VKP1024

So... it is a pretty good work out to grind enough grain for a couple loaves of bread! For reference I am a 59 year old retired US Marine and I am fairly strong and in pretty good shape - and like I said... it was a good work out! For my first batch, I was gonna grind enough for four loaves - but ran out of gas after two! And today I ordered the motor! One thing I discovered... it works a whole lot better on a kitchen counter than it does on a table. The sturdiness of the counter made for a much better experience.

Purchased 5 years ago, have used sporadically in that time. It grinds a good whole wheat flour, which I've used numerous times. It's work to grind flour from wheat or rice, but since it's a manual mill, that's to be expected. Just need more counter tops that are of sufficient depth for it to mount to.

Extremely happy with this mill as I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars. Don't be scared off because it's a manual crank. Yes, it'll take some elbow grease but it really isn't horrible. Almost therapeutic. Happy with my purchase and would recommend.

The mill seems to work well so far, but do NOT disregard the part of the instructions that says to discard the first couple cups of flour you mill. We had a couple metal slivers coming out of ours into the flour. After the first few cups we haven’t noticed anymore. There’s also not many turns of adjustment in the knob. It will fall off after about 1.5 turns. This doesn’t seem to create any problems, just something to be aware of.The overall quality feels sturdy and I’m generally please, just disconcerted by the metal slivers that came out initially.

With windmill farms showing up everywhere and reliable energy sources going away there will even be rolling blackouts in our near future. Not to mention storms are other natural disasters that can knock out power. We wanted a manual way to grind our grains so we decided to get this mill. Seems to be very solid and well designed. Simple to use but if you're not in half decent shape you may find the grinding a bit tougher than you may think. We tested it on hard white, hard red and kamut. It did a fine job on all three.We packed it back in the box and will use it when an emergency arises.The directions stated how to put it together but ours had the grinding wheel already installed which makes us think we may have recieved a used one. Not a good business practice if true.Highly recommended

I was looking for a grain mill. Store-bought flour can often be rancid, or not contain the nutrients that freshly-ground flour contains.At first I was looking into an electric mill, but they were expensive and reviews for many of them said that they didn't mill flour very finely. I didn't want to have to pass flour through twice, especially after spending a few hundred on a mill.So I opted for this manual mill. Now that we have it, I can't imagine why anyone would need an electric. Sure it's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of exercise, and a lot of fun! My wife and I take turns cranking the handle, and we're just amazed at the slightly warm fine flour that comes out.So far we've made fudge brownies with soft white wheat, and just today made whole wheat bread with hard white wheat. Both came out just wonderfully, so much fresher than with store-bought flour, and you could never imagine that they were whole wheat. Of course the bread doesn't rise as much as with white flour, but the flour was so deep and complex that it really didn't matter, plus the bread is more filling.Each time, it only took a few minutes to grind the flour. I would estimate we grind a cup of flour in 3 or 4 minutes. You want to go at a steady pace where you won't get tired too quickly, but where the flour is coming out pretty fast. Short bursts sometimes will get a lot more done, then slow down to a more sedate pace.But seriously, don't be lazy. Just start baking a few minutes earlier. It's good for your body, and it is reminiscent of our grandparents or great grandparents who had to do a whole lot more manual labor. Every time we grind flour, I comment how I feel like I'm back in the 1800s.I think we've grown overdependent on our electrical appliances, such as mixers and blenders. This grain mill has been putting me in the mood to do more things manually.

I wondered if this mill would perform since it was only $80, and the next one I could find that seemed comparable was $250...I decided to go for this "Deluxe" Model (rather than the less expensive version) so that if I liked it, and wanted to free my hands I could order the electric motor - and I think I probably will, though I will probably grind by hand as much or more than with the motor :)It took about 5 minutes to do a cup, and that's leisurely grinding while watching TV, and picking a few grains of oats out every now and then ;) (Organic grain from a local farm!)My first batch came out SO COARSE!!! And I was very disappointed, but decided to give it a go again, and figured "what the heck, I'll REALLY tighten it!" So I kind of 'forced it' past what felt like tight, and voila! BEAUTIFUL, fine flour!!! The new metal, must have had a bit of a tight spot - I tightened a few times as I grinded, and was making very fine, wonderful flour!The first loaf if rising now, and I sprinkled some of the coarser flour on top - I expect it will be as lovely as it will be yummy!Update: The bread WAS as yummy as it was lovely! The texture was wonderful - and it was all whole wheat flour - no white. I am SOOOO impressed with this little mill!! And I ordered it through my Amazon Prime and got 2 day free shipping! It doesn't get much better!UPDATE: I've been using this regularly (once or twice a week) for a month and a half now, and am very pleased with this purchase. I have and will continue to recommend it to anyone looking for a hand grinder. I'll be ordering the motor one of these days, but am VERY pleased with it's efficiency and ease of use!