I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t think too hard about my grinder. Every grinder I’ve ever owned has been an afterthought, each one squeaky and ugly and purchased a month too late. We all have a tendency to think of grinders as little flower-carrying UFOs to complain about buying and then carelessly discard on some side table somewhere until it’s time to pack the next bowl. Kraken Grinders take a new spin on the old tool -- and somehow, it’s become one of my favorite smoking tools I’ve ever owned.
Why grind?
Grinding flower has been one of the best and easiest way to optimize your smoking for years. For many smokers, grinders represented an earlier and much more eager time, when dropping an extra 20 bucks outside of a gas station spoon showed you were ready to invest in something. Today, grinders are practically a must-have. We used to be okay picking our flower apart with our fingers because we didn’t know that we were losing potency with the pollen that stuck to the oils on our hands. We didn’t know that better ground flower meant better airflow, which meant a stronger and easier to control hit. That’s why today, in a time when the smoking dictionary is ever-expanding, as new innovations hit the market and completely change the way we view smoking, you better have a grinder. And there’s no reason not to have a good one.
Kraken vs. the rest of ‘em
Kraken Grinders aren’t just gamechangers -- they’re affordable too. With Kraken, you get all of the uses of traditional grinders while also being able to personalize your experience. Kraken grinders are incredibly sleek and stylish and well, and are never quite an eyesore like some typical grinders can be. Kraken grinders grind flower smooth and easily, allowing you to focus your attention on your pipe. I have never seen such airy and fluffy flower come out of a grinder before using Kraken, and it has greatly improved the way I smoke. The unique pattern of teeth in the main piece of the grinder is what does it -- I noticed that they were slightly sharper and more angled than my old grinder. No matter what your preferences for a grinder may be, there is an option made just for you from Kraken.
Features and Designs
Kraken Grinders come in multiple different designs and body styles. The traditional body design is reminiscent of the iconic grinder we all know and love, but it’s with the newer and unique styles that Kraken truly shines. Both the diamond ridge style and the tiered style use the highest-quality steel and aluminum alloys, and it really shows. Each grinder comes with four pieces, including a pollen press for collecting those extra potent bits of herb and a small scoop to make packing a breeze. If you’re more of a button person, Kraken Grinders are also available with an easy-push button that grinds your flower automatically, meaning you won’t wear your grinder’s edges down with any manual pressure.
Tips and tricks
Maintaining a grinder can sometimes go forgotten, so here’s some tips for not just keeping your grinder clean, but also ensuring that you get the most optimized experience. First off, sometimes grinders can get a little bit sticky around the teeth, making it more difficult to grind your flower. Make sure you check the bottom of your teeth for pressed herb -- sometimes small pieces get flattened and stuck. 9 times out of 10 this is why grinders become stuck and sometimes unusable. I’ve seen it multiple times and a lot of times the reason isn’t so obvious, so make sure that you check for these pieces before you start to grind, or you could do some light aesthetic damage to your titanium. Also, to get the most out of your pollen catch, try putting a small coin in your storage chamber. This will help knock some of the pollen down through the mesh, possibly allowing you to compound upon your pollen investments. While you’re at it, go ahead and give it a shake for good measure.
Overall, Kraken Grinders are one of my favorite smoking accessories from Smoke Cartel. I love the polished and refined look of the grinder, and I am pretty proud to have it out as a centerpiece on my coffee table. Kraken Grinders are an easy upgrade even for the newbie smoker, and I highly recommend it -- as usual, I wish I’d gotten one much earlier! But I suppose that is always the kind of hindsight that most smokers are cursed with regarding grinders. Don’t let that be you, and pick one of these babies up as soon as possible.
