Tobacco Shredders, Manual vs Powermatic S

[AssyMcGee]

I was looking for some info that hopefully more experienced MYO people can share. I've been looking at tobacco shredders since I just started to buy whole leaf. I bought the budget manual shredder off of WLT but I quickly learned that it is not suitable for my needs.
What are your guys experience with the heavy duty manual shredder that is listed on WLT?
If any of you have turned it into mechanical drive what did you use and how well did it perform? Does the hand crank have enough leverage?
I've seen people talking about the Powermatic S Shredder but what is it's longevity like?

 

[Brown Thumb]

If you want a really good one. Your gonna have to build it yourself.
Some WLT tobacco I just shredded for a guy I know. Smells Awesome Too.
2 pounds red flue
1 pound of natural burley
1 big hand full of Turkish

 

[AssyMcGee]

Thank you for the input Brown Thumb!
That's a fine looking shredder you built there. Some good looking tobacco too.

 

[Knucklehead]

I've had my Powermatic for five years with zero problems. Depending on how much you smoke, the savings from commercial to whole leaf will pay for it very quickly.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I've had a Powermatic for about 5 years too and have no complaints. I also have 3 manual shredders from Poland that look a lot like the WLT shredder. If the WLT shredder is the same as the Polish shredder you can insert a screw in where the handle attaches and chuck a battery powered drill onto it.

 

[Tutu]

Just ordered the cheap manual one from Poland for the guy that is growing that Amerongen tobacco for him to shred the mud lugs and see what it tastes like. Have had no prior experience with them, just that the manual shredder we have at work looks a lot alike. There are also some offered on eBay that seem very similar to me. But those I talk about are all manual

 

[DrBob]

the Powermatic is a good machine and will last a long time if used carefully. I would buy another without hesitation.

 

[AssyMcGee]

Just ordered the cheap manual one from Poland for the guy that is growing that Amerongen tobacco for him to shred the mud lugs and see what it tastes like. Have had no prior experience with them, just that the manual shredder we have at work looks a lot alike. There are also some offered on eBay that seem very similar to me. But those I talk about are all manual

Didn't feel like dropping the money for the powermatic s at the time so I ended up buying the one you're talking about. I have had no problems with it yet. I actually like how you can use the crank too. What if the power goes out and you get stressed, smoke all your tobacco and need to shred more?? Haha.. I hook it up to a drill with an attachment and have it screwed into this ergonomic table thing I found in someone's trash. It makes for a great injecting/ shredding table. My next investment will be the powermatic s but I don't see the manual one giving out for a long time. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[burge]

I have the Powermatic and for a while now I was thinking of the other injector to get a shag cut. How tobacco is cut affects the flavor

 

[Brown Thumb]

I have the Powermatic and for a while now I was thinking of the other injector to get a shag cut. How tobacco is cut affects the flavor

I never thought that really mattered with ciggs. Inform me some.

 

[Tutu]

If you cut it until it is powder it doesn't smoke very well. Neither do chunks that are too big. So by definition that must mean that there is an optimal cutting size somewhere. That's all I can think of

 

[larryccf]

i'm new at shredding but not to ryo - just went with a .8mm shredder (el cheapo from WLT) and right away noticed more flavor from the smoke, i just ordered one from poland, staying with .8mm, the G120 - i liked the idea of sealed bearings as well as the rollers are 32mm in diameter, so hopefully, given equal quality rollers, the 32mm rollers ought to give a longer cutting life. Saw a few shredders offering .6mm cut, but don't know how much more flavor will be had. IIRC, the powermatic S is now .78mm (or rounded, .8mm)

 

[larryccf]

If you want a really good one. Your gonna have to build it yourself.
Some WLT tobacco I just shredded for a guy I know. Smells Awesome Too.
2 pounds red flue
1 pound of natural burley
1 big hand full of Turkish

brown thumb - can i ask where you found the motor with gear box? or did you source them separately

 

[cindynsg]

I just received one in the mail, opened it and shred about a 1/2 lb. My only complaint is that it shreds 1 mm vs 0.8mm! Totally disappointed!

!

 

[BigBonner]

Make sure your tobacco is not too moist . Drier tobacco will shred a little smaller

 

[larryccf]

JUST to be clear, 1mm is approx .040" or 40 thousandths, so each .1mm is approx .004" or 4 thousandths. A sheet of 24 lb printer paper is approx .004, so the difference between 1mm & .8mm in cut width is about the thickness of two sheets of 24lb paper. When i went from my paper cutting board, cutting 1/8" strips to my "el cheapo" shredder (.8mm) i could taste more flavor in the tobacco. But it's doubtful i'd notice the difference between 1mm & .8mm in taste. FWIW

 

[burge]

Larry .02mm is a huge difference in taste. I shredded some pipe tobacco 1,6mm to the s shredder the Danish a huge difference in flavor. The longer the strands is a huge difference in flavor. I could literally have the same leaf and make it taste 5 different ways. Some would argue the thicker the cut the more of the true tobacco taste.

 

[deluxestogie]

I'm not sure how shred length would affect anything but the ease of blending and/or tube stuffing dynamics.

Shred width directly influences the combustion temperature. So a wider shred (like my hand-shredded pipe blends) burns at a lower temperature. I agree that this affects the mixture of volatile compounds generated by tobacco combustion.

I would suggest that "true tobacco taste" is a moving target.

Bob

 

[burge]

True enough on tobacco taste Bob. I have experienced it even with moisture content. I urge you to try it out. A friend of mine got me to shred some in the Powermatic and the elcheapo hand shredder, Subtle difference in taste and how it burned

 

[ZigZagZeppelin]

Seems to me the cut size difference would affect its BURNING not the taste. The blend of leaves chosen and moisture content might affect taste, not the cut.

Cut size varies how well it burns.