What are Herb Grinders and How Are They Different?

For most lovers of dry herb who prefer glass pipes or portable vaporizers, one of the most irritating -- yet essential -- pre-smoking or vaping tasks is grinding the dry herbs before consuming it.

Herb grinding can be done in several different ways -- some people prefer to grind the herbs by hand, while others opt for an instrument called an herb grinder that completes the task for you.

There is no shortage of herb grinder varieties on the market; indeed, walk down the street in any city for ten minutes and you’re bound to encounter at least a few head shops or vape shops that sell grinders and other smoking accessories.

It, therefore, begs the question: if you’re on the market for a solid herb grinder, what sorts of things should you factor into your decision? The following is a guide to the sorts of things to look out for when buying a herb grinder, and different examples of grinders that exhibit the traits you should be looking for.

What type of teeth should I get for my Herb Grinder?

First and foremost, you should decide what it is that you want out of your herb grinder, starting with how fine you would like for your dry herbs to be ground. If you’re looking for a standard, meat-and-potatoes-type grinder that will cut your herb reasonably well -- though still leaving a few chunks here and there -- you’ll likely opt for a herb grinder with straight or metal teeth.

If, however, you would like your herb to be ground to a fine powder, you will opt for a grinder with diamond-shaped teeth: these serve to chop the dry herbs more finely, which will help separate the kief and let it fall through the metal screens into a kief catcher (If you have one.)

Which material is Best for an Herb Grinder?

There is also the question of what kind of material out of which you would like for your grinder to be made. Many users think they could get away with using a plastic grinder, but they quickly learn that it doesn't work well.

There are many old-timers who opt for the wooden grinders that were considered popular decades ago. Wooden herb grinders are often the most difficult to clean; they also tend to lose their teeth after an extended period of time, making for a rather uncomfortable feeling if you accidentally find yourself smoking one of them.

Instead of wood, herb grinders made of aluminum most often yield the best and most long-lasting results. If you use an herb grinder like the sharpstone grinder, it'll last for years. Two piece sharpstone grinders will last forever, but for those that like kief, you'll want to get a sharpstone 4-piece grinder. They come with a kief catcher and allows you to save the most important piece to the herbs.

For those unfamiliar with the lingo, kief -- derived from the Arabic word for ‘intoxication’ -- are the microscopic bits of yellowish resin that accumulate within your grinder and that contain a greater concentration of THC than the regular cannabis flower.

While almost all wooden grinders lack a mechanism by which the kief may be captured and stored for future use, many aluminum herb grinders contain chambers in which the kief is captured and stored and may be retrieved later.

Another upside to many aluminum grinders is that many boast a clear plastic top that enables you to see the process in action. While this does not likely translate into any particularly practical usage, it is an aesthetic bonus that adds to the process of grinding your herbs.

What size herb grinder should I get?

Finally, another thing to consider when purchasing a grinder is its size. And again, it depends on what kind of experience you’re looking to have with the herb grinder: Is it meant for home use? Or is it one that you would like to tote around with you?

Size matters when choosing a grinder. The larger and heavier the grinder is, the less likely people are going to want to carry it around (and potentially lose it.) This makes it all the more important to know what it is that you’re looking for in a grinder before you go about buying one.

To help guide your thought process along, here is a list of grinders that are currently available on Vape Vet Store. The grinders vary in their specs and are representative of the various tastes that different people have in grinders.

2-Piece Grinder

The 2-Piece Herb Grinder is the most utilitarian of the bunch -- small, compact, and likely the most portable. It features diamond-shaped blades that ensure your herbs are as fine and as thinly-ground as possible.

Because of its small size, the 2 piece Sharpstone Grinder is lacking in some of the accouterments that some of the more sizable grinders have. For example, it does not feature a kief catcher, nor does it have a separate compartment in which the dry herbs are stored after being ground; instead, the freshly-ground herbs are plucked directly from the inside of the grinder.

4-Piece Grinders

4-piece herb grinders are definitely a leg up in terms of capability. Its compact size belies the fact that it can grind and hold a considerable amount of weed -- upwards of 1.5 grams -- that is stored in its chamber after being ground.

It also features a beloved kief catcher and comes equipped with a kief scraper -- an instrument which ensures that you don’t have to use a filthy fingernail or dime to retrieve the yellowy goodness.

Sharpstone 4 Piece Grinder

The Sharpstone Grinder with a clear top is just what it sounds like -- a clear-topped grinder that features a list of mouth-watering amenities that any stoner would dream of in a grinder.

The clear topped Sharpstone -- available in black, silver, or gray -- features diamond-shaped blades above a weed storage chamber, which itself is situated above a kief catcher. And if all that wasn’t enough, the grinder is capable of holding upwards of 2.5 grams of doob.

Sharpstone Handcrank Grinder

This is where the rubber meets the road. The Sharpstone Hand Crank Grinder boasts not only all of the aforementioned amenities -- space for over 2.5 grams of weed, a storage chamber, a kief catcher, and diamond-shaped cutting blades -- but it also features a hand crank on its top that presents an easy alternative to the more traditional method of cannabis grinding.

Silicone Grip Herb Grinder

Finally, perhaps above all the other options, sits the Silicone grip herb grinder. This sizable and beautiful piece of art features uniquely-shaped teeth -- not of a diamond shape, but rather of a semi-circular pattern that fits the shape of the grinder and ensures an even higher level of fineness of the ground dry herbs.

The silicone grip of this baby ensures that the user will have an even tighter hold on things than if they were to use another herb grinder. That -- plus the fact that it also boasts a kief-catcher and storage chamber -- indicates that this grinder is the real deal.

To Sum Up:

Overall, it really boils down to your preference when choosing which herb grinder to buy. What are your material requirements? What type of functionality do you want? Do you want a big herb grinder to keep at home or do you want one that's more portable?  It all depends on what you're looking for. If you're ever looking to purchase an herb grinder check them out at Vape Vet Store.

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