Know if its as good as the Brewferm one?
Its 40 euro cheaper...
Anyone bought this?
I ended up buying the Brewferm one as it was on sale and I knew it was good.
Did the same myself. With reviews on the site, though going with the safe option was worth it.
Wow, this looks like a GREAT malt mill. I can't believe how cheap it is. I was looking for a "cog wheel" malt mill like this a year ago when I bought my Monster Mill.
I can't emphasize how useful of a feature this is; it normally only exists in INSANELY expensive malt mills. Having both rollers connected together with the cog and spinning at the same speed and both powered reduces the sheer forces on the malt husk to the absolute minimum. It means that the husk doesn't get all torn up and stays intact which not only means reduced likelihood of a stuck sparge and the ability to run off faster, but it means a dramatically reduced rate and risk of tannin extraction. -All we ever hear about as home brewers is usually the combination of pH + temperature that causes tannin extraction but shredded husks play a huge part. (I've switched to "conditioning" my malt with water spray and letting it set for 20-30 minutes before I crush to make up for my non-geared/cogged malt mill so that my husks stay more intact.)
The only home brewer malt mills that I know that have this feature are the Schmidling which is stupid expensive and doesn't come with a hopper or body (you have to build them) and a guy out here in Seattle who builds custom mills for home brew shops and microbreweries and these start at $1,800 with a welded hopper, motor, switch and rolling cart. (They've got a couple extra features, so by no means a direct comparison, but my point is that this is a high-end feature with a very low end price.)
I wish the Bulldog malt mill existed / I knew about it a year ago and I'd deal with shipping the stupid thing out here.
Someone needs to buy one of these and report back. ;-)
IMHO, this is one of the critical features that's missing in most home brew mills. If you read the reviews for the Cereal Crusher, you'll see lots of people complaining that the 2nd roller often doesn't spin -that's NOT an issue when both rollers are tied together with a gear / cog like this.
Adam
I might have a look at this in the new year and report back.
No budget at the moment due to christmas.
Any update on this? Anyone get one?
I'm looking to get a mill and the €30 difference plus what biertourist is saying about the cogwheel feature has me very interested.
I have one. it's done the job so far. I'll be conditioning my malt for the first time this weekend as well to see how that changed it.
Mine has a bit of an annoying click that was easily fixed and Vermelho has had to return one so I'm not sure how good the quality control is.
Doesn't sound so great. Might just cough up the extra €30 for the Brewferm to be safe.
I'll report back after my next brew day and update
Cheers. I've a couple of bags of crushed to use in the next couple of weeks anyway. I'm just sick of how quickly it stales. Need to fresh crush my own by summer.
Yeah. I need to get back into crushing everything and away from precrushed too. On a brewing binge to clear out all the precrushed. Even debating doing a wheat IPA or barley wine
I'm about to shell out for one myself so we'll see.
Please report back the results and ideally a picture of the crush that you get.
Adam
Will do! I'm gonna try malt condition as well so that will have am impact.
As armedcor mentioned, I trouble with my first one in that one of the crushers wasn't uniform creating a larger gap halfway through a turn. The second one is fine but one of the wheels is slightly loose. It crushed well though. Also the drill attachment that received is a bit wonky.
Quote from: Vermelho on March 26, 2015, 06:31:36 PM
I trouble with my first one in that one of the crushers wasn't uniform creating a larger gap halfway through a turn. The second one is fine but one of the wheels is slightly loose. It crushed well though. Also the drill attachment that received is a bit wonky.
Wow, what a shame that the quality control is so low as the feature of having a gear connect the two rollers is a much needed one, IMHO.
Adam
Bringing a few to the new HBS in Dublin tomo if anyone wants to pop in and have a go on one.
Received mine today. Looks as expected. The hopper assembly is quite fiddly but manageable (don't drop the nuts or bolts down into the mess on the floor of your shed, like I did).
However you have to be extremely careful with the mounting screws for attaching the hopper to the mill. They are very soft metal and will wear extremely easily. Make sure you go at them slowly with the right size Phillips head.
I have let HBW know.
I used mine again today. I used a corded electric drill and I'm not sure if it's my drill or what but it really requires a lot of force to turn, almost need the drill at full speed which isn't ideal. I get a much better crush when I mill it by hand but that sucks...a lot.
Saying that after conditioning the malt and eventually running it through it was a lovely crush.
Mine arrived yesterday. Agree with fungalboy on the hopper. Nearly lost a few washers down the back of the sofa. Also seemed to be extra washers, either that or I didn't use enough, it wasn't overly clear from the instructions how to put it together. Won't be using it for a few weeks yet.
