What is an herb grinder?

An herb grinder is made to grind herbs and spices into small pieces, so they can be added to food and eaten. Some types of herb grinders are very good at grinding marijuana buds into smaller size particles.

The smaller particles of marijuana are suitable for rolling into a joint, smoking in a pipe or vaporizer, sieving to produce hashish, or for some purpose that requires finely ground marijuana.

Herb grinders used to prepare marijuana are also called bud grinders. After properly grinding marijuana with an herb grinder, it will burn more evenly when rolled into a joint. And because it is broken down into small particles, it will not poke holes in rolling paper.

If you break up marijuana with your hands or with scissors prior to rolling it into a joint or using it in some other way, you should try using an herb grinder instead. Prior to first using one, I thought they were some kind of toy that cost money, but didn't really serve any purpose.

However, after first using one, anyone who rolls joints (or needs to break up buds) will appreciate what they do, especially an herb grinder-pollenator that also collects hashish powder.

Of all the tools available to help make rolling joints easier, this is one of the best values for your money. They are legal and available worldwide.

There are two basic types of herb grinders that are used with marijuana. The first is an herb grinder used strictly for grinding marijuana. The other type is a grinder-pollenator (also referred to simply as a pollenator).

In addition to grinding marijuana, a pollenator collects a few grains of hashish powder each time it is used. Accumulated powder can be pressed into hashish with a pollen press or ingested in some other way.

Pollenators are designed to collect pollen from various types of plants other than marijuana. When used with marijuana, a pollenator actually collects trichomes (also called hashish powder or kif) from female marijuana plants. Trichomes have a high THC content and are used to make hashish.

Male marijuana plants produce pollen to fertilize female marijuana plants. Marijuana pollen contains very little to no THC. So although the device is called a pollenator, the hash powder you are collecting is really trichomes, not pollen.

Herb Grinder

This herb grinder is made up of
1) a top section with teeth on the underside
2) a section of lower teeth

Marijuana is placed in between the teeth, then the top and bottom are placed together and twisted in opposite directions. The twisting motion moves the teeth together and the marijuana gets caught between them and broken down into smaller particles.

The size of the particles is determined by how much time was spent grinding. The longer the marijuana has been ground, the smaller the particles will be. However, this does not mean the particles are the same size.

Pollenator

This 4 piece pollenator is made up of
1) a top section with teeth on the underside (far left)
2) a section of lower teeth with holes (2nd from left)
3) a screen section hash powder passes through (2nd from right)
4) a bottom section where hash powder is collected (far right)

The top section and the section of lower teeth do the grinding. There are holes in the lower section of teeth, the holes ensure that the marijuana particles are all a certain size (determined by the hole size) before passing into the screen section. The marijuana is collected and held in the screen section where a few grains of hash powder drop into the bottom section.

The material a pollenator collects is the most potent part of the marijuana plant. Most people wait for the hashish powder to accumulate in the pollenator. When there is enough (about 1/2 a gram or more) it can be smoked as is or made into hashish with a pollen press.

Using An Herb Grinder Or Pollenator

1) Put the grinder or pollenator together and take the top off. A pollenator is shown here (picture 1) but an herb grinder works in the same manner.

Buying An Herb Grinder

If you are planning on buying an herb grinder or pollenator there are several things to consider:

A) --- Herb Grinder Or Pollenator: Get a pollenator. It will grind marijuana as good as an herb grinder (or better) and it will collect hashish powder. If you use the powder to make hashish, the pollenator will pay for itself after you produce a few grams.

B) --- Cost:
high quality aluminum pollenator: $25-$50
premium quality aluminum pollenator: $35-$100

Be cautious when buying an herb grinder or pollenator, some people will try to pass off wood or acrylic products as high or premium quality. A good aluminum herb grinder or pollenator will last a long time. It is best to buy from a seller that offers a guarantee of a few years on their products.

C) --- Premium Or High Quality: A premium quality aluminum grinder or pollenator is made out of the best aircraft aluminum to very strict standards. If you insist on the best you will want one, but for most people a high quality is good enough.

