The 8 Best Herb Grinders in 2018 for Efficient Smoking, Vaping and Kief Building

If you’re new to weed grinders, you might be wondering:

Is there such a thing as the ‘best’ weed grinder?

Is there even any difference between them…?

Well, depending on factors like:

• Whether you want to build kief;
• Whether you like a fluffy grind with the trichomes still on your herb, or;
• You want a fine grind for your conduction vaporizer.

Different types of herb grinders are best suited for different types of marijuana use.

Not only that…

But there are also huge differences in the quality of grinders:

Some break after a few months, some keep keep grinding your herb with the same performance for 10+ years!

If you’re hoping to find one of the latter…

You’ve come to the right place.

In today’s post you will get a list of the 8 best weed grinders, and pick one which matches your type of marijuana use…

Whether you’re a blunt-badass, a bong-ripper or a vape-geek (like me) …

By the end of this post you will take your marijuana use to the next level with a top quality weed grinder.

First up…

4-Piece Weed Grinders for Building Up Large Amounts of Kief

These grinders are THE go-to grinders if you want to build up a bunch of kief.

A 4-piece grinder has a special screen at the bottom of it, so all the little crystals and trichomes that fall through while you’re grinding, get caught in this screen.

Over time, this kief will build up nicely and you will have an extremely potent herbal bland at your disposal…

Which you can nicely sprinkle over your weed to give it some extra potency…

Or vape it up/smoke it up all by itself (be careful though this will be EXTREMELY potent and hard hitting).

If you’re not sure whether you want this, you can read here why some people absolutely swear by it and how to use your kief.

Just remember:

Because of their size, 4-piece grinders do suck if portability is a high priority.

Keeping this in mind…

Let’s start with our BEST 4-piece weed grinder…

1. Space Case Grinder Titanium (4-Piece, Medium Size)

Space Case is one of those heavy weight brands in the weed grinder world.

These grinders will last you for 10+ years, without degrading in performance or any materials/coatings coming off, like with so many cheaper grinders.

The build-quality of Space Case grinders are insane.

Performance-wise, this weed grinder just tears through the hardest nugs with minimal effort each and every time.

This weed grinder is our top pick if you’re looking for the most effortless and consistent grind.

It’s also absolutely the BEST grinder for catching kief. The kief build-up with this grinder is just insane: after just 10-15 grinds, you will already have a very nice build-up of kief, ready to be used, as one of the most potent things you will ever smoke/vape.

Don’t you hate it when you pull out your grinder, see all the resin and dirt between the grinding teeth, and quickly realize that you can’t grind yet…but need to clean first!

Well, with Space Case grinders cleaning isn’t needed!

Especially with the Titanium Space Case Grinders:

NOTHING sticks to this grinder, your herb will slide off the grinding teeth like soft butter slides off a knife.

Although the grind of the Space Case Grinder is finer than that of the Santa Cruz Shredder…

If you’re looking for a really fine grind (for conduction vapes mostly), you’re going to have to go for a proper 2-piece grinder.

For anything else than 100% conduction vapes this 4-piece Space Case Grinder will be PERFECT!

And since the main reason why you would get a 4-piece grinders is to catch kief, and this Space Case Grinder catches kief like nobody’s business…

It’s our TOP pick of all 4-piece grinders.

Click to see most recent price:

• US – (PlanetOfTheVapes / PuffItUp)
• Europe – (VapoShop) 
• Amazon – (Worldwide) 

Next up…

2. Santa Cruz Shredder (4-Piece, Medium Size)

The Santa Cruz Shredder is also known as the ‘medical-grade’ weed grinder and has quite the history and reputation of being one of the highest quality weed grinders you can get.

This has several reasons:

• It has anodized threaded surfaces to prevent damage that usually occurs between 2 sliding metals, which means you will always be safe from micro-parts of aluminium polluting your herb;
• A very easy grip and rotation (doesn’t require strength to grind);
• Strict medical-grade ultrasonic cleansing procedures straight when it comes out of the manufacturing process (to remove any contaminates that get released during the manufacturing process);
• It’s EXTREMELY reliable, durable and scratch-resistant.

