Ebay Electric Mill - Would this be any good?

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vqstatesman
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Ebay Electric Mill - Would this be any good?

Post by vqstatesman »

Hi all,

I'm looking to get back into making bourbon after a rest of 6-9 months. I have previously been using an electric blender to mill my corn, it's a KitchenAid brand and does a great job! The significant other isn't a huge fan of me doing this. So I'm looking at buying a grinder or mill.

To put my situation into perspective I typically need to mill 25KG of corn per batch. I will easily do 10 batches per year. I have a bain marie boiler, I ferment and distill on the grain, so I have no problems turning my corn into flower, in fact flower consistency is ideal.

I'm not tight on money and have spent north of $10K on my boiler & column. I do however try to minimise cost wherever I can. I'm certainly not made of money :) However I'm happy to throw a couple of hundred at a mill and get something worthy.

Having a look online there are plenty of cheap manual grinders which you can attach a drill to, not my cup of tea. On the other end of the scale there are hammer mills with prices north of $1,000. There doesn't appear to be much middle of the road :(

I cam across the below unbranded mill on eBay and am thinking of making the plunge. Does anyone here own a similar item? Anyone care to talk me out of making this purchase?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Electric-Mi ... Swx5ZapkZD" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
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still_stirrin
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Re: Ebay Electric Mill - Would this be any good?

Post by still_stirrin »

vqstatesman wrote:...Anyone care to talk me out of making this purchase?
.....silence.....
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
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greggn
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Re: Ebay Electric Mill - Would this be any good?

Post by greggn »

Who could argue against the listed feature of "All-round fine crushing, open the door of health."


Seriously, though, it *looks* like a capable machine but without purchasing from a local retailer your repair/replacement options are limited should it fail prematurely.
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vqstatesman
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Re: Ebay Electric Mill - Would this be any good?

Post by vqstatesman »

Yeah the bad English is a put off. Trying not to let that put me off.
cob
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Re: Ebay Electric Mill - Would this be any good?

Post by cob »

All the items will be shipped from CA/NY, United States within 48 business hours upon receipt of your payment.
• We are unable to ship to United States including APO/FPO addresses, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Virgin Islands, etc. with delivery confirmation numbers.

pressed metal legs, harbor freight looking paint job, and the statement they ship from ca/ny , but won't ship to

usa addresses but will ship to you down under. run away fast. look closely at the dimensions given

that looks like a very small motor. look for a commercial coffee grinder, it would last you the rest

of your life. this ad just looks like smoke and mirrors, at least find some real reviews of this mill
be water my friend
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still_stirrin
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Re: Ebay Electric Mill - Would this be any good?

Post by still_stirrin »

Have you had a look at this mill? viewtopic.php?f=85&t=69953

It may offer a solution within your reach.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
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vqstatesman
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Re: Ebay Electric Mill - Would this be any good?

Post by vqstatesman »

still_stirrin wrote:Have you had a look at this mill? viewtopic.php?f=85&t=69953

It may offer a solution within your reach.
ss
Yes. And it looks great. Problem being it's 110 volts not 240. Only have 240 here in Australia
The Baker
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Re: Ebay Electric Mill - Would this be any good?

Post by The Baker »

You can of course get a transformer. Has to have sufficient capacity. And as to whether it is worth it, maybe not but I don't know the prices.

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Danespirit
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Re: Ebay Electric Mill - Would this be any good?

Post by Danespirit »

Making 220/240 VAC out of 110 VAC, shouldn't be a problem...IF you decided to buy such a machine.
Now, for the one you've come up with...my concern would be the galvanized parts inside that thing.
It will eventually wear down (be mixed into your stuff) and then that thing will start to rust with the slightest moisture.
How about one like this: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 6b9a555vPW" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
It was just something that came up as I searched for a similar device. It's stainless steel and looks pretty sturdy.
Should the motor fail, it would be an easy job to replace it with another 220 VAC motor.
Depending on the gear ratio of this machine I really don't think it would have to be that powerful.
Asian countries have similar devices for grinding soybeans...maybe that search will give you a few options too..? :idea:
vqstatesman
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Re: Ebay Electric Mill - Would this be any good?

Post by vqstatesman »

Ok, so between the comments and my own reasoning I think the original though of buying this item has been scrapped.

Think I will have to double my budget and buy a proper hammer mill :)
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