By Ken (MSB) | From ModernSurvivalBlog.com | On Sunday, January 6th, 2013

The Country Living Hand Grain Mill made entirely in the USA.
The Country Living Hand Grain Mill made entirely in the USA.

How do I choose which hand grain mill to buy?

There are quite a range of prices for various hand grain mills, and it may seem difficult to decide which one to choose, but you can narrow your choice by considering two basic questions…

1. Do you intend to grind/mill into flour for breads (versus only for courser grinds)?

2. Do you intend to use it frequently?

If you will be milling wheat to make flour for bread, you will want to be sure that the mill will grind the wheat berries into fine enough flour. Many cheaper models apparently do not, although many claim that they do. Just read the reviews of the product in consideration and you will usually get to the truth.

If you will be using the mill frequently, then it will be important to choose quality construction that will hold up to the test of usage and time. Many of the cheap mills have reviews that indicate that the unit falls apart or fails in one way or another after a relatively short time.

The phrase, ‘you get what you pay for’, is usually true enough. Unfortunately it often requires a higher than expected amount of money to purchase a product that is at least ‘good’, and even more money for a product considered to be ‘excellent’.

It seems that nearly every grain mill priced under $50 has generally poor reviews. This hand mill however rated fairly well…

Victorio Hand Grain Mill, originally named the ‘Back to Basics 555′ (now called the Victorio Hand Mill), has fairly good reviews for it’s price range (~ $50). This might be a ‘good enough’ mill for the occasional user who isn’t too concerned that the flour may not grind as fine as more expensive mills or may not hold up as well under heavy usage.

This hand mill is apparently a quality mid-range choice…

Wonder Junior Deluxe Hand Grain / Flour Mill, which may be the best mix of value for quality and price. This hand mill comes with stone heads and stainless steel burr heads to accommodate different conditions, and will apparently grind fine flour (and everything else) without issue. It’s pricey though (~ $200), but will no doubt hold up to more heavy use.

The top-of-the-line hand grain mill on the market may be this one…

Country Living Hand Grain Mill, which will last generations and is built with the highest quality. It is very pricey (~ $400), but it may be the best, while you get what you pay for…

For those who are also interested in an electric grain mill, we have been using this one for years and have been very happy with it.

NutriMill Grain Mill

Browse around and read reviews. This will hone your choice. Keeping a hand grain mill is for the serious prepper who is preparing for the possibility of living without electricity for a time. Grinding / milling your own wheat is fairly hard work and it takes awhile to process the berries into flour. However the results will be unbelievably delicious and healthy. Don’t forget to stock up on wheat berries too!

This article was originally posted at http://modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-kitchen/choosing-a-hand-grain-mill/

News Reporter
Erica M. is the Managing Editor of Radical Survivalism Magazine.