What’s the best grain mill for the price?

[Dgallo]

Looking for a little help and was hoping to get some suggestions from people of the best grain mill to buy for the price. Hoping not to spend more than $150-$180 on it, the less expensive the better. If you do have a suggestion, I wouldn’t mind hearing why you would choose one mill over another. Thanks in advance.

 

[tegman]

I went with the Cereal Killer because it had good reviews and a great price. I've used it for 30+ BIAB brews with no issues. I check the gap before each brew and it rarely needs any adjustment. Very satisfied with my purchase.

 

[jjw5015]

I've used the cereal killer for about 4 years now. No complaints, but I don't have anything else to compare it to. Think it was $99

 

[kh54s10]

You will get lots of opinions. There is a lot of personal preference and budgets in the answer.
For 8 years I used a corona style mill that cost about $25. I paid $0 it was a Christmas present. It worked fine.
I wanted to make a change, it was a little temperamental in starting to spin.
I went with the Cereal Killer also based on reviews and price.
It has so far made no difference in the beer.
It is a little easier to use.

 

[firerat]

You will get lots of opinions. There is a lot of personal preference and budgets in the answer.
For 8 years I used a corona style mill that cost about $25. I paid $0 it was a Christmas present. It worked fine.
I wanted to make a change, it was a little temperamental in starting to spin.
I went with the Cereal Killer also based on reviews and price.
It has so far made no difference in the beer.
It is a little easier to use.

Aside from me actually buying my corona myself, this was my experience.

I'm happy with the cereal killer. Couldn't be much easier to use and the price was right.

 

[OnePlate]

I've been researching this myself the last few days. The Cereal Killer has a pretty universal thumbs up from everyone on HBT. If you're thinking you want to be a little more fancy the KegCo KM11GM-3R 3-roller mill is unbeatable for the price. That's the one I'm trying to convince the wife I need as an early X-mas present.

 

[ZmannR2]

Cereal killer here too for a few years now....but a few times lately it'll just spin and do nothing.....think my gap is too small....I set it to a credit card width

 

[firerat]

Cereal killer here too for a few years now....but a few times lately it'll just spin and do nothing.....think my gap is too small....I set it to a credit card width

Make sure your drill is spinning the right way....

Ask me how I know.....

 

[homebrewfinds]

Not too long ago I would have said the Cereal Killer. However, AIH has released the Crop Duster. With their current brew more save more sale it's just $69.99. Have not tried it, but it looks like a great mill for the price.... https://www.homebrewfinds.com/2019/08/the-crop-duster-grain-mill-69-99-w-stacking-deals.html

 

[nick sekerak]

i use a barley crusher just cause i got it used for $75. When i was looking at the cereal killer it looked like the exact same thing at the barley crusher. THe only diff was that the barley crusher could do a smaller gap.

 

[RCope]

I, too use a Barley Crusher from Northern Brewer. 30 batches, adjusts easy, and does a fine job...159.99 but with 20 or 25% off it's reasonable.

 

[day_trippr]

I pushed my Barley Crusher well past the average lifespan and replaced it with a $99 Cereal Killer mill last winter. Have been quite pleased with its build quality (far superior to the BC) and performance. Two thumbs up for sure...

Cheers!

 

[augiedoggy]

Not too long ago I would have said the Cereal Killer. However, AIH has released the Crop Duster. With their current brew more save more sale it's just $69.99. Have not tried it, but it looks like a great mill for the price.... https://www.homebrewfinds.com/2019/08/the-crop-duster-grain-mill-69-99-w-stacking-deals.html

this mill has much softer stainless rollers though which means it will likely suffer the same fate as the barley crushers do. all you have to do is google "problems with grain mill" or "grain mill rollers stuck or sticking" to see pages of complains about the barley crusher due to the soft metal used for the rollers and the knurling wearing down.

