Weed Grinder Sizes - Comparison and Review
A weed grinder’s “size” can mean two things. The first is simply the width of the grinder. Grinders come in many different widths with sizes often ranging from 1.5” to 2.5” (38mm to 63mm), but there are specialized grinders available that are smaller and larger.
For example we make the best small weed grinder on the market that’s only 1.1” (28mm) wide, and it’s considered one of the thinnest grinders in the world. On the other end of the spectrum you can find 4 inch (100mm) jumbo grinders for sale, although their design will be basic.
The second and less well-known meaning of grinder size would be the number of pieces that comprise or make up the grinder. The number of sections often ranges from 2 to 4 pieces, but there are exceptions to this as well.
What Does "Pieces" Mean in Weed Grinder Terminology?
This will all seem simple if you’ve been involved in cannabis culture for a while, but if you’re new or just doing some research, here’s a plain explanation of what “pieces” mean for a grinder’s general design.
2-Piece Grinders
A 2 piece grinder will have only the teeth with no ground flower storage and no kief storage sections. There won’t be any holes in the floor and you’ll have to manually dump the ground weed out into a separate container. The two sections are the top teeth and the bottom teeth.
3-Piece Grinders
A 3 piece weed grinder will have a storage section and now there will be holes on the floor for weed to drop through and be collected. There will be no kief collection or second storage spot under the main storage section. The three sections are the top teeth, the bottom teeth with the holes in the floor, and then a storage area in the bottom for ground flower.
4-Piece Grinders
A 4 piece weed grinder will have all that the 2-piece and 3-piece grinders have, but it will also have a kief collection tray underneath the main storage section. The floor of the main storage area will now have a screen designed to filter kief that gets separated from the weed.
5-Piece Grinders
A 5 –piece grinder is simply a grinder with another section added on. What kind of section is up to you. There are 5-piece grinders that have extra storage sections above the teeth (like ours), and there are others that have multiple kief compartments.
What Sized Weed Grinder Is Best?
That’s highly opinionated, but most people agree that a 3 piece or 4 piece is most useful in terms of sections, and a 2 inch to 2.5 inch (50mm to 63mm) width is best suited for the average person. Now don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of people that like smaller or bigger grinders, but that’s not their first grinder purchase, they likely know what they want for a specific reason. And what are those reasons?
A Smaller Grinder Is Better for Portability, Travel, and Stealth
Not everyone needs to smoke three joints to get to the right place. Especially with cannabis potency increasing and devices becoming for effective, many of us simply don’t need to grind a large amount of weed up at once. Grinding up large amounts of weed and letting in sit in the air also reduces potency. In that case, there’s really no point in having an obtrusively large grinder bulging up your pockets.
This is especially true if you’re traveling. The best weed grinder for traveling is going to be stealthy while still retaining its efficiency in grinding weed. Bonus points if it has extra storage.
Hint Hint – The ZAM 1.1” grinder does all those things.
A Bigger Grinder Provides More Leverage for Grinding Massive Amounts at Once
You buy a big grinder like our 2.5" stainless steel for three reasons. First, you want to grind up massive amounts of weed at once. You want to chuck an eighth in to your grinder with no worry that it won’t’ be up for the task.
Second, once that eighth has been ground up, you want that massive pile to sit in your grinder as if by your bed-side. It should be readily available as soon as you should call on it to be packed into the multitude of big blunts and giant joints you consume by the hour.
Third and last is the honorable fight between big hands and tiny lids. An odd fact about many weed grinders is that despite them being used to forcibly tear sticky things apart, the lids are often tiny and hard to grip. We at ZAM designed our lids to be fat like a Friday night joint with the boys, but for some reason other manufactures have ignored the convenience that comes with a comfortable grip.
A bigger grinder often has a larger lid which makes it easier to grasp and turn.
Common Questions to Answer to Determine Your Preference for Size
How Much Cannabis Do You Want to Store?
A larger grinder will be able to store more weed, but remember that your grinder is not air-tight so your weed will degrade.
Do You Plan to Take This Grinder Out and About With You?
Our 1.1” grinder is designed to sit comfortably in your pocket or purse. You wouldn’t be able to do that with a 2.5” or even a 1.8” if it’s still a 4 piece grinder. If you just plan to carry it from point A to point B, then overall size is not as important. But if you want to go hiking or clubbing and constantly have a fresh source of bud, then it’s more important.
While less important than the overall size, the weight of a grinder should not be ignored either. This is especially true if you‘re considering purchasing a stainless steel grinder. These grinders are heavy and are horrible to carry around in your pocket. It feels like a small wet bag of rocks.
Do You Care About Collecting Kief?
You can’t collect kief with a 2-piece or a 3-piece grinder, but many people don’t care. They view the collection of kief as a siphoning of potency. Not only that, but a 4-piece grinder is more expensive and larger. If you want portability and don’t mind sacrificing the ability to collect kief ,then a 3-piece weed grinder might be the best choice for you.
Check out this article on the best weed grinders for collecting kief.
Do You Smoke a Lot of Joints/Blunts?
You fill your grinder to the point where the holes leave an indentation in your bud and you still don’t have enough to roll your joint/blunt. That’s annoying. Now you have to refill your grinder and do everything again.
This can be solved by buying a giant ass grinder. There are larger grinders available as stated earlier in the article, but the truth is a 2.5 inch grinder is plenty big enough to fill any size joint or blunt you might have in mind in one go. Grinders can get up to 4 inches in diameter, that’s the largest sized grinder you can realistically purchase. We don’t sell those monstrosities, not yet.
Do You Consume Cannabis Often?
If you’re one of those people that can burn through a couple joints a day, a larger grinder is going to a better choice for you. While it’s certainly possible to simply grind up a bunch of weed repeatedly, it gets annoying after a while. Some people dislike grinding weed so much they simply pre-grind a bunch at a time. This isn’t recommend, but is always a choice. There are electric weed grinders available if you no standards. Just kidding…kind of.
If you smoke occasionally then buying a big weed grinder would be a waste unless you plan to pre-grind a bunch. Why not buy a smaller grinder and grind it up as you need it? That would preserve the THC in the bud rather than leaving a bunch in your larger grinder for it to dry out.
A Larger Grinder Is Better for Those Suffering From Medical Ailments
A larger grinder is easier to grap and produce more torque. If you suffer from pain in the joints of your fingers than a larger grinder, or even an electric grinder, would be a better choice for you in terms of size.
Conclusion:
Weed grinder sizes you can purchase today range from 1” to 4” in diameter, and from 2 pieces to 5 pieces. A 2 piece is just teeth, a 3 piece has a storage section, and a 4 piece has all that and a bottom for collecting kief.
The best weed grinder size for you will depend on what you plan to do with your grinder. If it’s your first time smoking some ganja and you’re researching what grinder to use, then I would suggest a 4 piece grinder in the 2” – 2.5” size range. These grinders will give you the full experience in terms of size and pieces. You should also check out this article on how to determine a quality weed grinder.