Grain mill?

[IslandLizard]

Not sure which crankandstein 2s you have used but mine is adjustable. Just sayin. I actually stuck with the factory setting and it mills great

http://www.crankandstein.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12

Sorry about that, you are absolutely right. I was (incorrectly) under the impression the 2s's bearings were not adjustable. They are!

Looking over the documentation, it doesn't look as easy as a turning a knob, but then again, how many times would you adjust it, once you're happy with the crush?

 

[williamsdm1111]

Thanks for all of the input. I still don't know which one to get though. Most likely it will be the cereal killer.

 

[unionrdr]

The MM2 & 3 are prohibitively expensive for me,at $147 dollars for just the Rollers mounted in a framework. And since I only do 1 or 2 batches a month of 4-6lbs grain each,the Barley Crusher is fine.

 

[mblanks2]

Check out http://www.millarsmills.com Impressive looking mill. I will probably go this route very soon.

 

[logdrum]

The MM2 & 3 are prohibitively expensive for me,at $147 dollars for just the Rollers mounted in a framework. And since I only do 1 or 2 batches a month of 4-6lbs grain each,the Barley Crusher is fine.

Again, lots & lots of people use & love the Barley Crusher, but the MM-2 with base & hopper is $157.00 plus shipping.

http://www.monsterbrewinghardware.com/mm-2.html

 

[bratrules]

The Barley Crusher mill at NB is $130. http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/barley-crusher-w-7-hopper.html Solid base & two hopper sizes,this one being 7lb size. perfect for steeping grains or partial mash amounts. Even with the hand crank,I can go through 4-6lbs of grain in no time. Stock setting of .039" is notched on the adjustment knobs too. Great crush on factory settings.

Thax for the info on the barley crusher!! I guess its a toss between the barley crusher and this one. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009601M4I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[funnycreature]

Thax for the info on the barley crusher!! I guess its a toss between the barley crusher and this one. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009601M4I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

There's an active thread for the Millar's Mill: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/reviews-millars-barley-mill-318540/. I have it and am pleased but I found that one roller is off-center resulting in an oscillating gap. Not perfect but I will send it for replacement. Good customer service and a price that cannot be beat!

 

[alestateyall]

The barley crusher is cheaper here:

http://beersmith.com/barley-crusher

 

[Kuhndog]

I would be a little hesitant about Millars Mill only because if you look at the website overall - he's like a Ron Popeil...selling all kinds of things that he "invented". Exspresso machines, pizza ovens, malt mills...etc.

I found out that he only warranties it for 1 yr as a homebrewer, 6 months commercial. It may have "upgrades" compared to Barley Crusher or Monster Mill...with better bearings and the "pro-last" roller design which he claims adds life to the stainless steel rollers.

I don't have a mill yet...but I do know a thing about business and sales. If you are going to say we have this and that....why not back it up with a warranty then? Barley Crusher, Monster Mill, Rebel Mill....etc they all have warranties longer than the Millar Mill....BUT the Millar Mill is supposed to be better? It hasn't been out that long and they are already on the 3 version. Also people haven't had them that long to see if they last. That would be my issue in picking a mill....the others have been out for a while and all of them have pros/cons....but all of them have large customer bases too. I guess I'm just a little skeptic when they say they have the best mill available, sell it for cheap, but the warranty is only for a year vs other manufacturers who have basically an unlimited warranty. That makes we wonder if he believes in the product he is selling....that's all.

It's sort of like a brand new car or a complete redesign with a new engine...it might get great gas, more horsepower...etc but until it's been out there for a while and it's got some miles put on it - you don't know about it's reliability.

 

[kh54s10]

For those on really tight budgets a Corona style mill is a great option so you can get started saving with bulk grain while saving $$ for a roller mill. If you decide to switch at all. Many don't.

 

[funnycreature]

I would be a little hesitant about Millars Mill only because if you look at the website overall - he's like a Ron Popeil...selling all kinds of things that he "invented". Exspresso machines, pizza ovens, malt mills...etc.

I found out that he only warranties it for 1 yr as a homebrewer, 6 months commercial. It may have "upgrades" compared to Barley Crusher or Monster Mill...with better bearings and the "pro-last" roller design which he claims adds life to the stainless steel rollers.

I don't have a mill yet...but I do know a thing about business and sales. If you are going to say we have this and that....why not back it up with a warranty then? Barley Crusher, Monster Mill, Rebel Mill....etc they all have warranties longer than the Millar Mill....BUT the Millar Mill is supposed to be better? It hasn't been out that long and they are already on the 3 version. Also people haven't had them that long to see if they last. That would be my issue in picking a mill....the others have been out for a while and all of them have pros/cons....but all of them have large customer bases too. I guess I'm just a little skeptic when they say they have the best mill available, sell it for cheap, but the warranty is only for a year vs other manufacturers who have basically an unlimited warranty. That makes we wonder if he believes in the product he is selling....that's all.

