How to Choose a Herb Grinder — What 30 Years of Selling Them Taught Us

Why cheap grinders are a false economy

There are two types of metal grinder: aluminium and zinc alloy. Side by side in a shop they look identical. Price-wise, they’re often similar at the cheaper end. But zinc alloy teeth corrode. Over time — sometimes not much time — small flakes end up in your herb. Aluminium doesn’t do this. It’s lighter, it doesn’t corrode, and the anodisation on a decent aluminium grinder holds up to regular use and regular cleaning.

We’ve been selling grinders since 1993. Long enough to have stocked most brands at some point. The ones that come back with complaints are almost always zinc. The ones people bring in after five years because they want a second one — aluminium.

Every grinder we stock is aluminium or hemp composite. Nothing zinc. If you’re buying from us you don’t need to check. If you’re buying elsewhere, always check the spec.

2-part, 3-part, 4-part — what you’re actually paying for

A 2-part grinder is two pieces: lid and base. Herb goes in, you grind, you open it and tip it out. Simple. Good for travel, easy to clean, no screen to clog. The RAW Gripper 2-Part Hemp Grinder at £9.99 is a solid version of this — hemp composite material, no metal contamination concerns, does the job.

A 4-part adds a mesh screen and a separate kief chamber below the storage compartment. As you grind, fine resinous material — kief — falls through the screen and collects underneath. Over a few weeks of regular use, that bottom chamber builds up. Some people add it back in; some save it for a while and use it separately. Either way it’s material that would otherwise just end up in the bag.

The kief catcher debate is real. Some people argue you’re better off keeping everything together — every session at full quality rather than slowly skimming the best bit off into a separate compartment. There’s logic to that. But in 30-odd years of selling grinders, the people who switch from 2-part to 4-part don’t tend to go back.

If you grind a lot, or you’ve ever pressed your own hash, buy a 4-part. If you want something you can stick in your pocket and forget about, the 2-part is the more practical tool.

Size — the bit that actually makes a difference day to day

Grinder diameter runs from about 30mm (pocket novelty territory) up to 70mm+. The size affects how much herb you can process in one go and how much effort it takes to turn the thing.

Below 50mm you’re grinding in batches if you’re doing any volume. Fine for occasional use, annoying if it’s your daily piece. The Chongz Bread of Heaven 40mm at £14.99 is in this bracket — compact, 4-part with a kief catcher, a decent budget option if you specifically need something small.

55–62mm is the sweet spot for most daily use. Enough capacity per grind, comfortable to hold and turn, kief chamber builds up at a sensible rate. The Headchef Samurai at 55mm sits here. So does the Chongz Rasta Tom Cruzer at 56mm (£29.99) — a good-looking 4-part with a non-stick coating that keeps residue from building up as fast.

62mm+ is the right size for home use where you’re not carrying it. More capacity, better leverage, grinds more per turn. The Headchef Woodsman 62mm at £34.99 and Chongz Non-Stick 62mm at £29.99 are both in this territory.

The RAW Buddy Mill — not actually a grinder

The RAW Buddy Mill (£49.99) is worth its own section because it works differently to everything else we stock.

Most grinders use teeth to shred herb. The Buddy Mill uses interchangeable metal plates that press and mill — the same action as an old-fashioned spice mill. The difference is what happens to trichomes. Teeth shred them. The milling action is gentler, breaks the material along its natural structure rather than cutting through it. Trichome heads — where most of the useful stuff is concentrated — stay more intact.

Whether that matters to you depends on what you’re doing with the end product. For vaporiser users in particular it’s worth thinking about — the mill produces a more consistent, less fluffy output that works well in most vape chambers. For rolling, either works.

It’s slower than a toothed grinder. The plates need cleaning more carefully than a standard mesh screen. But for people who care about this level of detail, it’s the most interesting thing we’ve added to the range in years.

What we’d recommend at each price point

Under a tenner: Willy Banjo 40mm Metal 4-Part — £10. We made this to our own spec because we couldn’t find an aluminium 4-part with a kief catcher at this price that didn’t feel like it was about to strip its threads. It’s compact, it grinds cleanly, and the kief screen is the right micron size.