 

[augiedoggy]

i use a barley crusher just cause i got it used for $75. When i was looking at the cereal killer it looked like the exact same thing at the barley crusher. THe only diff was that the barley crusher could do a smaller gap.

Sorry to sound like a broken record but actually there are a few BIG differences between these two mills that should be covered..

The barely crusher costs more$$ and even though it does, it uses cheaper bronze bushings instead of the real sealed ball bearings found on the cereal killer.
The barely crusher uses soft metal rollers that some members here had to send the mill back multiple times to have replaced before giving up and replacing the mill. the cereal killer uses hardened cold roller steel. Dont take my word for it. Do a search here.

Did You get that mill used because the owner was done with the hobby of brewing or because he replaced it with a better mill?

 

[augiedoggy]

Cereal killer here too for a few years now....but a few times lately it'll just spin and do nothing.....think my gap is too small....I set it to a credit card width

My CKs been set with a credit card for 6 years now without issues so that shouldnt be the issue really. Ive put many sacks of grain through it.

 

[augiedoggy]

Looking for a little help and was hoping to get some suggestions from people of the best grain mill to buy for the price. Hoping not to spend more than $150-$180 on it, the less expensive the better. If you do have a suggestion, I wouldn’t mind hearing why you would choose one mill over another. Thanks in advance.

my vote is for the cereal killer or this mill below which seems to have gone up in price over $30 in the last 2 days for some reason.
https://www.beveragefactory.com/homebrew/pre-fermentation-equipment/kegco-km11gm-3r-grain-mill.html

I have both of these mills. I ues the cereal killer at home motorized and the kegco gets used at my brewpub every week and has had literally thousands of pounds of grain through it at this point with zero problems.

what ever you buy look for features like hardened rollers and ball bearings.

 

[kh54s10]

i use a barley crusher just cause i got it used for $75. When i was looking at the cereal killer it looked like the exact same thing at the barley crusher. TH.e only diff was that the barley crusher could do a smaller gap.

The Barley Crusher and Cereal Killer are NOT the same. I did my research before I bought the Cereal Killer and all the problems that people posted about the Barley Crusher and getting it serviced convinced me not to buy a Barley Crusher. The rollers wear out way too soon, the bushings also are inferior to the Cereal Killer's sealed bearings.

Not sure about the gap either. When I was setting the gap on my Cereal Killer I think that at one point I had the 2 rollers touching. Not positive about that.

 

[Sbe2]

I have a Kegco 2 Roller(KM7GM-2R) that I bought for right handy to $100. It has lasted for several years and several hundred pounds of grain.

 

[kh54s10]

For what it's worth, my $25 Corona style mill that cost me nothing, other than mounting it, because it was a Christmas gift worked just fine for 8 years and 105 batches, mostly 5 gallon. It was a bit difficult get to spin then run at an even speed with my drill motor. I replaced it with the Cereal Killer. If the rollers on the CK were to wear down or something else were to break I would have no qualms about returning to the Corona.

 

[Dgallo]

Thanks to everyone on the advice. I was looking into the CK so I’m glad to see so many having a positive experience

 

[tegman]

Cereal killer here too for a few years now....but a few times lately it'll just spin and do nothing.....think my gap is too small....I set it to a credit card width

Are you running your flaked adjuncts through the mill? I used to run everything through the mill and found it would just spin if too much flaked oats hit the mill at the same time. Since they don't need to be milled I no longer do that and my spinning issue went away.

 

[sicktght311]

Another vote for the Cereal Killer. I've had it over a year now for 20+ brews and it hasnt failed me once

 

[augiedoggy]

I have a Kegco 2 Roller(KM7GM-2R) that I bought for right handy to $100. It has lasted for several years and several hundred pounds of grain.

This This mill is actually the same exact mill as the cerial killer just rebranded

 

[mongoose33]

I've had a barley crusher--don't go there!--and currently have a Monster Mill III that's motorized (outside your budget parameters).

