Anyone Ever Used a "Herbal" Grinder For Flakes?

It would seem like more work to do it that way.

I've never used one for flake, but I have an old blade grinder by Krupps (for coffee) which I converted over to an herb grinder years ago. A pulse grinder works well, because it's essentially a variable speed motor. Pulse the switch to maintain a lower rpm, or press and hold the switch to get to maximum rpm on the blade.
Given that they're designed to chop coffee, I think they'd chew through flake pretty easily. Retail price of $20 new for Krupps, Cuisinart or Black & Decker makes them affordable too.
I imagine you could prep a whole tin of flake in fairly short order.
-- Pat

Warning: Long post taken from one of my older blog posts...
I may upset a few people here: Not too many people do it, and some would consider it sacrilegious to the pipe process, but I have found the perfect method for packing a bowl. Starting out, it was always hard to find a perfect bowl. To me, some bowls were perfect: one match, perfect tamping, perfect fluff, and burned consistently and didn't burn hot. Other bowls were on and off. Some would light perfectly, but wouldn't last. I always tended to write this off to the consistency of certain blenders and their products. Some were too wet, some were too dry, some were really thick, and some were shag cut so thin. It truly was the Goldilocks Syndrome. To combat this issue, I experimented.

I experimented with different tobaccos, different blenders, and different pack methods, but always found it too inconsistent to come to any conclusions. I then stumbled upon the answer quite accidentally. On a business trip, I asked my Wife to pick something up for me from Vancouver. In Vancouver there are a lot of smoke shops, not for the tobacco, but rather for all of the paraphernalia that comes with smoking things other than tobacco. So I asked her to pick up a little yo-yo sized object for me, and voila!

To those who use it for another reason it is also used as a grinder, but often for herbs or other things that people smoke. Now, I don't partake in anything other than tobacco, but this little device will create a perfect bowl for you each and every time. Essentially, what it does is brings the gnarliest of tobaccos down to a perfect cube, that allows for a very consistent bowl each and every time. Regardless of how you pack your bowl, with a consistently cut tobacco, you will have a consistently perfect bowl. Tamping and fluffing is effortless when you have tobacco that is even and consistently cut. With the amount of blenders out there and with an almost infinite amount of blends out there, the consistent cut is one aspect that you will always have control over. You will always be able to produce the perfect bowl because you now control the consistency.

There is one caveat to my secret though, and follow this rule you must: Although it burns perfectly, and requires you to tamp and fluff religiously, the key to ensure this perfect bowl with a cut like this is to sip. Every experienced pipe smoker will tell you to tamp more and sip. Without sipping your bowl, this method will burn extremely hot. Picture a cigarette tobacco shred, or a fine Cuban cigar, it is rolled with some fine shreds that burns consistently but always hot. It's something you need to be doing anyways, so why knock it? The only people it really effects are those in speed puffing competitions, and I highly doubt that you want to be wasting good tobacco on puffing through a bowl in minutes. The takeaway on this post? Grind GENTLY, and sip slowly for a perfect bowl with a grinder.

Personal preference man. Try a few bowls that you prepared using the grinder, if you don't like it, stop. I would suggest that you try to find one of the wooden grinders with the "pegs" as opposed to the diamond shape.

I have one of these grinders to grind my "herb"


I think it would grind flakes amazing, it would probably take maybe 10 seconds, however I like rolling flakes out in my hand, but I do find sometimes my fingers will get sore. If it were a really tough to roll out flake or I had arthritis, I think it would be great. Haven't done it though, but don't see why not. If I were going to prepare a large amount at once I could see it being very beneficial.

My personal feeling on using a grinder on flakes is that it is blasphemy. The reason flakes taste so good and burn so cool is because of how they are cut. They are thick and dense and when you fold and stuff or cube cut, you will get a more flavorful and cooler smoke. When I smoke outside I normally fold and stuff so the wind will not make it burn too hot. Inside I cube cut and before I began cube cutting I would break the flake apart into big chunks to get a cool smoke. I believe fully rubbing flakes out and grinding them defeats the purpose of smoking a flake.
Of course everyone should do what they like, but grinding flakes is an abomination in the eyes of the pipe gods, trust me I know this to be true. :lol:

Tried it one time that was it. I like to rub out flakes in my hands and leave them very chunky that grinder just pulverizes the flake.Only my opinion.

I think those things belong in the bedroom next to the whips and hand cuffs.