One benefit of some premium quality pollenators are the ones with 2 screens. The screens have different sized meshes that will separate the hash powder into 2 grades. If desired, you can remove either one of the screens and collect 1 grade of hash powder.

D) --- Magnetic Lid: A high quality or premium quality grinder or pollenator will have a magnet that keeps the lid in place and allows optimal grinding movement.

E) --- Material: Pollenators are almost always made out of aluminum. High quality and premium models are made from extra long lasting aircraft grade aluminum. Herb grinders are usually made of aluminum, acrylic, or wood. For a long lasting herb grinder or pollenator you should always get one made of aluminum.

F) --- Size: The larger the grinder or pollenator, the more material it can process at a time. They usually measure from 1.5 to 4 inches in diameter. A 1.5 to 2.5 inch herb grinder or pollenator is suitable for almost anyone. A 3-4 inch model is recommended when processing more than 2 grams of marijuana at one time.

G) --- Hole Size: The size of the holes between the grinding section and the screen section of a pollenator will determine how finely ground the marijuana is. The biggest mistake people make when deciding on a pollenator, is buying one with holes that are not appropriate for their intended use.

1) Holes less than 2.9 mm are smaller than most people like. People find the particles are too finely ground up. Small particles are harder to roll into a joint than larger size particles. It is nearly impossible to find pollenators with holes smaller than 2.9 mm.

2) Holes that are 3.0 mm are good for someone that likes fine marijuana particles. Because the marijuana particles are small, they can be rolled into very thin to average size joints. But when rolled into larger joints, most people tend to roll too tight. A pollenator with 3.0 mm holes will also reduce most seeds to smaller particles. This is good when using a pipe or vaporizer to consume marijuana that is seedy.

3) Holes that are 3.6 mm - 3.9 mm are a good size for someone who will be rolling average size joints most of the time. The marijuana particles are a bit bigger than when prepared with 3.0 mm holes, so joints can't be rolled as thin. A pollenator with holes that are 3.6 mm or larger will allow most seeds to pass through without being broken into small pieces. If you are grinding marijuana and would like to crush the seeds, get a pollenator with 3.0 mm holes.

3) Holes that are 4.0 mm - 4.8 mm are a good size for people who use a vaporizer, pipe, rolling machine, or prefer rolling large size marijuana particles into joints. At this size, almost all the seeds pass through the holes (without being broken up). The seeds are collected in the collector section of the pollenator, where they can be removed.

Here is a comparison of the pollenators that I presently use (and have used over the past few years) with their recommended application. Links to the exact pollenator mentioned are included in the description. Get a pollen press if you use a pollenator and would like to press your own hashish. You can save money buying package deals.

The company that sells these accepts credit card and bank transfer payments through paypal, they ship from the USA to addresses in the USA and guarantee all of their products for 3-5 years. You might be able to find similar products at a local store, but be sure whatever you buy is the right model for your needs.

--- 1.63 inch high quality pollenator - 3.0 mm holes
This is a high quality pollenator made out of aircraft grade aluminum. It has a magnetic lid and 3.0 mm holes. Preferred by most people who roll thin to average size joints, or those that would like to crush seeds when preparing marijuana that will be consumed with a pipe or vaporizer. Costs about $25 (shipping included) to the USA.

--- 1.75 inch high quality pollenator - 4.0 mm holes
This is a high quality pollenator made out of aircraft grade aluminum. It has a magnetic lid and 4.0 mm holes. It is a good all around pollenator for people that roll joints and use a vaporizer and/or pipe. Most people that roll joints only prefer 3.0 to 3.6 mm holes. Costs about $25 (shipping included) to the USA.

--- 2 inch high quality pollenator - 4.8 mm holes
This is a high quality pollenator made out of aircraft grade aluminum. It has a magnetic lid and 4.8 mm holes. Recommended for someone who uses a vaporizer, pipe, rolling machine, or prefers rolling large size marijuana particles into joints. Costs about $30 (shipping included) to the USA.

