into a router speed controller. The thing about the MM3 is it can’t be tightened down the the base. Mine kept hanging up. Once I loosened the mounting bolts so it could move a little, hasn’t hung since.

 

[Dave Sarber]

I bought the Kegco, mainly for the bearings. I then built a large base and a hopper extension. The only thing I don't like about the Kegco is that it has stainless rollers.

Before and after.

 

[trevelynzx]

i really think you'll be happy going that way. if not, i apologize!

wow, you have to take apart the mm3 to adjust the gap? that seems really stupid. maybe i'm not getting why that isn't important though?

yep. when a malt bill calls for wheat i have to crush the barley then take the mm3 apart to tighten gap for the wheat. then back again for the next time. painful. requires a wrench and annoying finger bolts.

 

[CodeSection]

mm3 is no doubt a great well made mill. but you’d think for the $ they would have build in an easier way to adjust the gap other than taking the whole thing apart.

....wow, you have to take apart the mm3 to adjust the gap? that seems really stupid....

@trevelynzx, the next time you take the MM3 apart and for those that just bought one or is considering buying one, simply make multiple gaps and mark the positions on plate where the gap adjustment knob is BEFORE assembly. For instance one might have gap settings of .030, .035, .040, and .045.

There is simply no reason one should have to disassemble the MM3 to change gap settings every time they want to adjust the gap.....

 

[Dog House Brew]

@trevelynzx, the next time you take the MM3 apart and for those that just bought one or is considering buying one, simply make multiple gaps and mark the positions on plate where the gap adjustment knob is BEFORE assembly. For instance one might have gap settings of .030, .035, .040, and .045.

There is simply no reason one should have to disassemble the MM3 to change gap settings every time they want to adjust the gap.....

This is what I did ^^^ I loosen set screw, adjust to mark, tighten set screw, and mill.