Otto Grinder Review | Pros and Cons | Is It Worth It? | The Perfect Alternative

The growing legalization of cannabis consumption has led to a rise in the production of over-the-top, fashionable appliances and methods for consuming weed.

Whether you use vaporizers or go for the old school method of rolling a joint to take you flying high, there must be some method you use to grind your precious buds. Those who consume cannabis on a daily basis will agree that the task of manually grinding weed can be quite exhausting and time-consuming.

This is where electronic grinders come in, and the OTTO grinder is one of the finest, most spectacular automated devices of its kind on the market today. The gadget’s smart grinding technology teamed up with its in-built sensors to measure the weight, density, and texture of the cannabis, using its razor-sharp aluminum blades to give the perfect consistency of ground herbs. On top of that, the OTTO grinder comes with a 2 in 1 functionality. It has the capability of grinding and rolling your weed into the perfect joint, all within five seconds. With its price on the market going up to a racking $150, read further to find out whether the product is actually worth it or not.

 

Related Article: Can I Use A Coffee Grinder To Grind Weed? | Pros and Cons

 

Who are The Makers of The OTTO grinder?

The fabulous OTTO grinder is the product of the Banana Bros, a somewhat new brand on the market found by Manny Montano and Dave Richmond back in 2017. The company’s motto is to come up with innovative and easier ways to "take it easy". Although the company sells premium cones that are pre-rolled along with a range of clothing items, the OTTO grinder is its main masterpiece.

 

Features Of The OTTO Grinder

With an elegant, simplistic, and stylish design, the grinder measures up to a length of 11.5 inches, which is a little sizeable in comparison to other grinders of its type. However, it has not proven to be hefty in any manner, and if you travel regularly, you can store the grinder easily in your luggage by breaking it into two parts – the top main piece containing the sharp aluminum plates along with the smart sensors, and the bottom component being the transparent funnel that can snap with the top easily at the time of use.

Featuring a built-in Lithium ion battery, the grinder overcomes its plug-in rivals by being wireless, with each charge producing over 20 rolls. Additionally, the grinder comes with its own set of premium pre-rolled cones made with natural fibres, which enables them to burn evenly and slowly.

What Does An Otto Grinder Kit Contain?

Unlike many grinders available on the market, the OTTO smart grinder comes with a kit of its own, which contains:

• A cup for measuring

• Cleaning brush

• USB charging cable

• 20 high-quality premium cones

• Snap cap

• O-funnel attachment and cone holder

• Fresh cone seal tube

Related Article:  13 Essential Cannabis Accessories For Every Stoner

 

Just Mill, Fill and Chill – How To Use The OTTO Grinder

 Although the kit comes with an instruction manual to operate the grinder, operating it is as simple as ABC.

The purpose of this grinder is not only to grind your herbs, but to give you a perfectly rolled joint too. Below, I will guide you on how to use the grinder, both with the pre-rolled cones and without.

Premium pre-rolled cones

1. Dismantle the grinder to open the grinding chamber.

2. Place your cannabis in the chamber.

3. Close the OTTO.

4. Choose a cone and place it in the cone tube.

5. Attach the cone to the grinder.

6. To commence the process of grinding, press the power button. The cone will take about 10 seconds max to fill up.

7. After the task is done, separate the cone tube.

8. Remove the cone.

 

If you do not feel like going for a traditional smoke, and want to grind your weed for some other method of consumption, follow the steps below:

 

1. Dismantle the grinder to open the grinding chamber.

2. Place your cannabis in the chamber.

3. Close the OTTO.

4. Press the power button after attaching the O funnel to the grinder.

5. Once the process is complete, dispense your herbs into a storage container of your choice.

Does It Work As Described? – Pros and Cons of Using The OTTO grinder

 

Without a doubt, with a price as high as the OTTO grinder's, one would expect nothing but the most exceptional grind quality, and the grinder delivers.

 The grinder does not require the user to make any adjustments or tuning as the smart sensors of the grinder enable it to make measurements of the input material’s (weed, in most cases) weight, density, and consistency, after which the blades function accordingly to give the perfect grind with little to no leftovers. There is no irritating "weed jam" in the grinder either, which is a common occurrence among the other grinders available on the market.

Moreover, it is a quick, mess-free method of getting the task done that most people facing dexterity issues can benefit from. The grinder is not only solely based on the conventional joint rolling method, but it can be used for dry herb vapes as well. However, that can be an issue since the O-funnel’s mouth is too large and can not fit with most vapes available on the market, which leads to spillage and, thus, wastage of the valuable buds.

Manual grinders are commonly known to take a lot of time to grind the weed, and that is why people are moving towards a quicker and less energy-consuming method. In terms of time consumption, this device works wonders as it loads up the cone in no more than 10 seconds. Users tend to like this product due to its simplistic design, which has just two components that come together in harmony at the time of use. 

