The Difference Between 1, 2, and 3 Compartment Grinders

Here is how the compartments work: 

1 compartment herb grinders (also called two piece grinders) have only one compartment where the herb is placed, ground, and retrieved. Because of that, the ground herb might be of inconsistent size. Also, retrieving the ground herb from the single compartment can be a little difficult since the teeth are in your way. 

2 compartment herb grinders (also called three piece grinders) have the same grinding compartment as the 1 compartment grinder and small holes in the bottom of one compartment that leads to the second compartment. The holes allow only certain sized herbs to fall through and, because of that, you get more evenly ground herb. Since all the herbs are in the second compartment when finished, retrieving the herb is much easier than with a 1 compartment grinder.

3 compartment herb grinders (also called four piece grinders) have an additional compartment where there is a fine screen that separates it from the 2nd compartment. This 3rd compartment is for pollen or, if you are grinding marijuana, kief. Each of the herb grinders we selected on our best grinder list are 4-piece herb grinders.

Prices vary widely based on how many pieces an herb grinder has. Generally, four-piece weed grinders are more expensive than two or three-piece grinders, and for good reason. Four-piece grinders use more materials than other weed grinders and often include extra features like a filtering screen and pollen catcher chamber. However, we highly recommend buyers pick up a more expensive four-piece herb grinder because then you get the benefit of producing kief.