It's sort of like a brand new car or a complete redesign with a new engine...it might get great gas, more horsepower...etc but until it's been out there for a while and it's got some miles put on it - you don't know about it's reliability.

I understand what you're saying but for me the factor was money and convenience. While I enjoy DIY I simply don't have the time anymore to build everything myself so I went with an affordable solution that has the hopper and rails included. But I agree that it might not be the same high quality as the MM or Crankandstein. You get what you pay for

 

[mobrewdude]

I'm using the Cereal Killer as well. Only milled 1 batch so far but it was 14 lbs and with the hand crank I got through it in maybe 5-6 minutes. Using the stock settings I got 74% efficiency with it. I have already tightened it down a bit for my next batch. Can't be beat for 100 (I also go free shipping on mine as well).

One more vote for the Cereal Killer. Good quality and it was inexpensive (I think I got in on the $90 plus free shipping deal too). I've had mine about a year and have milled hundreds of pounds of grain with it. The settings haven't changed a bit. The one thing I would possibly change is the handle. The quality is top-notch but the length of the handle could be a little longer for leverage. I condition my grains and set a tighter gap as a result and it was tough-going with the handle in it's original configuration. My fix was to simply chuck the shaft up in a drill and I can now mill the grain for most of my 5 gallon batches in under a minute.

With that said, I've seen the MM3 and a powered version of the Barley Crusher in action and they both look great too.

 

[hunter_le five]

Another Barley Crusher user here. So far I like it. It gives me a far better crush at the factory setting than my LHBS, and it didn't break the bank to buy it. I finally stopped having stuck sparges and my efficiency seems to have increased. I don't know how it compares to the other mills but I'm fully satisfied with the BC.

 

[TNTgill]

One more vote for the Cereal Killer. Good quality and it was inexpensive (I think I got in on the $90 plus free shipping deal too). I've had mine about a year and have milled hundreds of pounds of grain with it. The settings haven't changed a bit. The one thing I would possibly change is the handle. The quality is top-notch but the length of the handle could be a little longer for leverage. I condition my grains and set a tighter gap as a result and it was tough-going with the handle in it's original configuration. My fix was to simply chuck the shaft up in a drill and I can now mill the grain for most of my 5 gallon batches in under a minute.

With that said, I've seen the MM3 and a powered version of the Barley Crusher in action and they both look great too.

I think they changed the length of the handle on the newest batch of cereal killers. Mine is 7 inches from hole to handle and I milled 14 lbs in 5-6 minutes by hand. I love mine.

 

[unionrdr]

Another Barley Crusher user here. So far I like it. It gives me a far better crush at the factory setting than my LHBS, and it didn't break the bank to buy it. I finally stopped having stuck sparges and my efficiency seems to have increased. I don't know how it compares to the other mills but I'm fully satisfied with the BC.

It def gives a better crush than I've been getting commercially. And I only brew 1-2 batches a month,so it's not like I'll wear it out in no time. Def gets me good efficiency without all the extra floury part.

 

[funnycreature]

Here's Todd's [Millar's Mill] reply regarding the return or the entire mill because it's off-centered:

What ever you want to do is fine. Just to let you know you are the only mill so far that has had a problem at all. So we are curious about why it has happened. It could be the bearing was not pressed strait but we are not sure until we see it. Did you mill any wet or damp grain? The reason why I ask is maybe it damaged the bearing to make it out of round if the roller got caked with wet grain wich would push the bearing out of round. This could also happen if the mill has cracked too hard of a grain such as popcorn or a foreign object going through the grain mill.
Best regards
Todd

I am no engineer by any means but should the bearings really be so sensitive that the rollers can get out of alignment but milling wet grain? Should that be an argument for returning the mill? I'd like to get other inputs please on how to interpret this email. He was very nice and quick but what he is saying worries me.
Thanks! [I also posted this in the Review thread about the Millar's Mill]

 

[JohnSand]

It sounds like he's willing to fix it.

 

[IslandLizard]

It sounds like he's willing to fix it.

Yeah, but barely. There's some clear deflection by pointing to wet grains, hard corn, undefined foreign objects (UFOs?), etc.

Hope he stands behind his promise. Obviously some mechanical defect from the get-go.

 

[mobrewdude]

I think they changed the length of the handle on the newest batch of cereal killers. Mine is 7 inches from hole to handle and I milled 14 lbs in 5-6 minutes by hand. I love mine.

That was the needed fix then, good info! I think mine was maybe just a hair over an inch and a half, it was pretty tough milling with no leverage. If I ever go back to hand cranking I'll either fabricate a new, longer handle or maybe try to get one in the new length.