 Although the grinder has been termed easy to use and a layman can operate it without facing much technicality, the cleaning process is quite a hassle. The resin from the weed tends to stick to the blades of the grinder more often than one might think, and it needs a deep cleansing every five to seven uses. Plus, the internal system gets clogged up quickly if not cleaned after each use.

 The grinder’s wireless operating feature is a plus. Nonetheless, its battery is not that powerful and needs to be recharged after 20 to 30 uses. The durability of the product seems to be questionable, as users have claimed that the device worked perfectly fine at first, but the battery exhausted after extensive use, and the grinder had to be replaced within a few months. 

Sure, the sleek design and handsome outlook seem appealing to the eye, but the manufacturing of the product does not seem to be up to mark.

Some reviewers on Amazon claim that their OTTO grinder has lost hinges and extensive use of the grinder caused it to break. 

 Perhaps the most interesting feature of the grinder is that it gives you a fully loaded joint. However, this feature does not work properly sometimes and results in half loaded, lost joints which you have to fix manually. The grinder is also a little heavy at the top, which makes it difficult to place on a counter and its large size does not help with portability.

 Another thing to note is that restocking the pre-rolled cones isn’t light on the pocket either. Once you run out, you can only purchase the brand’s cones as they are the only product compatible with the grinder.

 If you do not have such a hefty amount of bucks to spend on a gadget – especially for the occasional rollers – but you are also tired of having to manually grind your weed every day, don’t worry. We have you covered.

The idea of having a trusty grinder do all the tedious work is quite appealing, and that is why we went on thinking of an alternative. After some extensive research, We made the perfect fit.

 

Related Article: 10 Creative Ways To Grind Weed Without a Grinder (Stoner Hacks)

 

The Mamba Electric Grinder – A Perfect and Even Better Alternative To The OTTO Grinder

 

For starters, the Mamba grinder’s price ranges from about $19.99-$36.99. Yes.

This amounts to a price difference of about a quadruple between the two products. If the price alone is nothing to go by, then read further.

I agree, the wireless property of the OTTO grinder was quite impressive. What’s even better is that the Mamba grinder comes equipped with a 1500mAh Li-ion battery that can be recharged via a USB cable – which means that the Mamba grinder is not only cheaper, it also has a much better battery life.

The Mamba grinder is simple to operate – with its point and shoot capability, it is the ideal fit for those suffering from fibromalgia, arthritis and other dexterity related issues. Its aesthetic, free-standing design is appealing to the eye, and not only that – there are a wide range of colors available that buyers can choose from, including the beloved pink for the ladies.

Compared to the OTTO grinder, the Mamba is easier to carry when you’re on the go due to its lightweight build and compact size.

One of the recurring issues that users face with the OTTO grinder is that its funnel does not cater to their vaporizers. It is unable to get all the herbs into the vape chamber, causing a lot of loss since there is major spillage. This is not the case with the Mamba grinder. It has a well-designed, cone-shaped tunnel to get all your weed into vapes.

Of course, when you tend to use an appliance regularly, especially when it’s a grinder, it tends to clog up. This used to happen quite a lot with the OTTO grinder, and users faced a lot of difficulty with its clean up, which was irritating. The Mamba grinder’s feature of switching up the grind direction prevents the grinder from clogging, which means that cleaning is not required often. Moreover, the clean-up for the Mamba grinder is much more convenient as compared to OTTO’s.

In a lot of cases, grinding weed through electronic means can result in the weed coming out dry and flat. The Mamba grinder does the contrary and gives the ideal, fluffed up grind every single time.

Mamba’s latest innovation, the V2-50, grinds the weed fifteen times faster than any traditional hand grinder and even contains a personalized cone loader. With COVID-19 on the rise, this grinder’s touch-free dispensing system is a major plus.

Another thing users have commended about this product is that it unlocks the secret flavors, aromas, and potency of the buds to a whole new level.

One thing to look out for when loading the OTTO grinder is to make sure that the weed is completely dry since it does not function well with sticky buds. However, the Mamba’s sharp, diamond-cut teeth enable it to get through the siziest and stickiest of flowers.

Although, nothing is likely to go wrong with this grinder, we have still decided to issue a warranty for it. You are either given a full refund, store credit or the option to exchange if things go south. This puts our Mamba’s customer service way ahead of  Banana Bros', as some OTTO users have issued complaints that they did not receive any response when they table their complain.

 

Link To: PURCHASE MAMBA ELECTRIC GRINDERS

Bottom Line

Undeniably, the OTTO grinder grinds your weed flawlessly, all thanks to its smart sensor technology. You can even save plenty of time by utilizing its automatic joint loading feature. Its novelty design is surely an epitome of class. But – is it really worth the hype? Should you really spend a fortune on an grinder that can be replaced by something considerably superior to it, which is available at a quarter of its price? The choice is yours.