Looking to pick up a mill (preferably via Amazon, as a I have ton of accumulated credit there). I've read that if I'm going to do BIAB - which I am - it's suggested to run the grain through a second crush. Are there brand name/feature recommendations anyone might care to offer up? Cheers....
I've got barley crusher#2 (first one was shared, see loaned, between multiple guys and lasted about 2 years). The barley crusher is ok for homebrewing use, it does however need to be cleaned regularly and lubed a couple times a year. Price is right as well on those. If I were to go bigger I'd get a 3 roller mill, like a monster mill but since I am no longer sharing with the other guys I went with the barley crusher again.
Looks like I have another purchase to make too... will be watching this thread. Barley crusher is in the lead!
Monster Mill. I think you can put one together on Amazon too. Get the 3 roller and I doubt you'll need to double mill your stuff as well. Great crush, with intact husks.
Plenty-o-problems and dismal customer support have been reported far and wide with the Barley Crusher. That said...mine has been in-service grinding on average ~6# every other week for several years w/out any major issues. IMO...a thorough 'paint brush' cleaning after each use is key; otherwise...the flour will cause the slave spindle to bind
I've motorized several mills (7 total) and have used 3 types of mills: barleycrusher, jsp malt mill, and valleymill. The barleycrusher is by far my least favorite. Construction is loose (tollerances) and for the same money you can buy a JSP with longer rollers which makes building a larger hopper for it much easier and I find the build quality much better. The mills that have come back to me for tweaking etc...are always barleycrushers. -1,000 recomendation for the BC.
The Barley Crusher is garbage. It has small 1.25" rollers that create less of an angle to feed the grain, plus the knurling wears out. Mine failed after 18 months of ownership (less than 1000# of grain run through it) and when you email customer service about the issue they send the same canned response that they have apparently been sending for over 4 years (so they know of the issue) recommending you clean the rollers with a wire brush and then reverse them. After you do that and still have problems, they then tell you to pay to ship back the base so they can either replace or resurface the rollers (since the product has a lifetime warranty) but it's only a temporary fix until the cycle repeats itself. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/barley-crusher-customer-service-297352/ Monster Mill with 2" rollers is the way to go....
I have a 2-roller Monster Mill. Works great. I bought the hopper with it, which holds at least 10 lbs of grain.
Same here - my circa '94 JSP has been great since day one. Motorized it and built a bigger hopper. It's the fixed width version, but it's a great crush and have had zero issues.
