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Submitted by Mylissa20 on September 13, 2009 - 9:08pm Retsel pros and cons?I am looking into buying a mill (I dont currently own one) and have been doing some research. Frankly, I"m torn. I have read a lot about the Retsel, and am impressed by the durability, manual options, and flexibility of this grinder. I also like that I won't have to triple check my grains for stones. The price is considerable but I'm not sure if it really is worth the pros. My other consideration is the nutrimill. I'm rather stingy with money so I really want it to be well spent if I'm going to lay down that kind of cash. What are your opinions?
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DLX
Well, IMO there is no contest between the DLX and Nutrilmill as far as which mill is better. The DLX is a true stone machine, not an impact mill, and treats the grain far more gently.
The only downside that I've found to the DLX is that you'll probably wait 2-3 months for one to get delivered, and that their customer service is fact-challenged when it comes to ship dates.
Loyd
DLX = RETSEL ???
Your comments all refer to the DLX but it seems as though you're actually discussing the Retsel mill. Am I missing something here?
four mills
Has anyone used the grain mill attachment for the kitchen aid mixer? If so, how good is it?
Kitchen Aid grain mill attachment
see http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/3793/kernals-or-berries#comment-18786 and http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/3793/kernals-or-berries#comment-18907
You can also check out the comments for the KA grain mill on Amazon.
This mill is serviceable for producing flour for bread, but cannot mill a really fine flour (even with sifting and remilling). It is *not* good for milling pastry flour from soft wheat.
It is nice for producing coarse grits or cracked gain (something most micronizer mills cannot achieve).
You'll notice I prefer the design of the older (Hobart-era) model of the grain mill. These are frequently available on eBay for $50 - $100. They should fit a 5-quart lift bowl KA model.
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PS The manual for the current KA grain mill model may be found at http://www.fantes.com/kitchenaid-grain-mill.html
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My beloved, venerable Hobart-era KitchenAid K5-A with the Hobart-era grain mill...
I just boutht a Retsel
I just bought a Retsel Mil-Rite. Because of the cost I spent a month searching for every mention of the Mil-Rite that Google could find.
Keeping in mind that I've only had it somewhat less than a week now I'll tell you what I think.
First - they are slow, slow, slow in shipping and they are not commuincative. Ten weeks from receipt of payment to when they shipped my mill. No communication from the time they said they received payment until the day they handed it off to UPS. This in spite of two e-mails and two phone calls.
Second - this is one solid machine. It weighs about thirty five pounds. There's no plastic on it anywhere but the knob of the adjustment screw. The thing that convinced me to order it were the several accounts I found from various people (one of whome I know) that they'd had their machines for over twenty years of regular use and they were still going strong.
Third - I've spent several hours over the last several days using both the stone and the steel burrs playing with settings to see how coarse or fine I could mill various grains too. The stones were able to mill as fine as my old Grainmaster Whispermill on the setting I usually use with it to make bread with, but could be opened up enough to make a very nice corn meal or even grits (a coarse meal).
Fourth - It's also much quieter than my 'Whispermill' but the obverse of that is that its output is much slower as well due to those low rpms. Allow yourself more milling time to get the flour you want. Do get the two way switch. It makes it much easier to adjust the plates with grain still in the mill.
All in all if you're willing to wait a long time for them to build then ship your mill and are willing to pay what they want for the things I think you'll get a mill that will go the distance.
.....Alan.
I have an old one
I bought a Retsel, second hand, from an old couple who raised their kids using the very same mill for 20 years. Twenty years later I bought it and it still works very well. Alan is right, it's one solid machine without a piece of plastic. It's a work horse and it's still pretty loud to me (not sure if there's a mill that's quiet). Their customer service is really bad but once you get their mill it's all good. Make sure you get some spare parts with your first order because you never know when you will need them and it takes forever to get your order through the same customer service people. Having extra small parts will save you a lot of griefs. Best of luck!
Mil-Rite spare parts
This is a good point that you bring up.
What spare parts do you recommend getting?
When I ordered my mill I bought an extra Woodruff key since it's so small and easy to lose if ever it has to be removed.
Now that I've used mine for a few days I think I'd probably want to get an extra adjustment screw and another feed auger for just-in-case.
.....Alan.