--- 2.5 inch high quality pollenator - 3.6 mm holes
This is a high quality pollenator made out of aircraft grade aluminum. It has a magnetic lid and 3.6 mm holes. Preferred by most people who roll average size joints. Costs about $35 (shipping included) to the USA.

--- 3 inch high quality herb grinder
This is a high quality herb grinder. It is an herb grinder only, it has no section for collecting hashish powder. Made out of aircraft grade aluminum, it has a magnetic lid. Recommended for someone who will be grinding large quantities of marijuana. Costs about $30 (shipping included) to the USA.

--- premium quality aluminum pollen press
This is a premium quality pollen press made out of aircraft grade aluminum. It will press the hash powder collected in a pollenator into hashish. This pollen press requires a minimum of about 1/4 gram of pollen. It can press a maximum of about 3 grams at a time. Costs about $25 (shipping included) to the USA.

--- don't use compressed or very hard weed
--- if it's hard to cut, it's too hard to grind
--- only grind stems smaller than the grinding teeth
--- use the grinder for marijuana only, no spices or herbs
--- use dry marijuana only, damp or wet weed is hard to grind

A) --- Make sure the marijuana you use is dry. If the marijuana isn't very dry, it will not grind properly. Also, hash powder will cling to damp or wet marijuana and not get collected.

B) --- Grinding is done to reduce marijuana buds into smaller particles. If you have marijuana powder, there is no need to grind it unless there are large particles that need it. You can use the screen section of a pollenator to collect hash powder from marijuana powder that doesn't need grinding.

C) --- It is best to cut buds of marijuana into smaller chunks about 1/8 to 1/4 gram in size prior to using it in an herb grinder or pollenator. If the chunks can fit in between the teeth they are small enough. This will speed the grinding time and cause less strain on the teeth, resulting in a longer lasting grinder. It also allows you to cut away larger stems from the bud.

The easiest method is to use a pair of scissors to cut bud directly over the grinder or pollenator. When you have enough, place the top and bottom together and grind the marijuana by twisting them in different directions. You can also hold the bottom stationary and turn the top in one direction.

D) --- It may take a while to obtain a gram of hash powder, depending on how often you use the pollenator. That isn't bad though. If the pollenator extracted most of the hash powder, the marijuana that was left would be of very low quality.

Expect about a gram of hash powder per 1-3 ounces of marijuana used in the pollenator. You may get more or less depending on the quality of the product you start with. To increase the amount of hash powder collected you can shake up the pollenator a few times after grinding marijuana.

Keeping the screen clean by brushing it off with a soft bristle brush will also increase the rate of hash powder accumulation. A clean screen allows more hash powder to pass through. For maximum collection, clean the screen after every use. Consume any material that has accumulated on the screen.

After using your aluminum grinder or pollenator for a while, there will be some build-up of material that may cause the unit to work less effectively. Take the unit apart and remove any hash powder or marijuana.

Find a container with an airtight top. The container must be large enough to hold the parts of the grinder or pollenator. Fill the container with enough high % rubbing alcohol (or isopropyl alcohol 90% or higher) to cover the parts you want to clean.

Soak the parts in the alcohol for 5-10 minutes. Use a q-tip to clean any stubborn spots. If you have a pollenator, be gentle and use a toothbrush to clean the screen itself (if necessary).

Do not throw away the rubbing alcohol that was used to clean the parts. Put the top on the container and store it in a cool dark place. Keep using it to clean the grinder or pollenator. You will notice that any marijuana that is cleaned off accumulates on the bottom of the container.

You might want to have 2 containers to clean with. Use the first container to clean. When a fair amount has accumulated, you can syphon off the clean layer at the top into the second container.

Let the remaining rubbing alcohol evaporate from the first container. What remains after evaporation can be smoked or used to cook with. Fine particles can be very potent.

It is a good idea to clean an herb grinder, pollenator, or pollen press in this manner before using it for the first time. Always let the parts dry completely before use, anytime you clean them.

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