If I were to get a mill in or around your price range, the Cereal Killer would be my choice. At $99, you even have some room to look at motorizing it, which is actually very cool. You can get a drill from Harbor Freight or something similar, but there are other motor options as well.

And at that price point, with a drill to motorize it, there's enough money left to build a rolling cabinet or other piece of "furniture" that fits your space. One of the coolest things about my MM3 is that it sits there, ready to go, all I need to do is put a bucket under it, turn on the switch, and in goes the grain. No setup, no taking off a shelf, setting up a drill, or any of that stuff.

So if it were me--and all this depends on what's most important to you--I'd be all over a cereal killer, some way to motorize it, and use the balance to build something to permanently mount both.

*************

If you want an easy way to make a rolling cabinet, start with a furniture dolly which you can get at any home story. Hard to even buy the casters for what those things cost.

 

[Blazinlow86]

I'd say cereal killer on a budget. Monster mill if your not. Do not buy a barley crusher or equivalent. They don't last long. Cheers

 

[9Kegs]

My first mill was a Barley Crusher and the rollers stopped grabbing grain after 3 months. I then purchased a Cereal Killer and what an improvement in quality.

 

[MaxStout]

There's a lengthy thread around here that goes into painful detail about all the problems people have had with Barley Crusher's customer service (or lack, thereof). Run like hell from that one.

I have a 2-roller Monster Mill, but am not impressed with its use of bronze sleeve bearings. It works OK, but if I were to do it again, I would opt for the Cereal Killer, which uses better bearings and is cheaper than even the lowest-cost MM. Only the top-end Monster Mills use ball bearings, and those models run well into the hundreds.

 

[Blazinlow86]

There's a lengthy thread around here that goes into painful detail about all the problems people have had with Barley Crusher's customer service (or lack, thereof). Run like hell from that one.

I have a 2-roller Monster Mill, but am not impressed with its use of bronze sleeve bearings. It works OK, but if I were to do it again, I would opt for the Cereal Killer, which uses better bearings and is cheaper than even the lowest-cost MM. Only the top-end Monster Mills use ball bearings, and those models run well into the hundreds.

Anyone have any links or know anyone in person who's actually had a problem will the monster mills bushings though? The same few people bring it up everytime monster mills are mentioned as being a huge flaw but ive never read/heard anyone actually having a problem. If anything it's exactly the opposite. Only time will tell but I'd bet the terrible bushings on my monster mill last longer than the rollers did on my buddies cereal killer with the superior chinese roller bearings did. Cheers

 

[augiedoggy]

Anyone have any links or know anyone in person who's actually had a problem will the monster mills bushings though? The same few people bring it up everytime monster mills are mentioned as being a huge flaw but ive never read/heard anyone actually having a problem. If anything it's exactly the opposite. Only time will tell but I'd bet the terrible bushings on my monster mill last longer than the rollers did on my buddies cereal killer with the superior chinese roller bearings did. Cheers

How long do you think before time will tell? Because I've got 6 years use on my motorized belt driven cereal killer and I've put literally just under 5000lbs through the 3 roll version of the cereal killer with the same rollers and bearings at the brewpub.. it still looks and functions like new as well as the CK I have at home regardless of what country it was made in or how much it cost...

The barley crusher was advertised as made in the USA.. and it also uses the bronze bushings. I do know of one report where an owner had to replace worn bushings on that mill. You have a valid point that no one has reported issues with the Monster mill. It doesnt change the fact that sacrificial bronze bushing are the cheap inferior option and to get real bearings like the CK uses from monster mill you literally have to pay hundreds more.
And We do have a MM3 at the brewpub on a shelf as backup.. my brewing partner bought it to replace his failed barley crusher..

Edit you got me curious so I did a search and found there really isn't any threads with complaints in the mm mills but there are a few threads about the rollers stopping and Fred giving instructions that the rollers need to be removed and the bushing shafts need to be cleaned and the dust can bind it up and cause it the stick. Doing so seems to resolve the issue and it doesnt return a short time later like it often would on the Barley crusher.