All these features make the Santa Cruz Shredder the best pick for anyone that’s obsessive about health or safety.

It’s also the only grinder that really ‘shreds’ your weed instead of grinds.

This means your herb will come out ‘fluffy’ and with a certain amount of volume keeping most trichomes on your herb.

This is absolutely GREAT for pure convection vapes like the Firefly 2 or VapeXhale Cloud EVO.

I personally also like it for joints/blunts and bongs, but most of my friends like a more compact and fine grind for their joints/blunts.

So if you’re looking for a weed grinder that grinds your herb fine, get a Space Case Grinder or look further down this list (for fine grinds 2-piece grinders held upside down are actually best).

Although a large 4-piece grinder usually means there’s a lot of kief build-up, the Santa Cruz Shredder does fall short in this area when you compare it to the 4-piece Space Case Grinders.

It gets better:

Its size is big enough to grind any amount of weed of any type with minimal effort.

The bottom line is:

I highly recommend Santa Cruz Shredders and they’re my personal favorite grinders because I mostly use convection vaporizers and like fluffy grinds in general.

Click to see most recent price:

• US – (PlanetOfTheVapes / PuffItUp)
• Europe – (VapoShop) 
• Amazon – (Worldwide) 

Next up…

3. Sharpstone 2.0 (4-Piece, Medium Size)

Sharpstone, although not known as the TOP brand in the weed grinder world…

Does produce very high quality weed grinders for a very affordable price.

But be careful:

There are a lot inauthentic Sharpstone grinders in circulation…plus some Sharpstone grinders seem to last longer than others (inconsistent quality).

However if you do get the real deal, which is also of a good quality, these grinders will last you a LONG time (5+ years).

So if you’re looking for a very high quality weed grinder to catch a bunch of kief that’s cheaper than the Santa Cruz and Space Case Grinders, check out the 4-piece grinders of Sharpstone.

Click to see most recent price:

• Amazon – (Worldwide) 
• Europe – (VapoShop) 

Next up…

Chromium Crusher (4-Piece)

If you’re looking for the cheapest 4-piece grinder…

The Chromium Crusher is the cheapest you should go.

This grinder is cheap but of a good enough quality for most of you.

No, it won’t last 10+ or even 5+ years, without degrading in performance…

But definitely 2-3 years, if you treat it well.

It’s made from high quality zinc-aluminium alloy and is the heaviest grinders of all the grinders in the list.

It’s extremely sturdy though and can take a serious beating.

One thing that could be better with this grinder is the catching of kief.

The kief screen is really fine so you barely will get any.

Also there seem to be scratches and imperfections on the inside, which could make you wonder on the safety of this grinder.

One last annoying thing which just doesn’t happen as often as with the higher quality weed grinders is the following:

Herb pieces can get stuck around the edges of the grinding chamber…over time, this builds up and results in an inconvenient ‘cleaning’ session.

The bottom line is:

This grinder isn’t perfect and does have some downsides, but for its price, you won’t find anything better.

Click to see most recent price:

• Amazon – (Worldwide) 

2- and 3-Piece Weed Grinders: for the Finest Grind & Portability

A 2-piece grinder is the simplest of them all…

You just have a top-piece and a bottom-piece which rotate against each other.

2-piece grinders are actually my favorite grinders, because they’re just super easy to use, compact, small and portable.

3-piece grinders have a compartment to catch the finer parts of your bud, but not kief. You could also store just any bud that you didn’t use after your grind in this compartment.

This can actually be great for portability purposes since you can just store some weed in there.

Overall, both 2- and 3-piece grinders are practical, easy to use and quite a bit cheaper than 4-piece grinders.

