Grinders with Kief Catchers: Top Picks of 2024

Have you ever noticed tiny crystals on your weed? That’s kief, and it’s one of the best ways to take your cannabis experience to new heights. It packs a powerful punch, adding flavor and potency to everything it touches. Think of it like cannabis fairy dust! 

Why You Need a Grinder for Kief

To collect kief, you’ll need the right grinder — one specifically designed to catch kief as it falls off your weed during the grinding process. Through my search for the best weed grinder, I discovered not all grinders are cut out for the task.

What Is Kief Exactly?

Kief (also sometimes called pollen) is the term for the fine, powdery substance made from the trichomes of the cannabis plant. 

Trichomes are tiny, crystal-like structures that coat the surface of cannabis flowers, housing the plant's most concentrated cannabinoids (like THC and CBD) and terpenes (the compounds responsible for aroma and flavor). 

Because of this concentration, kief is highly potent and can be collected, saved, and used in various ways, from sprinkling on top of a joint for an extra kick to pressing into hash or adding to cannabis oil and infusions to make edibles.

Key Features to Look for in the Best Kief Grinder

When we choose a kief grinder, there are a few essential features to look for to ensure it collects and preserves kief effectively:

• Multi-Chamber Design: You’ll need a grinder with a kief catcher, which means you need a grinder with at least four parts and three chambers — one for grinding herb, one for collecting it, and a separate chamber just for kief. (You won’t find a 2 or 3-piece grinder with a kief catcher.)
• Fine Mesh Screen: The fineness of the mesh screen is essential for effectively catching and filtering kief while allowing larger herb particles to pass through. The optimal screen size depends on the consistency of your herb. 
• Durable Materials: Grinders with teeth or blades made from durable metals like aluminum or stainless steel provide a smooth grind, encouraging trichomes to release. 
• Adequate Size: The ideal size for a kief grinder depends on how much kief you want to collect. If you plan on scraping your kief out frequently, a smaller grinder will do. If you want to save up large amounts of kief, opt for a larger grinder with a hefty kief bowl.
• User-Friendly Design: It’s easy enough to find a kief catcher grinder, but not all designs make it easy to collect pollen or keep the grinder clean. For example, some people find that grinders with removable kief screens are easier to maintain.

RELATED: What Are the Different Types of Weed Grinders?

Last But Not Least: The Best Screen Size for a Kief Grinder

Grinder kief screen size is measured in microns. The lower the microns, the smaller the holes in the screen. (For example, a 100-micron screen is more fine than a 200-micron screen)

When it comes to kief screens, many will say that the best grinder with a kief catcher is the one with the smallest screen size. However, some argue that smaller is not always better because they don’t see any kief in their grinder with a tighter screen. 

Neither recommendation is wrong — it ultimately comes down to the consistency of your weed. 

• For very dry weed: Use a fine screen because it will yield the most kief. The dryness allows more trichomes to break off and pass through the finer mesh.
• For sticky flower: Use a coarser screen so the larger trichome clusters have a chance to drop into the kief collection chamber. 

This is important to keep in mind as you read grinder reviews because cannabis is a natural product and the consistency can vary widely. 

Depending on the grinder, you may be able to modify the kief screen to make it work better for the flower you have. 

Best Grinders for Kief

Phoenician 4-Piece Large Flat Top Kief Grinder

This 4-piece grinder with kief catcher pulls out all the stops with a clean grind and customizable pollen screens.

$89.99 from Dankstop

Pros:

• Fluffy Grind: Produces a consistently fluffy grind, ideal for even burning and kief collection.
• Customizable Screen Options: Comes with a 300-micron screen and allows easy upgrades to coarser (400-micron) or finer (180-micron) screens with an upgrade kit, offering flexibility for different types of flower.
• Threadless, Jam-Free Design: The threadless construction prevents jamming and makes the grinder easy to use and maintain for optimal performance.
• Long-Lasting Design: The replaceable screen adds to the grinder's longevity. You won’t need to replace the entire unit if the screen wears out.
• Great Kief Catcher: Many users praise the kief catch for its efficiency in collecting and preserving trichomes.

The ability to swap the screen to suit your flower consistency is a game-changing feature, and the quality of this grinder can’t be beat.

Cons: 

• Large Size: At 3.225 inches in diameter, the grinder may be too bulky for occasional smokers or those who primarily grind small amounts for personal use.
• Higher Price Point: The customization options and quality materials make this grinder an investment, which might not appeal to more casual users.

Though it’s an investment, the Phoenician is our top choice of kief grinders.

Material: Aerospace-grade aluminum
Screen micron rating: 300 microns (other screen sizes are available)
Removable screen: Yes
Chambers: 3
Size: 3.225 inch diameter

Santa Cruz Shredder 4-Piece Kief Grinder

The Shredder is a top-rated weed grinder with kief collector with an ultra-fine screen ideal for well-cured flower.

$88 from GBL Marketplace

Pros:

• Sharp Teeth for Effortless Grinding: The razor-sharp teeth efficiently break up flower without excessive mashing or pressing, which helps preserve trichomes.
• Ultra-Fine Screen: Made from T304 Micronic Precision Woven Non-Fraying Stainless Steel, the screen is tightly woven to prevent impurities and flower pieces from passing through.
• Great for Dry Flower: Performs best with well-cured, dry flower, maximizing trichome collection.
• User-Friendly Kief Bowl: Smooth, rounded edges in the kief bowl make it easy to scrape up collected pollen, a feature appreciated by many users.