 

[Kuhndog]

So...if you had the choice between:

BC for $128
Cereal Killer for $110
Monster Mill 2.0 for $166

Shipping is included in the above prices and include the hopper and base.

Which would you choose?

 

[Brewrifle]

I just ordered a BC after debating the exact same thing, Kuhndog. I wanted the MM, but it was $45 more than the BC, and didn't include a manual hand crank (which I may use from time to time). The cereal killer seemed just OK to me, so I wasn't too upset spending an extra $20 for an American Made mill.

 

[LovesIPA]

I was talking to the owner of one of my LHBS's and he said that he used to carry the barley crusher. He also used one in his store and he wore it out. He was milling 500 lbs of grain a day on it. When he contacted the manufacturer, they told him it wasn't designed for commercial use and that they would not honor the warranty.

Not saying it's a bad mill, but just another bit of information that might be useful for someone making a decision.

With that being said, I am going to order a mill this summer for sure and I haven't made up my mind between the Barley Crusher and the MM2. It will be one of the two though.

 

[Clonefan94]

I was talking to the owner of one of my LHBS's and he said that he used to carry the barley crusher. He also used one in his store and he wore it out. He was milling 500 lbs of grain a day on it. When he contacted the manufacturer, they told him it wasn't designed for commercial use and that they would not honor the warranty.

Not saying it's a bad mill, but just another bit of information that might be useful for someone making a decision.

With that being said, I am going to order a mill this summer for sure and I haven't made up my mind between the Barley Crusher and the MM2. It will be one of the two though.

How long did he have the BC for? 500 lbs. a day will wear out any of the mills we've spoken about here that are designed for home brewing use. Milling in one day, what the average homebrewer probably mills in a year (probably 2), you'd be crazy to not expect a failure at some point.

I've had the Barley crusher for about 8 months now. So, I've probably run about 160 pounds of grain through it. Other than losing the rubber O-ring, it looks and works as good as the day I bought it. Plus, running 500 lbs. a day through it, i would think you'd want to tear it down and do a through cleaning/oiling at least once a day.

 

[Kuhndog]

How long did he have the BC for? 500 lbs. a day will wear out any of the mills we've spoken about here that are designed for home brewing use. Milling in one day, what the average homebrewer probably mills in a year (probably 2), you'd be crazy to not expect a failure at some point.

I've had the Barley crusher for about 8 months now. So, I've probably run about 160 pounds of grain through it. Other than losing the rubber O-ring, it looks and works as good as the day I bought it. Plus, running 500 lbs. a day through it, i would think you'd want to tear it down and do a through cleaning/oiling at least once a day.

If that O-ring is an issue (and I've seen it stated before on here), then why isn't it fixed? Isn't it a pretty easy fix? Because to be honest, that seems to be the only problem with the BC...other than people saying the hopper is a little flimpsy...but most of the hoppers are not tanks to begin with...as long as it holds grain...it's good enough.

 

[sniperd]

After all my research I went with a Schmidling MaltMill. I really wanted both rollers to be active (gear driven). We mill 100lbs every time we brew, never had a problem, great crush. I have 4 LHBS, each with different mills. The one place that never seems to have a problem with their mill and always seems to make the best crush uses a Schmidling (always hit my OG). They have been in business for 20 years and it's what they recommended to me, even though they don't sell mills.

Don't let their very old school website scare you.

http://schmidling.com/maltmill.htm

 

[sikkingj]

The JSP MaltMill has been a great investment (http://schmidling.com/maltmill.htm).

I have the adjustable mill and I have been very happy, great crush. However I recently removed the safety guards allowing more grain to come into contact with the rollers, the extra torque caused me to sunder (and yeah I hand crank) my particle board base. I've since made a plywood replacement and have been happy as a calm.

 

[hops2it]

Can't believe it took so long for somebody to mention the JSP Maltmill and now that's 3 of us in a row. Love mine.

 

[SavoryChef]

I would stay away from the Barley Crusher. I have had mine since August and it is getting worn down. I had to email him twice to get a response, and now waiting for another response on a replacement. I can't even mill at .035 with out it skipping most of the time.

Check out this thread on the crappy customer service, and I can vouch for how crappy it is

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/barley-crusher-customer-service-297352/

Compare what metal the Barley crusher and the MM is made of, the MM is wayyyyyyyy stronger metal and will last longer.

 

[williamsdm1111]

I just ordered my cereal killer. Glad I can buy my grain in bulk now.

 

[bbrim]

I have a barley crusher and have had it for about 5 years. I've run maybe 1500 lbs of grain through it, though probably a little less than that. It gives a great, consistent crush but is showing signs of wear. The rollers are getting dull and it slips from time to time. If you are in it for the long haul I would recommend one of the high end mills but the Barley Crusher has been good to me.