The screws on mine won't come out of the mill assemble to attach the hopper and the screws are losing shape with the pressure not looking guys at the moment will give HBW a shout
,
Came very close to that happening. Changed to a different screw driver with a really good fit and carefully got them turned but was worried the head may just shred.
Are they Philips or Pozidrive?
(https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/toolbox/electrotech/toolbox1204/resources/03workshop/05hand_tools/images/phill_and_pozie.gif)
No there Philips alright really really soft, ruined the face of the screws got them off which a pillars phew. Now testing the grind, seems a to take a high torque to get the right grist consistency
Screws wearing was my major issue. I have told HBW (with photos) and received a holding response.
Agree that instructions were poor but I guess it's not rocket science. Getting screws mad from something other than jam obviously is.
Hopefully it is not an indication of the quality of the rest of the unit.
Yea it makes sense that you need more torque to turn 2 rollers vs. 1; didn't think about that...
Adam
Quote from: biertourist on April 01, 2015, 11:49:07 PM
Yea it makes sense that you need more torque to turn 2 rollers vs. 1; didn't think about that...
Adam
Last time i listen to you!!!!! only messin. My cordless is just to under powered to do it but its fine with the 2500w.
I have one delivered but haven't put it together yet. Should and could i get better screws from a DIY store?
Quote from: DCBrewing on April 02, 2015, 08:43:51 AM
I have one delivered but haven't put it together yet. Should and could i get better screws from a DIY store?
It's not tightening is the problem, it's removing the top ones from the mill so the hopper can be fitted. Do it very carefully.
Quote from: NeillC on April 02, 2015, 08:50:03 AM
Quote from: DCBrewing on April 02, 2015, 08:43:51 AM
I have one delivered but haven't put it together yet. Should and could i get better screws from a DIY store?
It's not tightening is the problem, it's removing the top ones from the mill so the hopper can be fitted. Do it very carefully.
Thats the stage im on now, i can seem to remove them! Either im too weak or they are fuckin weilded in!
Very difficult to put together, more like a puzzle. Very low quality build overall. Hope it does the job in the end. Also i tries adding grain to the actual mill, it just falls down the outside of the rollers as the gaps are so big? Wtf?!
I had the same problem with the screws, could only get two of the four off, ended up wrecking the face of the screws while trying to remove them... In the end I screwed the hopper in on one side only and bent it to fit on the other.
Quote from: Keg on April 02, 2015, 08:50:45 PM
I had the same problem with the screws, could only get two of the four off, ended up wrecking the face of the screws while trying to remove them... In the end I screwed the hopper in on one side only and bent it to fit on the other.
thats mental, very poor! I cant take any off and my screw bit fits perfect
We've been on to the manufacturers, its a small problem but a real pain in the ass. Once you get these 4 screws out, its plain sailing and it is a great mill.
Until they sort this out, we are going to loosen the screws on all mills before we ship them. This should solve this.
Any other issues, post them here and we'll keep and eye on it.
Quote from: Keg on April 02, 2015, 08:50:45 PM
I had the same problem with the screws, could only get two of the four off, ended up wrecking the face of the screws while trying to remove them... In the end I screwed the hopper in on one side only and bent it to fit on the other.
Try going at the heads of the screw side on using the teeth of the pillars work for me just about
So what do I do now HBW?
Quote from: DCBrewing on April 02, 2015, 08:36:47 PM
Very difficult to put together, more like a puzzle. Very low quality build overall. Hope it does the job in the end. Also i tries adding grain to the actual mill, it just falls down the outside of the rollers as the gaps are so big? Wtf?!
Were you putting them down through the hopper? The smaller plates screw inside the hopper to feed on to the centre gap in the mill.
Quote from: Covey on April 02, 2015, 09:13:29 PM
Quote from: Keg on April 02, 2015, 08:50:45 PM
I had the same problem with the screws, could only get two of the four off, ended up wrecking the face of the screws while trying to remove them... In the end I screwed the hopper in on one side only and bent it to fit on the other.
Try going at the heads of the screw side on using the teeth of the pillars work for me just about
Cheers, I'll give it another go.
Quote from: DCBrewing on April 02, 2015, 09:28:47 PM
So what do I do now HBW?
Try to loosen the 4 screws using a vice grips or a pliers. We are doing this for all mills shipped from now on, and the manufacturers are working on it too.
