A Review: The Mamba USB Grinder

[tobedetermined]

As promised here is my review of the Mamba USB grinder. I wanted an electric grinder of some sorts because as I enter my 7th decade, fairly severe arthritis in my hands is making the use of my trust SLX standard hand grinder a pain – literally. Often I find myself really fighting to twist the damn thing – especially when it is a sticky, yummy bud. Since I need to smoke that sticky bud to relieve the arthritis, we have a conundrum.

Enter the Mamba V2-50

It is a USB rechargeable herb grinder. $58 Canadian dinero on the zon.

The Mamba base unit where you put the herb . . .

The business end – the teeth. These and the herb chamber on the base unit are anodized aluminum.

Filled with a small bud. The chamber isn’t big – they say 1 gram capacity - so this is good for a normal good-sized joint.

Now we get to the cone. Just throw it away. It is meant to channel the herb as you grind it but it has flimsy plastic tabs that will inevitably break. And fine herb is electrostatically attracted to this plastic thngie, so it will always need cleaning. Jettison it . . .

The Mamba seems to grind it to a great consistency for standard use cannabis.

The accessories – a USB cable to charge - but no plug end btw, some cone filling tools and some guitar picks (for cleaning the cone that you threw away) and a couple of those indispensable teenie spoon tools. Bonus!

Conclusion: Except for that plastic cone, the Mamba seems to be perfect for what I need. It is reasonably hefty and seems well made. And for $58, it is better than I expected.

**********************************

And . . . the stunning wine that I had with my birthday dinner with the family – that I cooked as usual.

I raided my cellar for a great one but it was a zero year birthday . . .

 

[mr.brunch]

Nice review mate, I bought a cheap version but it lasted a week- that one looks properly designed

Happy Birthday I hope you had a good one

 

[goingrey]

Are the tiny spoons meant for cleaning the grinder?

 

[tobedetermined]

Happy Birthday I hope you had a good one

The celebration was a few days premature due to scheduling but thank you.

 

[tobedetermined]

Are the tiny spoons meant for cleaning the grinder?

I guess so. They are not mentioned in the manual. But they are really good for playing with concentrates - wax, rosin etc and I was given a gram of tasty live hash rosin, so I have a use for them.

 

[buzzmobile]

Often I find myself really fighting to twist the damn thing – especially when it is a sticky, yummy bud.

I find myself in the same situation. I wondered about such a grinder as the Mamba. I'll check it out.

What did you pair with the Chateau Margaux 2000?

 

[tobedetermined]

What did you pair with the Chateau Margaux 2000?

Caesar salad, beef tenderloin steaks with herb butter, oven roasted potatoes. But alas, it was Château Ferrière - a Margaux but not THE Margaux, so just a 3rd Growth. I bought 3 bottles as futures in 2001 and this was my last. It was exquisite. I only had Château Margaux once - a 1997 - in Paris at the Jules Verne Restaurant.

 

[buzzmobile]

I searched for the grinder above and found that there is a 2 gram model available. Email says it will be here today.

I had to check out the menu at the Jules Verne, and I would eat there (in my dreams).

 

[tobedetermined]

I had to check out the menu at the Jules Verne, and I would eat there (in my dreams).

I had a corporate Amex. And I was taking a couple of customers to visit some of manufacturers we represented. Two years before than trip, I took 23 people - 14 customers, spouses and 1 teenager - on the same type of trip to France. That is when I realized that being a tour guide (aka nurse maid, translator, fixer) to a bunch of Americans (and 1 Canadian) in Europe for the 1st time really sucked. There was no Jules Vernes on that trip . . .

 

[buzzmobile]

Was this you, @tobedetermined ?

 

[Legalcdn]

Arthritis can limit a person for sure. The grinder looks good.

If you can still crank a handle, the androck nut grinder is a great option for weed.

Is the pic in front of Versailles?

 

[tobedetermined]

Was this you, @tobedetermined ?

Ha ha. That guy does not look frantic enough. I was totally fried after 5 days of them. I have stories . . .

 

[tobedetermined]

Is the pic in front of Versailles?

Yes. One of our manufacturers had booked a tour for us to keep the group entertained. Years later, some of those people were still customers and they claimed that they would travel anywhere - as long as I was the guide. There aren't enough drugs to get me to do it again . . .

 

[buzzmobile]

androck nut grinder

That's the first time I heard of that, @Legalcdn , and that is certainly an item that looks like it would do the job. It may be the next in line depending on how long the new Mamba lasts.

It arrived yesterday evening and I found it on the porch this morning. After charging for a couple hours I put it to work. I like the coarse texture of the grind because I smoke joints mainly. It is difficult to roll powder. I am not sure how durable the gears and motor are, but my wife will surely put them to the test. LOL! She can be hard on the equipment around here. I tried it out with the clear cone attached and it seemed to work fine without any static cling. Too many buds in the grinder will bog the motor but the rocker switch can reverse the grinder direction to break it loose (sometimes). I lessened the amount I put in the grinder for much better results.

