March 12, 2014 - 5:31am
Noisy Komo
I've never used a mill but I receive a new Komo Classic yesterday. I expected it to hum quietly when turned on without grain but it buzzes fairly loudly. And when grinding its quite loud. Is this right?
Much thanks for any help.
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Yup, mine does. I keep a pair of ear protectors I bought at Home Depot on top of the mill and wear them when I grind.
The komo is supposed to be the centerpiece of the kitchen because of its stylish design, but you have to put earplugs or earmuffs on top of it. :(
i guess it has got to be less noisy than my blendtech when making Flour or even a smoothie (my son is 3 and he yells at me from two rooms away when the blender goes on. I do not blame him. Hate the noise
My cats hate it when I turn on my vitamix, they cower and look at my like I'm crazy.
Thanks, just wanted to make sure it was ok. I should have added that the case vibrates with the buzz which I take to indicate the wheel is unbalanced a just bit. Others are like that too?
Again thanks for any reassurance :)
I just ground a bit of whole wheat berries without my ear protectors on just to sense what you are talking about. With the hopper empty and the machine turned on there is a bit of a hum/buzz. Then when you pour in the berries it gets really loud, a bit quieter when you put the wood top on but still to noisy for me. I have the Komo Magic with the stainless steel and wood finish. I doubt any of the other models are any quieter. But, since it only takes 30 seconds to grind 1 cup of flour it's not going to be noise except for a few minutes a week.
Lew, I don't have the Komo, but as far as I know, any powered flour mill is going to be loud while grinding. The impact mills like the Wondermill / Whisper Mill and the Nutrimill are extremely loud because you have the sound of the berries exploding when the hit the teeth while grinding, and the high pitched whine of the tiny universal motor spinning at high rpms even when it is not grinding. Most powered grinding stone machines have an induction motor, which turns at a much lower RPM - my All Grain ( vertical motor and horizontal wheels) is pretty close to silent - maybe a slight hum when adjusted so the stone don't touch, but gets quite loud when grinding. I also have another machine, a Grind All - which has a horizontal motor and vertical wheels, and it has a low hum when running without berries, and a rougher grinding sound when grinding the berries. Sorry to hear the Komo makes noise when just running idle - I thought it would be a low pitched hum like the others. I use hearing protection when grinding on any machine.
It shouldn't be that loud when running with no grain. And it shouldn't vibrate. I'd call your dealer and talk to them.
I own and use 2 KoMos on a daily basis.
Smaller mill is the PK1
Larger is the KoMo XL
Both are loud when milling but the XL is louder due to a stronger motor and larger housing that does vibrated hence makes a louder sound - think violin vs a string bass and you get the idea.
When I am not milling and they are simply turned on they do make noise too which is normal - motor surrounded by wood = vibrations = sound.
As one responder stated - putting the lid on the mill will muffle the sound a bit but not much.
Noise goes with the territory of milling *^)
I generally leave the room until they are done and I know they are done due to the noise level dropping a bit.
You might like to check out this site BREADTOPIA. Eric has a segment on the noise difference between several mills make when running one of which is a KoMo. It might give you an idea if you are dealing with a louder than usual machine or not.
Good Luck,
Janet
Just curious! Seems like the XL would do all you need without having to have the PK too.
This weekend I bake with my PK flour. Wish me luck!
PK was my first mill. I had a mishap with it during the winter and bought the XL as back up. Mishap straightened itself out so now I have two….XL mills a bit finer than the PK and has a larger motor so can run for longer periods of time without overheating - which is what happened with the PK. I am spoiled ;-}
Janet
Thanks, I feel better (sort of) after watching the video. I had measured the spl of mine at the standard distance for its measure of 1 meter and got 88 dB, which is not inconsistent with the more informal readings he got. The 'sort of' part is that I would have gotten the cheaper Nutrimill had I seen that video before buying the Komo.
No pun intened. For some reason I assumed it would be quieter and then after seeing it on the video I questioned whether I would be happy with it due to the noise.
But, I believe it is quieter than the nutrimill and may be easier to maintain with less mess.
I could be wrong. But assume I am correct and enjoy a wonderful mill.
I had the Nutramill before purchasing the KoMo. I have since sold it. It is a fine mill if you only mill every once in awhile and do not want to be able to get a variance on the coarseness of grain it produces.
I mill several times a day and wanted an easier to clean machine and a machine that allowed me to see what I was milling - the coarseness, so I could adjust throughout the milling process. Nutramill can't do that and, when used several times a day, was burdensome getting to the milled flour and then cleaning the container. It also is not a stone mill. Can't say the noise difference was that much softer - a different pitch….milling is milling.
Have to say too that since my mill sits out on the counter - the KoMo does look better…
Hope you get to appreciate what you have. It really is a wonderful mill.
Take Care,
Janet
From the readings reported on the video it's unlikely one would notice the difference between the Komo and the Nutrimill--as I recall, they were only about 3 dB apart. But the induction motor is a real plus for the Komo in terms of reliability and life span and I am enjoying the results. (Those grapes weren't so sour after all LOL.)
Komo was the quietest when not grinding (like that matters...but for OP's original question, at least he can listen to it for second and see if it sounds the same), and the noisiest when grinding.
However, I would say that the Nutrimill is the most headache inducing because the pitch is so high, like a jet engine.