Monster Mill Geared 3 Roller Pro Brewer Grain Mill substitute

[Tobor_8thMan]

I've given up on my Malt Muncher 3. I like the Monster Mill geared 3 roller pro brewer grain mill except for the price.

http://www.monsterbrewinghardware.com/store/pc/Geared-3-Roller-Pro-Brewer-Grain-Mill-10p308.htm
Anyone recommend a similar mill without the high cost?

Thanks.

 

[Tom R]

Crankandstein's 320G is $340.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Thoughts, opinions on the Crankandstein 320G?

 

[deuc224]

Im getting crankandstein because of the geared rollers and the detented settings.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

That's a nice mill. Let us know how it works or if there are any problems. Thanks.

 

[Bobby_M]

The Monster has hardened rollers but that would only matter if you expect to run 100k pounds of grain through it. The gears are outside of the grain path but I have no idea if that matters. I'm torn on the detent gap setting being a pro vs. con. As a mill wears, the gap setting at any given detent will get larger. The detent forces you to the next position rather than a slight correction back to your desired setting. Granted, .005" is a pretty incremental adjustment. On the con side, the C&S hopper is very DIY compared to Monster. Using it in a commercial operation forced me to the Monster due to the hardened rollers and the larger capacity hopper. I probably would check out the C&S if I were just homebrewing.

One thing to keep in mind is that I don't think the gearing is all that important on a mill that uses 2" rollers. The odds of a spin-stall is very low with that kind of entry angle. I only had issues with my 2 roller (2") when I tried milling 100% rye or carapils at a gap near .018".

 

[Yesfan]

Why are all these high end mills still using bronze bushings? The Cereal Killer from AiB ($100) uses bearings in place of the bushings. I've seen posts here on the past where the big negative on these high end mills is the bronze bushings. So are bearings over bushings that important or is it marketing hype?

The reason I ask is, I plan to look for a mill myself. I'm using my Barley Crusher that's still going strong after 8 yrs and we all know about the rave reviews that mill gets on this sight.

I'm leaning toward the Cereal Killer myself because of price and it having bearings. I like the Crankenstein because of the detent settings and it seems mid price compared to the Cereal Killer and Monster. The Monster is in the high end of my budget but I like the larger hopper (and its extension) plus it's made in the USA.

 

[RPh_Guy]

@Tobor_8thMan Still having issues? That's a bummer.

Take a look through my article to see i if anything jumps out that might help you...
https://***************.com/wiki/Milling
I also have a comparison of mills. I feel that the kegco 3-roller is the best value.

Ball bearings are a good feature.
Gearing is definitely not needed, particularly when the rollers are knurled. The Ss Brewtech mill however actually takes advantage of geared rollers by using a fluted morphology and speed differential.
Eccentric adjusters seem like the best choice to me because you can fine-tune the gap.

 

[Bobby_M]

Why are all these high end mills still using bronze bushings? The Cereal Killer from AiB ($100) uses bearings in place of the bushings. I've seen posts here on the past where the big negative on these high end mills is the bronze bushings. So are bearings over bushings that important or is it marketing hype?

I put at least 100k LBs of grain through my last monster mill and there is no play between the shaft and the bronze bushings that I can feel or see. If I were going to continue to use that mill, I could replace the bearings to brand new for about $10. Good sealed roller bearings that can handle high radial loads are 10x more expensive than bronze and they require holes about twice the diameter. I think the big thing going for the flanged bronze bushings is that the flange provides lubricated centering of the rollers within the end blocks. Without that, I can see the rollers wearing the soft aluminum. I'm just guessing.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

@Tobor_8thMan Still having issues? That's a bummer.

Take a look through my article to see i if anything jumps out that might help you...
https://***************.com/wiki/Milling
I also have a comparison of mills. I feel that the kegco 3-roller is the best value.

Ball bearings are a good feature.
Gearing is definitely not needed, particularly when the rollers are knurled. The Ss Brewtech mill however actually takes advantage of geared rollers by using a fluted morphology and speed differential.
Eccentric adjusters seem like the best choice to me because you can fine-tune the gap.

Thanks, I will read the article.