If you can't get them off, pop into the shop and we will do it for you.
Quote from: NeillC on April 02, 2015, 09:34:49 PM
Quote from: DCBrewing on April 02, 2015, 08:36:47 PM
Very difficult to put together, more like a puzzle. Very low quality build overall. Hope it does the job in the end. Also i tries adding grain to the actual mill, it just falls down the outside of the rollers as the gaps are so big? Wtf?!
Were you putting them down through the hopper? The smaller plates screw inside the hopper to feed on to the centre gap in the mill.
Aha i didnt know that about the small plates. I put them on the outside! Instrutions are so shiiiite
Quote from: DCBrewing on April 03, 2015, 06:10:13 AM
Quote from: NeillC on April 02, 2015, 09:34:49 PM
Quote from: DCBrewing on April 02, 2015, 08:36:47 PM
Very difficult to put together, more like a puzzle. Very low quality build overall. Hope it does the job in the end. Also i tries adding grain to the actual mill, it just falls down the outside of the rollers as the gaps are so big? Wtf?!
Were you putting them down through the hopper? The smaller plates screw inside the hopper to feed on to the centre gap in the mill.
Aha i didnt know that about the small plates. I put them on the outside! Instrutions are so shiiiite
Agreed, I'll maybe stick a few pics of mine on the thread so people can see. (When I get a moment)
Quote from: HomeBrewWest on April 03, 2015, 01:23:07 AM
Quote from: DCBrewing on April 02, 2015, 09:28:47 PM
So what do I do now HBW?
Try to loosen the 4 screws using a vice grips or a pliers. We are doing this for all mills shipped from now on, and the manufacturers are working on it too.
If you can't get them off, pop into the shop and we will do it for you.
Pliers aren't working for me. You mean your shop in galway, cant make that living in dublin.
OK, then we can pick it up, loosen the screws and return it. Or we can just pick it up and refund you.
Pop the lads an email (sales@homebrewwest.com) and let them know what you want to do.
By the way, do not put wet grain through this mill (or any other mill). There is no need since the two rollers are connected so that there is no shear force on the grains.
I've no idea how you would dry a mill after wetting it like this, it would probably seize up. We can't be responsible for mills destroyed by water (these, the Brewferm mills, and any other mill will all be destroyed by wet grain).
Just finished my first grind and overall happy so far, although there was a major vibration maybe this is normal with roller mills. Took about 1min 30 to do 3kg which is a bit fast but my corded couldn't turn at a lower speed without getting stuck, maybe you could use it with a cordless drill if you had one good enough. With my old corona mill the drill used to get hot and 2 of them burned out on the corona. But the drill was cool at the end of the milling (4.8kg). The grist was good and no full grains. I got it for e94 after the discount I think it's half the price of a Frankenstein and it came with the base and bucket so at that price if it does the job for years to come I'llbe delighted
Just to continue with the positivity, although there are some design flaws, my crush was great with this and I achieved 76% efficiency. I'll be fine tuning as I go. My cordless drill was smoking at points though which wasn't great. I didn't have much problem with the screws and washers etc. the instructions are crap but just make sure the washers are on the screw head side. There are some flaws as noted but it does what it's supposed to do and it's great value.
Good to hear some positive things. Im going to try get some help at removing those screws. Im going to be using the hand crank and not go drill so i hope that works ok. The hopper is nice and big.
Quote from: Vermelho on April 03, 2015, 05:46:52 PM
Just to continue with the positivity, although there are some design flaws, my crush was great with this and I achieved 76% efficiency. I'll be fine tuning as I go. My cordless drill was smoking at points though which wasn't great. I didn't have much problem with the screws and washers etc. the instructions are crap but just make sure the washers are on the screw head side. There are some flaws as noted but it does what it's supposed to do and it's great value.
I had so many washers I wasn't sure what to do with them. I put one on each side then one of of this sprung/crush type ones on before the nut. Still had 2 left over!
Assembled mine on Wednesday night.
Crushed two brews worth of grain last night.
Brewed one batch tonight, doing another in the morning.
No problems at all, very happy with my purchase.
Any one who wants help with these and can get over to Malahide (NC Dubland) then I will try to sort you out!
PM me for info (if you don't already have my address etc)! If you know me then email or phone/text
Here's a few pics of mine.
Daire showed us his last night. It looked pretty sturdy to me.
Gap adjustment looked easy, although the screws for that were finger tight so I'd be inclined to keep a check on the gap at the start of each grind, just in case.