Starting with our first 2-piece / 3-piece weed grinder…

1. Santa Cruz Shredder (2- or 3-Piece, Medium Size)

You already know why the Santa Cruz Shredders are among our top picks:

• Medical-grade materials and design;
• Extremely reliable and durable: will last you 10+ years without degrading in performance;
• Extremely easy to use;
• Gives a fluffy grind, which is especially good for convection vapes (and I love it for blunts/joints too).

But the 4-piece Santa Cruz Shredders are expensive.

Luckily the 3- and 2-piece versions are much more affordable.

There’s one potential problem though:

If you want to catch kief, you’re out of luck with these versions.

Now:

This doesn’t necessarily have to be a con for everyone.

I personally don’t need a kief catcher and I like 2- or 3-piece grinders since you can immediately brush out the kief with these grinders.

Also they’re just more compact and especially the small 2-piece grinders have the possibility to get a very fine grind (if you grind upside down).

The Space Case 2-Piece Grinder does grind finer than the Santa Cruz Shredder…

However NO grinder is better if you’re into fluffy grinds, keeping a certain amount of volume and most of the trichomes on your herb (like you would want with convection vapes).

Personally, I also like a fluffy grind for blunts and joints…but most of you will like a more compact grind like with the Space Case grinders.

The bottom line is:

If you don’t need to catch kief AND want a fluffy grind or want the ‘safest’ grinder, the 2- or 3-piece Santa Cruz Shredder is the grinder you should get.

Click to see most recent price:

• US – (PlanetOfTheVapes / PuffItUp)
• Europe – (VapoShop) 
• Amazon – (Worldwide) 

Next up…

2. Space Case Grinder Titanium (2-Piece, Medium Size)

If you don’t need to be catching kief…

Or just want the best performing grinder in its most portable version…

There’s no grinder which matches the the Space Case 2-piece Grinder.

The Space Case 2-piece grinders, performance-wise are the best 2-piece grinders you can get.

Here’s why:

• You can really choose to go for a more coarse or a really fine grind (controllable with how fast and how often you rotate, a fluffy grind is difficult though);
• These grinders are extremely consistent, when you got your technique down you’ll get the exact same results each and every time;
• Any Space Case Grinder grinds through the hardest and biggest nugs with an unmatched ease;
• Just like the Santa Cruz Shredders, they’re extremely reliable and durable (they last up to 10+ years).

Now:

If you’re looking for something portable, you probably don’t want to be messing around with annoying cleaning sessions.

 

Well, this beast of a grinder literally needs NO cleaning.

It’s also the BEST 2-piece grinder to get a fine grind with, if you have a conduction vape or you just like rolling compact and fully packed joints.

Click to see most recent price:

• US – (PlanetOfTheVapes)
• Europe – (VapoShop) 
• Amazon – (Worldwide) 

Next up…

3. Cali Crusher (2-Piece)

This Cali Crusher 2-piece grinder is a ‘good’ grinder.

But it doesn’t get any more than ‘good’…

Because its quality lags behind the Space Case Grinders or Santa Cruz Shredders.

Here’s why:

The 2-piece Space Grinders are just more consistent and can grind finer than this 2-piece Cali Crusher, plus have a better build-quality. And the Santa Cruz Shredder just really has its own style of grind: the characteristic fluffy grind, which is very hard to achieve with a Cali Crusher.

It gets better:

These grinders are cheaper and they are still better than most grinders on the market.

Click to see most recent price:

• Amazon – (Worldwide) 
• Europe – (VapoShop) 

Next up…

4. Magic Flight Finishing Grinder (2-Piece)

Thre MFLB Finishing Grinder is THE go-to grinder if you have a conduction vaporizer like the PAX 2, PAX 3 or MFLB.

It really grates your herb into a super-fine powder which is perfect for conduction vapes.

The only downside is that you will really have to pre-grind your herb.

It just has a hard time cutting your herb up when you put whole nugs into it.

But as a finishing grinder for powder-fine grinds it’s the BEST you can get!

