Space Case Grinder
If you want to make the most of your marijuana, tobacco, or herb a very good investment is the buy the best grinder or the best weed grinder. The point of an herb grinder is to turn your weed, herb, or marijuana into finely ground pieces so it is easier to load into your smoking apparatus.
Having finely ground bud is good for smoking because it keeps the marijuana burning evenly, consistently, and slower. There are many types of weed grinders including wood, plastic, and metal. While most of hand-cranked, there are even some that are electric.
When searching for the best grinder or best weed grinder, you need to figure out whether or not you want a kief catcher and multiple compartments. These are important if you want to finely ground pieces and if you want to collect kief to be made into hash.
Normally, wood and plastic grinders tend to be cheap, single compartment grinders, and break easily. On the other hand, metal grinders are more durable, grind marijuana better, but also are way more costly.
We generally think it is worth it to purchase metal grinders because they function better and are well worth the premium paid. You should also look into buying the best rolling papers for your bud, which we have also thoroughly reviewed.
Best Grinder Reviews
Sharpstone Marijuana Grinder
Sharpstone offers one of the best weed grinders / best grinders on the market for value. It is a four-piece (3 chambers) metal grinder that is very reasonably priced. The grinder is composed of top-grade aluminum all throughout and the compartments each seal tightly. T
here is a stainless steel screen on top of the bottom compartment that filters in kief, which are pure THC crystals in the marijuana plant.
The teeth in the grinder are shaped like lightning bolts and are secured tightly on the grinder. The teeth are spaced just enough to fit in medium-sized chunks and grind your marijuana or weed into fine powder in just a few turns.
We really like the build quality and the grinder definitely does not feel cheap in your hands. While there are a few grinders better than this, in terms of the price you really can’t beat this grinder.
The Sharpstone grinder comes in a variety of sizes and colors. We think the black or clear top looks nice and the medium grinder is perfect for most activities. It also comes in a larger and smaller size, but we think the large is overkill and the small size is too small. Operating the Sharpstone is really easy. Just open up the lid, which is snapped on by magnets, and load your marijuana in small chunks.
Snap the lid shut and twist the grinder with your hands a few times back and forth. You will feel the teeth cut away at the weed inside. Then you twist open the compartment below to collect your grounded weed or herb.
All in all, we have never had any problems with this grinder and consider it the best grinder for your money. It has never broken during any of our tests and grinds bud real good. For a similar grinder, check out the Cali Crusher. If you want an even better grinder, look into the Space Case.
Space Case Weed Grinder
The Space Case Grinder is a premium weed grinder that is hands down the best grinder on the market. This is the Rolls Royce of grinders and it definitely comes with a Rolls Royce price tag.
The Space Case comes in small, medium, and large sizes. We prefer the medium-sized ones, which are good enough for one to four people. It is big enough to grind lots of weed and small enough to be portable.
The grinder is really built solid and made out of titanium. It feels really light and durable when you hold it and also does not corrode over time.
What makes the Space Case so expensive and great is just every little detail is fine-tuned. We mean everything. The lid snaps off and on perfectly and never wears down. The diamond-shaped teeth are fined tuned and perfectly spaced to grind all sorts of herbs.
The compartments open and close easily and never get stuck. The kief filter is durable and never gets clogged. You will never have a jam or any malfunction using the Space Case. Plus, as a cherry on top, you get bragging rights and street cred if you own this premium grinder.
The Space Case is definitely the best weed grinder if you have money to spend. It is very durable and we have dropped this grinder many times during our tests and never had it break on us. In fact, there was not even a scratch.
The attached O-rings provide a smooth grind as it prevents metal from rubbing on metal. The medium is 2.5 inches in diameter and comes with a kief catcher compartment, which we find very useful for collecting THC crystals.
Buying a Space Case also comes with a space case guitar pick which can be used to pick up “pollen.” As the original grinder, the Space Case has been around the business for the longest time. Rest assured its quality craftsmanship and it is made in the USA.  Watch out for fakes!
Cali Crusher Herb Grinder
The Cali Crusher is a budget grinder that is comparable to the Sharpstone grinder. For those who cannot afford a Space Case, we think the Cali Crusher is the best grinder or best weed grinder.
The Cali Crusher is a four-piece metal grinder that grinds marijuana and bud really well. It is made of aluminum and comes in a variety of colors. We really like the limited edition purple color they manufacture, which has also become a trademark color.
Compared to the Sharpstone grinder, we find that the Cali Crusher is a bit more durable, but grinds slightly worse. On a side-by-side drop test, we found that the Cali Crusher took more beating than the Sharpstone. However, in terms of grind speed, the Cali Crusher is worse than the Sharpstone. We found the Sharpstone to grind bud faster and smoother.
