Hmm, a nice grinder is gonna be $35-$75 by itself. I wouldn't skimp on a grinder purchase because cheap ones will create metal shavings on the threads that can get in your bud. I bought my grinder and scale at the same time for $50, the grinder was $40 and the scale $30 but I talked them down a decent amount. Good luck!
There's only a couple grinders you want. My choice is Space Case. Cosmic is next in line, followed by Sharp Stone. I would personally go to puffitup.com and get the 2 piece small Space Case for $23. Well you're there, grab a $20 scale that looks like an iPhone. Unless you want a really fancy scale this is perfect for personal use. Total $43. You can use a discount code - they might still offer 20% off Space Cases or they offer 10% off an order, etc. PS later on grab a kief box to collect kief. They work better than 4 piece grinders. Also 4 piece grinders don't grind the herb as finely because it falls through the holes into the chamber.
They grind it more than enough for any method of smoking and it is always the same size because of the holes giving a good consistency of smoke. You dont want you joints to be gone in a matter of 2 minutes do you.
i just picked up a cosmic for $85, incredibly worth it. steel grinds amazingly. i stopped needing a scale eventually, but they're pretty cheap.
They don't grind it enough for some vaporizers. Having two vaporizers myself I take these things into consideration. Also almost 99% of the time, not all of the herb falls into the holes with a 4 piece. Sure the 4 piece will grind the herbs well. However with the 2 piece you can stop grinding after a twist, or you can go for a finer grind my continuing to grind. So yes, the 2 piece can grind finer. I've smoked a couple joints in the last 6 months so it's no issue here. However finely ground herb in a joint is just as good, it all comes down to the roll. Another thing I like about 2 pieces is it's compact to carry around. Considering a SC can run over $100, I think $23 for a small 2 piece is the best deal seeing as you get the exact same quality of a grinder and it's big enough for the average smoker. I've paid more for shitty Chinese grinders.
Just hold the grinder upside down and it achieves the same thing, but you have the option of a kief catcher and different chamber if you want to use it. The grinder I have that I posted a picture of is the best grinder I have used given quality, size, weight, aesthetics and ergonomically. I have used a Space Case amongst others also. Cant go wrong for the price I paid. People may be skeptical by the price but It is an absolute bargain. Very good quality.
Wow thanks for the quick and elaborate responses! I'm set on that $ 25 grinder, but what's a good name brand scale for personal use (1 gram-7)
Yeah upside down grinding works, but whatever. To sum it up the OP has to decide. My preference is kief box + 2 piece. Bone's preference is 4 piece. Grinders can leave metal shavings, so I often am skeptical about a brand I don't know.
Grinder: titanium space case - Google Search ***Splurge on a good grinder, these are basically the best. 0.1g Scale: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Black-Digital-Pocket/dp/B0012N1NAA/ref=sr_1_12?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1316051620&sr=1-12]Amazon.com: American Weigh Black Blade Digital Pocket Scale, 1000 by 0.1 G: Home & Garden[/ame] 0.001g Scale: American Weigh Gemini-20 Digital Milligram Scale 20 x 0.001g
I have had a four piece hardtop Sharp Stone for a long time now (it's one of the bigger if not the biggest sizes) and it has served me very well. Grinds up even really dank bud very quickly and evenly, though I do have to do some tapping sometimes to get pieces to fall through the holes. It does an awesome job at collecting keif (better than many of my friends grinders) but I think a lot of that has to do with the quality of your bud and how often you scrape the grinder. But it's solid all around no doubt. One thing to consider, as was mentioned earlier in the thread, is a keif box. If you are handling decent quanities of bud then I would definitely recommend getting one. I have gotten some absurd quantities of keif out of them before.