Click to see most recent price:

• US – (PlanetOfTheVapes)
• Europe – (VapoShop) 
• Amazon – (Worldwide) 

Stay Away From Low-End Weed Grinders

Low-end weed grinders usually are best avoided because of potential safety reasons:

• Metal, aluminium or plastic micro-parts could very well be mixing up with your herb when you use these grinders for a longer period of time.

What do I mean with low-end?

Super-cheap ‘no-name’ grinders.

There are a few low-end weed grinders which are perfectly safe though. They just will lag behind in performance and ease of use compared to the mid-range and high-end weed grinders.

However, they’re very affordable:

• Chromium Crusher;
• Storz & Bickel Grinder.

Aside from these 2, just avoid them.

Types of Weed Grinders

Different types of herb grinders serve different types of marijuana-lovers.

The differences in weed grinders mainly lie in the following features:

• 2-piece vs 3-piece vs 4 piece grinders;
• Small vs medium vs large size;
• Materials used in the grinder.

If you’re a complete weed grinder newbie this section will help you make an informed choice on what type of grinder will suit you best.

2-Piece vs 3-Piece vs 4-Piece Grinders

These numbers and pieces refer to the amount of pieces your grinder consists of.

2-Piece Grinders

With 2-piece grinders you just have a single compartment. Everything that comes off of your herb stays in this compartment.

Usually with a 2-piece grinder, if you want the kief that comes off of your herb, you’ll need some sort of brush to brush it out.

They’re very easy to use, small, compact and the most practical and portable.

3-Piece Grinders

With 3-piece grinders you get an extra compartment to catch the finer parts of your bud, that are not kief.

This extra compartment is also called the ‘storage’ compartment, since you can easily store a bunch of your herb in there.

4-Piece Grinders

With 4-piece grinders you get a 3th compartment with a fine screen to catch and build up the kief that comes off of your herb.

If you want to catch and build up your kief, just go for a 4-piece grinder from our top list.

Small vs large grinders

Herb grinders come in different sizes:

• Small;
• Medium, and;
• Large.

Although small grinders are best for portability, if you have normal hands you’ll have a much easier time grinding your marijuana with medium to large sized weed grinders.

Plus medium to large-sized grinders just chew through your herb with more ease than small sized grinders…

…unless you always smoke/vape really small amounts (and if you smoke please do switch to vaping).

Materials used in weed grinders

Different materials can be used for weed grinders, but the most common ones are:

• Metal (aluminium, titanium)
• Wood, and;
• Acrylic.

Metal

Metal (usually aluminium) grinders are the highest quality grinders…

WHEN THE ALUMINIUM USED IS IN FACT HIGH QUALITY AND ANODIZED!

Otherwise please avoid that particular grinder, because you might be mixing aluminium particles with your herb…

Trust me, you don’t want that.

Titanium is another very high quality metal and my personal favorite material that a grinder can be made of.

Because it requires little to no cleaning and just feels more premium.

Wooden

Wooden grinders are pretty rare these days. They are durable and sturdy. But for performance we recommend anodized aluminium grinders.

Here’s why:

Wooden grinders sometimes absorb a significant amount of kief in their grains, meaning some of those precious and potent trichomes get lost.

Acrylic

Acrylic grinders are the cheapest grinders around, but also the most prone to breaking.

High quality acrylic grinders like the Storz and Bickel one can be fine…

…while they last.

They’re also quite hard to clean since you can’t give them an ISO bath to easily scrape off clunked up herb particles and kief (you will damage the material with ISO alcohol).

Conclusion

You learned what weed grinders are best overall…

And what weed grinders are best per specific purpose.

Although you do get what you pay for with weed grinders…

The most expensive weed grinders are 4-piece grinders. You only need these if you plan on catching and building up a lot of kief.

If you don’t need this, just get the 2-piece grinders of the best manufacturers:

• Santa Cruz Shredder, and;
• Space Case.

But any weed grinder in this list will serve you well!

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