 

[buzzmobile]

I want to add a little more to the Mamba report. It holds a charge for a long while. I first charged it on its arrival May 24. It was still running on that charge yesterday when I decided to recharge it.

I kept thee "clear cone" in place and it has a tendency to collect kief. The guitar picks included with the Mamba work very well to scrape the interior of the cone while collecting the kief.

Breaking the buds into smaller pieces helps with getting the grinder started. The rocker switch works very well to get the grinder started spinning. I lightly tap the Mamba while it's spinning and grinding to help release the grinds. The texture of the grind is perfect for rolling my joints. The little "spoons" that came in the package are very good at cleaning the small bits of flower that stick to the teeth and openings.

The Mamba is working well in this house.

 

[tobedetermined]

Breaking the buds into smaller pieces helps with getting the grinder started. The rocker switch works very well to get the grinder started spinning. I lightly tap the Mamba while it's spinning and grinding to help release the grinds. The texture of the grind is perfect for rolling my joints. The little "spoons" that came in the package are very good at cleaning the small bits of flower that stick to the teeth and openings.

The Mamba is working well in this house.

I can only concur. I recharged my Mamba yesterday - but it didn't really need it because it was still chugging along. As you point out, the rocker switch is crucial. When a bud binds one way, just use the rocker and it win spin and grind. I am quite happy.

 

[buzzmobile]

I have an update on the Mamba Grinder. Recently the grinder was misbehaving. The toggle button worked and the grinder piece was rotating but nothing was coming out. I separated the grinder piece from the 'gun' to find buds pushed in between the teeth. I was puzzled until I discovered that both grinder pieces were spinning together. The 'stationary' grinder part attached to the gun was spinning together with the removable grinder part.

I tightened the tiny philips screws on the handle and that secured the stationary grinder piece, but only temporarily. I had to hold the stationary piece with my hand to keep it from spinning. I had some JB Weld Steel Stick epoxy putty that came to mind. I kneaded a small piece and then formed it into a thin snake. I wrapped the snake around the joint where the stationary grinder piece met the plastic handle of the gun. I pressed the putty into the space and let it cure. When the epoxy cured the Mamba problem was cured.

The Mamba Grinder:
The cone is removable from the green grinder.

The cone is removed from the grinder piece that revolves on the green grinder piece attached to the handle of the 'gun'.

Here is a closeup of the 'stationary' grinder piece attached to the Mamba grinder handle. The triangular piece in the center spins when the toggle button on the handle is pressed. The green part is supposed to be stationary.

This is the grinder piece with the cone attached. It attaches to the triangular spinning drive shown in the photo above.

The fix is shown below. JB Weld epoxy putty pressed into the joint where stationary green grinder piece meets plastic housing of the 'gun'.

I did not cover the access holes to the tiny philips head screws that hold the handle pieces together. One never knows what might develop.

Hope that helps and don't forget the CalMag.

 

[tobedetermined]

My mamba is still working normally - except it needs a good cleaning. I can see that that would be a weak point. I guess that that housing is only glued at the factory.

 

[moose eater]

I have an update on the Mamba Grinder. Recently the grinder was misbehaving. The toggle button worked and the grinder piece was rotating but nothing was coming out. I separated the grinder piece from the 'gun' to find buds pushed in between the teeth. I was puzzled until I discovered that both grinder pieces were spinning together. The 'stationary' grinder part attached to the gun was spinning together with the removable grinder part.

I tightened the tiny philips screws on the handle and that secured the stationary grinder piece, but only temporarily. I had to hold the stationary piece with my hand to keep it from spinning. I had some JB Weld Steel Stick epoxy putty that came to mind. I kneaded a small piece and then formed it into a thin snake. I wrapped the snake around the joint where the stationary grinder piece met the plastic handle of the gun. I pressed the putty into the space and let it cure. When the epoxy cured the Mamba problem was cured.

The Mamba Grinder:
The cone is removable from the green grinder.
View attachment 19087918

The cone is removed from the grinder piece that revolves on the green grinder piece attached to the handle of the 'gun'.
View attachment 19087921

Here is a closeup of the 'stationary' grinder piece attached to the Mamba grinder handle. The triangular piece in the center spins when the toggle button on the handle is pressed. The green part is supposed to be stationary.
View attachment 19087925

This is the grinder piece with the cone attached. It attaches to the triangular spinning drive shown in the photo above.
View attachment 19087926

The fix is shown below. JB Weld epoxy putty pressed into the joint where stationary green grinder piece meets plastic housing of the 'gun'.
View attachment 19087932

I did not cover the access holes to the tiny philips head screws that hold the handle pieces together. One never knows what might develop.

Hope that helps and don't forget the CalMag.