Finally got the last screw out of the mill to allow the hopper to be connected. A good few goes with a vice-grips were required.
I've yet to do a crush but i like the look of the mill now that it is assembled. Those cheap screws nearly ruined the whole thing for me though. I have suggested to Brian in HBW that all units have them loosened before shipping as a minimum or better still replaced.
No point in having a great product spoiled for the sake of a couple cents on decent stainless screws.
Yup, we will loosen all these 4 screws on all the mills arriving Tuesday. And see if we can find better screws too.
By now, some of you will have used them. The verdict?
I've had no problems with mine bar it doesn't work great with my drill... Apparently that's the fact it has the cog drive either way it only works if I have the drill on full speed.
What speed are are you using?
Optimum speed for a mill is 400 rpm. This is typically a rechargable drill on low setting.
The fact that the rollers are geared should not affect the torque required!
well it seems to as its the same for me
No idea on speed but the only Way to get it to turn with grain in it is full speed. No idea what the explanation is but I've seen it that way on another bulldog Mill as well.
How freely does it spin without grain?
Quote from: Bogwoppit on April 10, 2015, 10:32:12 AM
How freely does it spin without grain?
Absolutely no problem without grain. I've used two drills with mine now a cordless D'Walt which just couldn't handle it at all and a much stronger corded drill that had to run flat out or nothing.
Hi or Low?
Speed? High
High speed is too high and the motor doesn't have enough torque to start milling - assuming you have grain in the hopper.
Use low speed and it should work better. Also the vibration of the milling fluidises the grain above the rollers and so eases the task. One trick is to flick the drill in reverse & then go into into forward.
Another trick is to start the drill before adding the grain!
HTH Will
Yea low speed wouldn't work at all. I'll have another look at it next time I'm home and see if I can make some adjustments.
Glad I found this thread. Bought the mill a couple of weeks ago and tried to assemble. Never copped that the small plates go inside to feed the malt to the centre! I had just left them off. Was also unable to mount the hopper. Couple of turns of the screwdriver and I have the gum-like screws destroyed. I will go at it again tonight with the pliers and hope for the best as I want to prep a brew and try this mill out. What kind of gap should I be leavging between between the rollers? This will be my first time crushing my own malt. I have no drill and will be doing it by hand. Does that make any difference? Am I ok putting the malt in straight from the bag? A couple of you have mentioned conditioning.....
I've had trouble like everyone else with the soft metal screw. Managed to get 3 of them in place by being careful and only sheared the thread off one.
I've found it does require a bit more torque than my previous mill.
The crush is great though and my efficiency has gone up with this mill.
Quote from: Simon. on July 14, 2015, 11:06:39 AM
I've found it does require a bit more torque than my previous mill.
Spinning 2 rollers requires more torque than spinning just one.
Adam
Lads , a year or so on, how are these mills holding up? Thinking of buying one... Thanks
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Mines still good but I've only used it 5 maybe 6 times. But works like a trooper every time. It does require a lot of torque with a drill compared to normal mills. I need to use my corded drill.
Yeah it takes a bit to get it going with the drill, only annoying thing I have with it was not being able to remove the screws for the hopper.
Great thanks lads
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Quote from: armedcor on June 22, 2016, 10:34:49 PM
Mines still good but I've only used it 5 maybe 6 times. But works like a trooper every time. It does require a lot of torque with a drill compared to normal mills. I need to use my corded drill.
Jesus really? I had a problem with mine with the cordless drill, on a fine grind it was too strong and I chewed the ends of my rollers a little bit. Lesson being if its stuck, loosen the gap a bit.
Going to pull the trigger on a mill in the next few days.
Is everyone still happy with their purchases of this mill?
The Brewferm one can be bought for 30 more, wondering if its worth the extra cash. Buy Once, Cry Once and all that.
Quote from: greystashlawless on January 08, 2019, 02:28:01 PM
Going to pull the trigger on a mill in the next few days.
Is everyone still happy with their purchases of this mill?
The Brewferm one can be bought for 30 more, wondering if its worth the extra cash. Buy Once, Cry Once and all that.
I've got one of these and have had absolutely no problem with it. Have easily milled over 100kg of grain since I purchased it and it's still going strong.
Same. Does the job. No issues (I do find that I need to check the gap between rollers and adjust every so often, but that's to be expected)
I'm happy with mine 3 or so years later. Haven't used any other Mills but this seems fine.
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Cheers lads, ordered one earlier today.
Hoping it will help bring my efficiency up!
Been using mine for 2 years. Great efficiency.