£15–£20: Dopefauna 55mm Woodland Grinder — £19.99 or Chongz Dragons Fire 50mm — £19.99. The Dopefauna is illustrated metal — looks great, solid 4-part build, properly sharp teeth. The Chongz is the more conventional option: 4-part, 50mm, straightforward aluminium.

£25–£35: The Headchef Samurai Iridescent 55mm at £29.99 is the one we sell most in this bracket. UK brand, aircraft-grade aluminium, the sharpest teeth in the Headchef range, strong magnetic closure. If you want something bigger at the same price, Chongz Non-Stick 62mm at £29.99. A step up in build: Headchef Woodsman 62mm at £34.99.

£40–£50: RAW Buddy Mill at £49.99 if you want the mill action, or Headchef Cyborg at £44.99 for a premium toothed grinder with a more industrial look. The After Grow Thorinder 62mm at £44.99 is also worth a look — 4-part, 62mm, one of the better-engineered mid-range grinders at this price.

The benchmark: The Santa Cruz Shredder 2-Part Medium at £35 and Small at £30 are what serious users compare everything else against. USA-made, medical-grade anodised aluminium, serrated tooth design that produces a consistently fluffy grind. Best threading we’ve seen at any price. Hemp composite versions also available: 2-part £12, 3-part £18.99, 4-part £24.99.

For something different: RAW Ethereal 60mm 4-Part Gold Limited Edition at £99.99. RAW x Hammercraft from £26.99. Chongz Pod 7-Part at £34.99–£39.99 — seven pieces, poker and storage built in, genuinely unusual.

Festival and novelty grinders

We’ve traded at festivals for 30 years and the grinders that sell best at a festival stall are the ones that do something entertaining as well as grind. The Dark Space Invader 3-Part at £9.99 has been a consistent seller. The Smokeyball and yellow Pengachoo ball (both £9.99) are the ones people pick up because they make someone laugh. The 8 Ball at £4.99 is the cheapest functional grinder we stock — acrylic, does the job, and £4.99 is £4.99.

Not the ones to buy if you want five years of daily use. The ones to buy when you want a present, a festival backup, or when price matters more than spec.

How to clean it

1. Freeze it for 20 minutes. Resin goes brittle and stops sticking to everything.
2. Knock it apart over a piece of paper — don’t waste what falls out.
3. Stiff brush (old toothbrush) on the teeth and screen.
4. Soak metal parts in 90%+ isopropyl alcohol for 20–30 minutes.
5. Scrub, rinse with warm water, dry fully before reassembling.

The screen clogs fastest. A quick brush after each session keeps it clear for longer. Don’t put grinders in the dishwasher — the heat warps tolerances that matter. Stiff threads: food-grade wax, thin coat, done. We stock grinder cleaner separately.

Herb grinder FAQ

Which herb grinder should I buy?
Under £15 — Willy Banjo 40mm at £10. £25–£35 — Headchef Samurai 55mm at £29.99. The benchmark toothed grinder — Santa Cruz Shredder. Something genuinely different — RAW Buddy Mill at £49.99.

Is zinc alloy bad in a grinder?
Over time, yes. Zinc corrodes, aluminium doesn’t. Every grinder we stock is aluminium or hemp composite.

What’s a kief catcher?
The bottom chamber in a 4-part grinder. Fine resinous material falls through a mesh screen and collects there as you grind. Most people who try a 4-part don’t go back to 2.

What size should I buy?
55–62mm for most daily use. Under 50mm and you’re grinding in batches. Over 62mm is better if it lives on a desk rather than in a pocket.

What’s the difference between the RAW Buddy Mill and a normal grinder?
It mills rather than shreds. Interchangeable metal plates instead of teeth. Gentler on trichomes, better for vaporisers, slower to use, different to clean. The most interesting thing on our grinder shelf right now.

My grinder threads are stiff.
Food-grade wax on the threads. Thin coat. Fixes it in seconds.

Browse all herb grinders at Willy Banjo →

We’re at 13a Lowthian Street in Preston if you want to come in and have a look. Most of the range is in stock in the shop. 01772 887772.