Opinions on Grain Mills?

[jdlev]

I have a corona mill....hate it...it blows. Tried to use a drill with it, and it's made from such cheap steal it cracked the crank shaft.

So what's the best grain mill that can be used with a hand drill without the shaft exploding with adjustable rollers for the best price?

 

[Golddiggie]

I have a Barley Crusher mill and love it. I use my DeWalt 18V cordless drill with it all the time. I've never actually used the hand crank with it.

For your choice, I would look at those from Barley Crusher, Monster Mill, Crand N Stein and the rest to see which has the features at a price you can handle. When I was researching my purchase I wanted to get the most for the money. The BC comes with a hopper and base to sit on the bucket. With most of the others, you need to build one or both of those items. Personally, I don't have the tools to do that (living in an apartment). So the BC made a lot of sense. Plus, Rebel Brewer had them in stock. Not needing to wait for them to ship from the manufacturer was of value to me.

 

[hoppysailor]

Also pleased with our Barley Crusher. It's probably seen 1,000 pounds of grain and no problems yet. We use an 18V Dewalt drill but always on low speed.

 

[bumstigedy]

I have a Barley Crusher too and it works good. I have only run a few hundred pounds through it.

 

[CarlLBC]

Monster mill all the way. Though, I havn't used any other.

:rockin:

 

[allthingsgiant]

+1 Monster Mill + Hopper + Base.

 

[riored4v]

Very happy with my monster mill as well. Probably only a couple hundred lbs through it so far though.

 

[azscoob]

I have a Barley Crusher, when I first got it I sent it out to get the whole thing cryo-treated, I figure this should help reduce dulling of the knurling. so far I have run several hundred pounds through it, it still works like new.

There are many other mills out there, I like the Monster mill as well, but the BC was less money, so I went with that option.

 

[bumstigedy]

What is cryo treating?

 

[JonK331]

I also have a barley crusher that I just purchased a couple months ago. I'm happy with my decision, especially for the price.

 

[azscoob]

What is cryo treating?

It is the slow dropping of the temperature inside a chamber bringing the parts to -300°F where it stays for a couple days, then it is slowly brought up to ambient temp, this greatly increases the strength of the material, reducing wear, improving thermal stability etc.

I have shaved with a cryo treated razor that never went dull for several months.

I get a lot of parts for race motors treated, I find it gives me a cooler running motor, and the parts can hold up to a bit more abuse than non treated componants.

More info can be found here.

 

[Gridlocked]

I really like my Monster Mill 2.0

 

[pd230soi]

BC works great for me. I happen to hand crank, but after 25 lbs of grain I may start looking to slap a drill on it....

 

[bull8042]

I have a barley crusher that I have put a few hundred pounds through and have had no bad experiences at all. It seems to be a pretty solid performer.

 

[logdrum]

I have a monster mill 2.0 with their hopper & base & love it. However, just about everyone loves whatever model they get. I did modify mine a little; I replaced the thumb screws with stainless hex heads-the thumb screws never felt tight enough. If I did it again. I'd still get the monster, with a close second to Crankandstein. A buddy of mine got the barley crusher, loves the crush, hates the hopper.

-d

 

[Face Eater]

I bought a malt mill with the gear drive option and it works awesome. Only being adjustable on the one end bothers some people but on the stock setting I'm getting about 80-85% efficiency consistently. I bought the gear drive option only because I'm going to be motorizing it and I do like that both rollers rotate and pull the grain through. Also, it is built very well and I think this will last me a while which is important.

 

[jmhart]

I have a corona-style mill and love it. I know you said you hate it, but I'm just curious what the deal is with yours. Mine is made out of iron, not steel. I pieced together a ghetto rid for it like Revvy's, and I use a drill. I get 80%+ eff.

 

[jdlev]

I have a corona-style mill and love it. I know you said you hate it, but I'm just curious what the deal is with yours. Mine is made out of iron, not steel. I pieced together a ghetto rid for it like Revvy's, and I use a drill. I get 80%+ eff.

Got a pic?

 

[suprchunk]

I have 3 Monster mills. 1 Barley Crusher. Stopped using the BC after I first used the Monster Mill. I left one MM out in the elements when I deployed and it got a little rusty. So while I was rehabbing that one I got another one and motorized it. Left it behind when I came over here thinking I wouldn't brew that much in the land of beer. Couldn't get many stouts over here, so I bought another mill. I went with what I knew was an awesome device. Now when I get back, it just means I can do barrel batches knowing I have three GOOD mills to crush all that grain. Of course the motorizing will make it effortless anyway. If I had access to my stuff back in the States I would send the BC to you.

 

[jdlev]

Anyone got a link to a full setup on the monster mill? Also...any opinions on the 3 roller vs the 2 roller?

 

[jmhart]

Got a pic?

No pics of mine, but here's a thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-ugly-junk-corona-mill-station-90849/

 

[suprchunk]

I have both. One 2 roller and two 3 roller. I prefer the 3 roller adjustable. It seems to give a more consistent crush. I don't have any 'proof' of this. It's just seems that way.
Here's a video of one:

http://www.youtube.com/v/zcCJoBb1b84

And his website:

Monster

 

[Golddiggie]

Only issue I have with the monster mills is their price. Not to say I wouldn't buy one if I had the funds available to do so. I do like their roller options, just YIKES (on the price)...

When I was looking to get my mill, most of the other makes/models were X weeks out. I needed one within about a week (or so)... I got the BC from Rebel with time to spare. :rockin:

I do plan on using it until it no longer does a solid job. Then, who knows what I'll get. I hope to be brewing on a larger scale by then, so I'll have different needs.