Cheap Mill Option?

[jojai]

Hey,
wanting to put together a cheap but good hand cranked mill as I am looking at buying bulk bags of base malt from now. Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Joseph.

 

[Aaron]

The search function.

 

[jojai]

Tried it, cheapest mention I could find was around $200.00 from the US for just the rollers. Is this the cheapest option then? I'll continue searching, thanks for the help

 

[Aaron]

It really helps if you mention what you have already done and looked at in your question. That way people don't suggest things that are not relevant.

<edit>
This is a great resuorce http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
</edit>

 

[geoffi]

Considering the strength of the $A right now, I'd save the effort and buy a Barley Crusher or similar.

But then I am an unhandy man...

 

[Doogiechap]

If you want to build your own then Gav's roller mill should give you some inspiration (It did for me in post 41).

If you want to buy a cheap one then the Marga Mill is the other good option.
Here is a good thread on how to modify it

Cheers
Doug

 

[balconybrewer]

i just purchsed a 2 monster mills 2's

upgraded the crank and stainless rollers, posted to my door for about $390.

hope its all its cracked up to be.

 

[white.grant]

cheap and good? Now, there's the trick.

Marga is probably going to be your best bet at $100ish dollars.

cheers

Grant

 

[MCT]

Do the Barley Crusher mills compare with say the Monster Mill or the Crankenstein (or whatever it's called?) for a good crush?
And do the Marga mills compare with the Barley Crusher?

cheap and good? Now, there's the trick.

Marga is probably going to be your best bet at $100ish dollars.

cheers

Grant

 

[captaincleanoff]

i recently purchased the barley crusher, and I'm very happy with it. Its the same mill they use at my local home brew store. Comes ready to use with the right gap, and with a hopper.

I did a brew last weekend with 15kg of grain.. took about 5 mins with a drill.. great crush straight out of the box.

 

[captaincleanoff]

This is a great resuorce http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

haha i cant believe you even went to the effort of copying the link

 

[pbrosnan]

I have just got my Monster setup and did a crush last weekend that I'll use in a brew tomorrow so I'll see how it goes. Up till now I've used a Marga in about 60 brews and can report that it is a very effective mill. It is a 3 roller and has no problems delivering an effective crush of the 5-6 kilo batches I do. As others have said it is the best value 3 roller mill on the market.

 

[T.D.]

I've had a Barley Crusher for years. Its been great. Probably not as idiot-proof as mills like the Monstor with its bigger rollers, but works very well. As for longevity, my old HBS owner used one for as long as I can remember and would have put tonnes and tonnes of grain through it. And it is still going like a champ.

And with the dollar high, you could get one for about $120 direct from the States. That's with hopper etc included. Pretty good value for something that is specifically designed for home brewing.

 

[jojai]

It really helps if you mention what you have already done and looked at in your question. That way people don't suggest things that are not relevant.

<edit>
This is a great resuorce http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
</edit>

HAHA that's awesome, smart ass. thanks for the laugh.


And thanks to everyone else who suggested good stuff. I ended up getting the MARGA, if it's a total piece of shit then I guess I wasted my money, but if it does an okay job I'll be happy. I don't do many brews, nor do I brew at a higher than standard capacity, so it should be able to handle the job, even if I have to feed the grain through twice or something.

Cheers, Joseph

 

[bonj]

You should be pretty happy with Margie (as I call her). I've not noticed any efficiency differences from buying pre-cracked grain from craftbrewer after I bought the marga. I've use mine for a fir number of brews now (can't remember when I got it), and it's been great. And a great workout... no motor here yet.

Oh Margie, you came and you cracked me some barley....

 

[arogers]

What does everyone think about the Crankenstein mills?

 

[T.D.]

Excellent mills, but the Monstor Mills are basically the same and (last I checked) are cheaper.

 

[eric8]

I got my 2 roller Crankandstein delivered for around $100. Pretty cheap, especially iwth the Aus $ at the moment. I got the smallest mill.

 

[captaincleanoff]

Oh Margie, you came and you cracked me some barley....

i loled

 

[bonj]

i loled

I'm glad someone finally did. I've been using that joke for months, and all I've got so far are a few smirks and strange looks :lol: