siletzspey
Well-Known Member
Heading into season #4 of hand grinding apples, I'm looking for some recommendations.
In the US, the Weston style grinder with 4-point handle seems to dominate. My friend has a Happy Valley grinder/press with the Weston style grinder, which includes a better weighty handle (fly-wheel), but ouch, it can still be a workout to grind ~150 gallons of applies a day for ~30 gallons of cider. The pulp seems right, so no complaint there. Harder apples can halt the fly-wheel, and backing up rarely re-orients the apples to a new position that will be easier to grind thru.
In the UK and Europe, another style of grinder seems to dominate. Buried in the description of many is "APEX OBM-7". During one season, I rented such a unit from a local brewing shop, and found it much easier to use. The pulp seems ok. For sure it's better at slicing thru harder apples, and if a jam occurs, backing up re-orients the apples for a 2nd pass that usually works. But while the unit is widely available in Europe for ~$100 US, those sources won't ship to the US, and the few niche suppliers I found in the US want $200 - $350 for the same or similar units.
Any thoughts on which is the better grinder style? Is there another style worth considering? Does anyone know of a US source for the APEX style units for less than $200?
Here are some pictures.
The Weston style with 4-point handle:
The Weston style teeth:
The Happy Valley handle which helps give a fly-wheel effect:
The APEX style:
The APEX style teeth on a Vigo unit:
This is an alternate APEX style that exactly matches what I rented from the local brew store. The handle wasn't heavy enough to give a fly-wheel effect, but that didn't matter much, it was still easier to use than a Weston style unit:
--SiletzSpey
In the US, the Weston style grinder with 4-point handle seems to dominate. My friend has a Happy Valley grinder/press with the Weston style grinder, which includes a better weighty handle (fly-wheel), but ouch, it can still be a workout to grind ~150 gallons of applies a day for ~30 gallons of cider. The pulp seems right, so no complaint there. Harder apples can halt the fly-wheel, and backing up rarely re-orients the apples to a new position that will be easier to grind thru.
In the UK and Europe, another style of grinder seems to dominate. Buried in the description of many is "APEX OBM-7". During one season, I rented such a unit from a local brewing shop, and found it much easier to use. The pulp seems ok. For sure it's better at slicing thru harder apples, and if a jam occurs, backing up re-orients the apples for a 2nd pass that usually works. But while the unit is widely available in Europe for ~$100 US, those sources won't ship to the US, and the few niche suppliers I found in the US want $200 - $350 for the same or similar units.
Any thoughts on which is the better grinder style? Is there another style worth considering? Does anyone know of a US source for the APEX style units for less than $200?
Here are some pictures.
The Weston style with 4-point handle:
The Weston style teeth:
The Happy Valley handle which helps give a fly-wheel effect:
The APEX style:
The APEX style teeth on a Vigo unit:
This is an alternate APEX style that exactly matches what I rented from the local brew store. The handle wasn't heavy enough to give a fly-wheel effect, but that didn't matter much, it was still easier to use than a Weston style unit:
--SiletzSpey