Our team had good results when using the Shredder with flower that was definitely on the dry side. 

We also found the rounded edges of the kief bowl ideal for scraping up the pollen — another feature Shredder fans rave about.

Cons:

• Not Ideal for Sticky Buds: The ultra-fine screen may struggle with stickier flower, leading to mixed results in kief collection.
• Non-Removable Screen: The lack of a removable pollen screen can make cleaning difficult, potentially reducing the screen's efficiency over time.

If you see negative reviews about the Shredder, it’s likely for these reasons.

Material: CNC aluminum
Screen micron rating: Unknown (very low)
Removable screen: No
Chambers: 3
Size: 2.75 inch diameter

Flower Mill Next Gen Premium Aluminum Kief Grinder

Grind any type of flower with this grinder’s interchangeable blades and watch your kief collection grow.

$60-80 from Dankstop

Pros:

• Blades for Cleaner Grinding: Unlike traditional grinders with teeth, the Flower Mill uses blades to cut herb, preventing trichomes from getting mashed or stuck in the grinder.
• Customizable Grind Options: The Flower Mill has interchangeable mill plates for adjusting the grind size, from coarse to fine. This may help preserve trichomes by reducing the need for re-processing.
• Removable Pollen Screen: The pollen screen can be easily removed, making cleaning and harvesting pollen straightforward.
• Size Options: Available in two sizes, catering to both personal use and larger social sessions.

There’s a lot to love about the Flower Mill, especially when it comes to kief. It checks nearly every box! 

Cons:

• Limited Pollen Screen Options: While the removable screen is a plus, the lack of multiple screen micron choices limits customization for different preferences.
• Untested Grind Settings: The adjustable grind is a great feature, but its full potential for kief preservation across all settings is still theoretical without further testing.

We’ll update this article with our findings as we test the Flower Mill’s grind settings.

Material: Aluminum with BPA-free plastic exterior
Screen micron rating: Unknown
Removable screen: Yes
Chambers: 3 
Size: 2-2.5 inch diameter

The Best Tool to Get Kief out of a Grinder

To pick up kief, use tools specifically designed for handling this delicate, powdery substance. A kief scraper, often included with multi-chamber grinders, is a simple but effective option. These tiny, flat tools allow you to gently lift and gather kief from the bottom chamber without losing any.

If you don’t have a scraper, a small guitar pick works well in a pinch, as it provides a wide, flat edge that can scoop kief without scattering it.

How to Get More Kief Out of Your Grinder

Want to be able to gather up more “fairy dust” from your grinder? Try these tips:

• The coin trick: One Reddit user recommends that you “Put a clean dime in your kief tray and shake your grinder often.” This will help knock loose extra trichomes, making more kief fall through the screen into the collection chamber
• Freeze the grinder: Put your grinder in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes, then give it a shake. The cold temperature causes trichomes to harden and become more brittle, so they knock loose more easily. 
• Clean the screen regularly: A clogged screen can prevent trichomes from passing through to the kief chamber. Use a small brush or toothbrush to gently clean the screen after every few uses, or soak it in rubbing alcohol if it’s very clogged. 
• Choose your herb and screen accordingly: Remember that dry weed works best with a fine screen, while sticky buds need a coarser screen for the trichomes to fit through.

How to Get Kief Out of a 2 and 3-piece Grinder?

Although only grinders with four or more pieces have a kief collection screen, you can actually get kief out of two and three-piece grinders, too – though not in the way you might think.

Any weed grinder will accumulate some kief on the teeth and in the compartments whether it has a kief catch or not. Rather than letting these trichomes go to waste, you can simmer the grinder in milk.

The kief will infuse into the milk, leaving you with delicious canna milk to drink or use in recipes. 

It’s a delicious way to clean your grinder! 

Kief Calm & Grind On

Some say collecting kief is overrated. I say to each their own, especially when it comes to cannabis.  

There are so many things to love about this amazing plant. If you like the boost in flavor and potency that trichomes offer, find a good kief-catching grinder and enjoy!

Grinder Kief Catcher FAQs

Why is my grinder not collecting kief?

If your grinder doesn’t have a kief catcher, it won’t collect kief. If your kief catcher isn’t performing well, the screen might be the wrong size, clogged, or dirty. Try cleaning it with a brush or alcohol, switching the screen (if possible), or even trying different flower or a new grinder.

Do all grinders have a kief catcher?

No, not all grinders come with a kief catcher. When shopping for a grinder, look for manual models labeled as "4-piece" to ensure they have a built-in kief catcher. Unfortunately, there isn’t yet an electric herb grinder with a kief catcher available (yet). 

Is kief at the bottom of my grinder?

If you’re noticing a powdery substance at the bottom of your grinder, it could be kief!

In grinders with three chambers, kief generally collects in the bottommost chamber. After grinding, fine trichomes pass through a mesh screen and settle in the kief catcher at the bottom. Over time, this chamber fills with kief, making it easy to access and use without contaminating the ground herb in the chamber above it.