I thought I might crush my own speciality grains as these sometimes hang around longer than the six months it takes me to get through 25Kg of crushed pale malt. Corona mills are around £60 and the copies are around £15 delivered.
I had low expectations after I watched this youtube video.
When it arrived it had a bent hopper, but more seriously it couldn't work due to a "tooth" on the crush disk left over from poor casting (couldn't turn the handle a full cycle) and a lack of spacer washers (grinding surfaces forced together stopping any rotation). Did I mention poor casting? Worst I've seen!
I rejected a £5 refund and suggestion I take it to a local store to fix (effing cheek!). I got a full refund and could keep the faulty mill, these are 3.7Kg and would have cost the seller a lot for return postage.
I reckoned I could spend 30 minutes sorting it out - much longer, I might as well just buy another one:
filed down the tooth
hammered the hopper into shape
supplied three stainless washers each side to space the bar holding the grinding plate further from the mill
Lastly, the adjustment screw pushes against a large ball bearing which is meant to push against the rotating shaft. Unfortunately the ball bearing is held in place by a circular metal clip that snagged the shaft - I just removed the clip.
In the youtube video, the guy had to replace the two bolts that secure the shaft plate as they got stripped - with hand-tight butterfly nuts.
I've just crushed 500g of rye and I'm pleased with the results. I could easily do 5Kg before each brew if I switched to uncrushed sacks as well.
Conclusion: worth £15 delivered if it works, worth £0 delivered if you get a heap of poo you have to sort out yourself.
Corona mills have "Corona" cast on them, the cheap copies have "500" cast ion them instead. Seach ebay for "corn grain mill".
Review: knock-off Corona Grain Mill
Review: knock-off Corona Grain Mill
I brew therefore I ... I .... forget
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Re: Review: knock-off Corona Grain Mill
I must have been lucky, mine works great. I use an electric drill rather than the supplied handle but the only other mod has been to use a sleeve from a shirt to direct the milled grain into a collecting bin. Details here https://murieston.blogspot.com