Unless you are convinced that we are about to lose electrical power, I wouldn't suggest a manual mill.  It is far more work than most people are willing to put forth on a regular basis just to make bread, and manual mills tend to become dust catchers.

I would suggest that if the USA becomes a post electrical society that we'll have many other problems, and finding grain to grind could become problematical.   If you are concerned about the disaster scenario, you might get a mill that can be used manually or motorized.   You'll have convenience until the end of the world as we know it.

Mike 

I had a manual mill for a while and as Mike says "It is far more work.....?

I however motorised mine and it worked very well for several years till I just had to get something bigger. Mine was from Retsel.

You may the mill you mention has an option to add a motor.

regards

Martin Prior

www.bakerette-cafe.com

While I appreciate the comments so far, I am really looking for responses from anyone who has actually used this grain mill. I'm especially interested in the precision of the casting and the unusual design of the milling plates (the looped star pattern in the center). Most mills with this design (a fixed circular plate and a rotating circular plate) simply have straight lines radiating out from the center; anyone care to speculate how this particular grove pattern would affect milling grain?

I've been milling my own grain since the mid 70s. I've used both manual and motorized mills and am familiar with the difference. The first two grain mills I purchased were manual mills. I currently own and use the older model of the Kitchen Aid grain mill attachment and a Nutrimill.

Still hoping for feedback...TIA

I have a hand cranked mill, and an attatchment for my Kitchenaid, stand mixer:  I use the hand cranked one to mill small amounts of spice into meal-flour and add to breads: I also keep it incase the power does go out, I live where winters can be DEEP DEEP and powerless, sometimes.

Otherwise I dont konw anything about your mill, but it looks good.  I'd say the unususl pattern is to prevent "patent" infringment!   I do know, from my visits to ALASKA, that that unit is in use there, ( and other hand cranked mills) .

I can easly see why one would want a hand cranked unit & even an after market moter, both makes sense to me:

Sorry i have no additional input on the model itself, other than having seen it in use in ALASKA>

No the grainmaker grain mill is much better made than competitors. You have the star part right and out of the three i would go with the Grainmaker mill