 

[Blazinlow86]

How long do you think before time will tell? Because I've got 6 years use on my motorized belt driven cereal killer and I've put literally just under 5000lbs through the 3 roll version of the cereal killer with the same rollers and bearings at the brewpub.. it still looks and functions like new as well as the CK I have at home regardless of what country it was made in or how much it cost...

The barley crusher was advertised as made in the USA.. and it also uses the bronze bushings. I do know of one report where an owner had to replace worn bushings on that mill. You have a valid point that no one has reported issues with the Monster mill. It doesnt change the fact that sacrificial bronze bushing are the cheap inferior option and to get real bearings like the CK uses from monster mill you literally have to pay hundreds more.
And We do have a MM3 at the brewpub on a shelf as backup.. my brewing partner bought it to replace his failed barley crusher..

Edit you got me curious so I did a search and found there really isn't any threads with complaints in the mm mills but there are a few threads about the rollers stopping and Fred giving instructions that the rollers need to be removed and the bushing shafts need to be cleaned and the dust can bind it up and cause it the stick. Doing so seems to resolve the issue and it doesnt return a short time later like it often would on the Barley crusher.

How long do you think before time will tell? Because I've got 6 years use on mine and I've put literally just inder 5000lbs through the 3 roll version of the cereal killer with the same rollers and bearings at the brewpub.. it still looks and functions like new as well as the CK I have at home regardless of what country it was made in or how much it cost...

The barley crusher was advertised as made in the USA.. and it also uses the bronze bushings. I do know of one report where an owner had to replace worn bushings on that mill. You have a valid point that no one has reported issues with the Monster mill. It doesnt change the fact that sacrificial bronze bushing are the cheap inferior option and to get real bearings like the CK uses from monster mill you literally have to pay hundreds more.

Believe it or not Augie some of your comments are actually how I ended up with a monster mill. We've always had different opinion on crush/flow rate with out recirculating setups. I found I got better results milling looser around .040 and flowing faster for heating performance. You've found it better to mill tighter and flow slower. I was curious try milling tighter and see if it raised my efficiency. When I attempted to mill at .035 on my barleys crusher it wouldn't grip anymore. My buddie offered to loan me his cereal killer as he was a rdwhahb kinda brewer who never took it serious and therefore always ended up with mediocre beer and gave up the hobby as do alot. His mill did the exact same thing. Anything tighter than about .040 the grain would not feed and just slipped. To clarify the rollers all turn fine on both mills the knurling just wouldn't grip. Now admittedly his was purchase about 3 years ago and the more I think about it may have been the kegco version so it's possible they were better made when you purchased yours 6 years ago or if his was actually a kegco it's not actually the exact same. If you search around you will see others have had the same issue with the cereal killer ( I think someone mentioned it a few posts ago in this thread actually) so I don't think it's a isolated thing. im not doubting you have had great luck with yours just like you have better luck milling tight but as all things homebrew everyone has different outcomes and i havent had any luck with chinese mills or milling tighter. My thought was I can gamble to save a few dollars and possibly have the exact same outcome I already did twice or just pony up ( not to be a ass but money's not tight ) and get the monster mill. I may be the unlucky first to post I had to replace the inferior 5 usd bushings but it's a small price to pay to not have to buy new rollers for the chinese mills if thats even a possibility. To summarize I feel the rollers are more important than the bushings and therefore money aside the monster mill will always be a better choice and if your on a budget as the majority are the cereal killer is a great choice. Cheers

P.S in my mind at least i feel that if the bushing were so inferior that they would not have used them in the first place just to save 1-2 dollars a unit when everything else is of arguably the highest quality. its not a value type product. they could have just sold the mill for 2 dollars more to cover the cost. i was just looking on the website and unless im missing a professional page or something it appears they dont even offer bearings anymore. cheers