Premium Santa Cruz Shredder 3-Piece Medium Herb Grinder (2 1/8") - High-Quality Aluminum with Superior Grip - Rasta Color - Perfect for Grinding Herbs, Spices & Tobacco at Home or On-The-Go

I bought this grinder because my previous go-to machine was so prone to my sticky buds gumming up the works- it became tedious and time-consuming to grind a pile for stuffing cones with my awesome Nugsmasher Nugpacker Pro (see my review elsewhere on Amazon.com). After reading literally hundreds of reviews for the wide variety of grinders for sale on Amazon, I kept coming back to the Santa Cruz Shredder because numerous reviews mentioned how the design seems to make the machine resistant to plant material accumulation on the grinding teeth. So, I pulled the trigger, and I'm very glad that I did.The Santa Cruz Shredder I bought is the 2-1/8" rig. Mine is a lovely Kelly Green. This is a three-piece, two-compartment grinder: grinding compartment and catch compartment (no kief collection compartment). The catch compartment is much deeper than any I have seen before, so you can grind and hold an amount that you'd normally only get with a larger diameter grinder. It works really well, and I, too, can confirm that the geometry of the grinding posts seems to minimize adhesion of plant material. The posts definitely have a unique shape compared to those in any of my other grinders (most of which just take up space in a drawer because they suck), and the sifting holes are rather large, too. Perhaps these design features explain the gunk-resistance, and they definitely explain the somewhat coarser grind compared to all those units sitting in my drawer. That may be a drawback for some folks, but to me the end product works perfectly well in cones and bowls. Vaporizers may be a different story, but I couldn't venture to guess.Some other clever and useful design features include: a) coarser threads for the lower, catch compartment piece, which also has a long, leading flange- these features make assembly and disassembly a breeze, and there is almost no way you can cross-thread the parts; b) a long flange on the lid, which allows a secure fit between it and the bottom grinding piece and results in a large grinding volume; and c) a nylon washer on the lid, which acts to 'lubricate' the interface between the main grinding piece and the lid. Most of these features should be visible in the photos I have included.The final verdict: I love my Santa Cruz Shredder. It gets 5-stars for quality and function. It's just great. And, it's made here in the USA. The price of admission is really steep compared to nearly all of the competition (most of which is manufactured in PRC), but the value is, nonetheless, very high: my drawer full of decommissioned grinders is testament to that fact. That collection is cost probably 1.5-2x what I paid for my Santa Cruz Shredder.Highly recommended!$55 for a grinder seems like a lot. That is until you put your *legal herbs* into the grinder and turn it. There's no resistance whatsoever and it's smooth like butter. I did experience some squeakiness and resistance, so I took some chapstick and put it all over the contact points and they are now gone.What I have is a heavy-duty, herb-destroying machine that operates silently. Totally worth the purchase so far, but the real question is how long this thing will last. How easy is it to clean? What is their warranty like?The rubber gasket/ ring between the two main prices came off the first week of use. I use this item daily, so take that how you will. Product works fine without the gasket, but I have occasionally pinched my finger. Otherwise it has held up to resin and residue without too much stickiness. The only thing that would make it better is a screen. It is definitely not lightweight, but honestly I see that as a positive.So far so good. Feels durable. Should hold up.These grinders produce the fluffiest grind for herbs.I gave this to my brother-in-law. His 3 other brands were not being used as they wouldn’t cut the sticky stuff. Told him that one like mine would and bought him one.He’s a believer, and a user now!Great grinder, works fine and magnet is nice. Definitely not worth $60The product feels nice in the hand and seems to perform well. However, I paid the premium for this grinder because it’s marketed as “medical grade, ultrasonically cleansed anodized aluminum”. This led me to believe that I can sleep comfortably knowing that toxic chips won’t end up in my herbs. However, the product arrived with chips and scratches on multiple locations, which now leads me to believe that chips may end up in my herbs. Why pay a premium for a product that came chipped out of the box? Disappointing!This was recommended on the dude grows show... Glad I bought it good grip shreds the herb perfectly. Would buy it again if I needed to, but I think this one will last a lifetime.Thanks