The Cali Crusher is made in the US and has a lifetime warranty since they are so confident it will never break. The lid is magnetic so it opens and closes easily. The kief filter works great and maximizes your collection of kief or THC crystals. Also, the teeth are non-sticky so marijuana won’t cling onto your grinder, which does get really annoying.
Our only complaint is that we found the compartments to be a bit loose after using it after a while as the o-rings tend to come loose easily. Overall, if you want the best grinder and are on a budget, you should look into the Cali Crusher. It is highly durable and will survive being dropped multiple times. If you are looking for a high grind speed, look at the Sharpstone.
Weed Grinder / Herb Grinder Definition
A herb grinder is a gadget that grinds marijuana, bud, herb, spices, or even tobacco. Herb grinders are different from food grinders in that they are specifically designed to grind marijuana. Of course, you can put other types of the herb in it and even tobacco, but it is best practice to stick to weed.
A grinder will have sharp metal teeth that grind against each other to transform the chunky weed into smaller pieces that have a powder-like consistency. This makes it easier to pack into bowls or roll into joints.
Some weed grinders have kief catchers, which is basically a filter in the bottom compartment that only lets through small THC crystals.
Qualities of the Best Grinder
People who just get into smoking marijuana think that all grinders are pretty much equal. They have no idea that there is a fine art in grinders and only those who have used them a lot can appreciate it.
First of all, the material used to make the grinder is quite important in determining how it functions. If you want a grinder that is long-lasting and won’t break when you drop it, you should look into getting a metal grinder. Wood and plastic grinders are generally cheap and crack easily.
The best grinder is a hand-cranked one, but there are also automatic grinders out there. It is just not practical to use an electric-powered grinder when you can easily grind by hand.
Additionally, you want a grinder with solid teeth that can easily grind your chunks of marijuana into small bits and pieces. You want the final product to be smooth and have a powder-like consistency and this can only be achieved by a grinder with good teeth.
Finally, we need to talk about price, which is also a major determining factor in the grinder you will purchase. Obviously, metal grinders will be more expensive than wood or plastic grinders, but metal grinders also do a better job grinding your weed into powder and do not break so easily.
Weed Grinder Types
- Wood Grinders: these grinders are nice if you just want something very simple and natural. Wood grinders only have a single compartment because it is really difficult to make one with many compartments. They still have metal teeth and sometimes will have cool carvings on the face.
- Plastic Grinders: these grinders are the most popular because they are very cheap. However, what many people don’t realize is that the plastic grinder also uses plastic teeth that could break easily. Small traces of plastic could also rub off and get into your final ground product. And when inhaled, these traces of plastic will be harmful to your lungs.
- Metal Grinders: these types of grinders are usually the best grinder you can get and are also the most expensive. They are extremely durable and grind bud very well. This is also cool to have around and a conversation piece when you smoke. Many metal grinders have multiple compartments and some even include a kief compartment for collecting only kief.
Single Compartment Grinders: these grinders are also known as two-piece grinders. What this means is that you only the top, place weed inside the only compartment grind it, and scoop the weed out of the same chamber. Some marijuana could get stuck in the teeth and the grind is not consistent at times. But normally they are pretty cheap.- Two Compartment Grinders: these grinders are also known as three-piece grinders. What happens is you place weed on the top compartment and grind the herb. There are small holes at the bottom of the top chamber that let small ground-up pieces fall through the bottom compartment, where ground-up marijuana is collected. You then open up the bottom compartment and scoop out the weed.
- Three Compartment Grinders: these are also known as four-compartment grinders. This is the best grinder to get if you want to collect kief, which is a pollen-like crystal that is basically pure THC. The kief chamber is at the very bottom of the grinder and there is a special filter at the top of this to only let down THC crystals.
Making Kief
Kief is slang for the resin glands or trichomes on a marijuana plant. Trichomes are the “hairs” or small outgrowths on a marijuana plant where a majority of the THC is concentrated.
THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol, which is another reason why they call marijuana cannabis. It is also the active ingredient in a marijuana plant and is the reason you get high. THC collects and clumps together in crystal form.
THC is also very loose and does not cling onto the rest of the plant very well. For this reason, it can be easily collected at the bottom of a three-chamber grinder, which has a special filter to only let resin particles in.
This kief or keef can be compressed and made into has or hashish, which will give the user a longer and better high. You can also sprinkle kief directly on top of your bowl or in a joint.
