When it comes to growing your own weed, we have detailed out the process in a number of different articles. However, a grower’s task doesn’t stop when the harvest is done. There’s much more that has to be done post harvest – and one such thing is trimming the marijuana bud. Trimming is a process that can be done either manually or automatically, but most people prefer doing it with the help of bud trimmers. Over the course of this article, we shall be taking a detailed look at the 5 best bud trimmers that you can buy off the markets right now and start trimming your buds!
We shall also be taking a detailed look at what is bud trimming, why is it important, and the different types of bud trimming and bud trimmers that there are. Buying a bud trimmer for marijuana is an expensive deal. It price ranges from about $300 to $5000 and you can get different kinds of machines in this range – hence you need to know exactly what you are getting when you buy them! We have chosen the 5 best bud trimmers and they will be reviewed in detail along with their pros and cons.
We shall also be providing a closer look at the process of trimming buds which will help you trim your buds like a pro! Towards the end we have also answered some frequently asked questions which will help you understand the process of trimming marijuana buds even better! So let us first begin with the most basic question at hand –
What is Trimming?
When you see professionally shot photos of marijuana on dispensary menus and charts, or even as ‘graphics’ on the internet, you will always find them to be in perfect shape. Much like the burgers you see in ads vs the burgers that you get in a restaurant – there’s a world of difference between how that weed looks and how the weed that you grow looks. The difference between these two is that of trimming.
Trimming is basically the process of removing all the unwanted parts from your buds of weed after you have harvested it. This is done before the curing process. It is more about the presentation and improves the quality of smoke that comes. It makes the buds look better and more pleasant to the eye. This is particularly useful if you plan to gift your buds to someone or if you plan on selling them. Trimming, in the simplest form, can be understood as ‘manicuring’ your buds where you give them a nice little treatment and make them look better and get rid of a lot of unwanted portions which do not contribute to the quality of the smoking as well.
You can trim your weed either by hand or by using a bud trimmer. The focus of our article is the latter but it is important to understand both ways of doing it. Trimming your bud by hand is somewhat of a complex process which takes quite a lot of time and effort and many people call it an ‘art’. However, trimming it using bud trimmers is relatively easier though you still might need to give some finishing touches by hand after you’ve used the machine.
Benefits of Trimming Marijuana Buds
Many people are still wondering as to why they should trim their buds after all. Well, there is a reason to this.
- First of all, it makes your buds look good. This is critical for growers who want to sell their weed or give it to someone. If you want to consume for yourself you can avoid trimming (though we’d recommend you don’t avoid it) – but its ok because to the self, presentation might not be a priority. However, when you’re putting it out there to the world, you need to ensure you’re giving out a good quality product which is also good looking! Would anyone eat at McDonald’s if their burgers actually looked in the ads like how they look when they serve it to you? There’s a mental image that most people have of ‘good weed’ and that is this trimmed weed.
- Bud trimming is also important because it reduces the harshness. There are a lot of extra leaves and other similar particles which stick around the bud and are not used for smoking anyway. They are deterrents and cause problems to the stoners rather than providing them with any medicinal value or recreational value. Hence, by ensuring that your bud is properly trimmed, you can make sure that you are getting a smoother experience.
- Another major benefit of trimming your marijuana buds is that during the curing phase, trimmed marijuana buds will leave a better moisture content, which adds flavour to the weed, as well as ensures an even burn which is great for those smoking it. This also provides a better ‘high’ making the buds even more suitable for recreational consumption.
- Trichrome-encrusted sugar leaves (or even the ones without it) generally have a much lesser THC concentration when you compare it with the main bud. This means that they are just a waste of space because you need to pack in more of it to get a very little high. Hence, these portions should be trimmed off while you trim your bud. Similarly there might be other unwanted portions such as some twigs or other part of the foliage that might have stuck around so you need to trim that off as well.
5 Best Bud Trimmers for Marijuana Growers
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Here’s a closer and detailed look at 5 best bud trimmers for marijuana growers. These machines will help you trim your bud easily without involving any manual efforts.
1. VIVOSUN 19 inch Bud Leaf Bowl Trimmer
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When it comes to the process of growing marijuana, Vivosun is among the most popular and the most trusted of names. The company makes a large number of products and bud trimmers also happen to be one of the things that comes from them! This is a bowl bud trimmer and is great for growers who have their own little growing setup – but not something that industrial or large-scale growers would like to buy. This trimmer is 19 inches in diameter but is very effective. It features sharp blades made out of stainless steel which will make sure that the cutting happens properly. Using this is like having the power of thirty scissors in one cutter.
There’s a clear plastic dome on top which will make sure that you can see your weed being cut and it also ensures that nothing spills out and does not make things dirty. You can rotate clockwise as well as counter clockwise to make sure that the weed is being cut properly. There’s a two year warranty on this bud leaf bowl trimmer from Vivosun, which is a great deal – you also get a couple of pruning shears and an instruction manual which helps you ensure that your trimming is happening the correct way!
Pros
- You can cut dry as well as wet weed using this trimmer
- There’s a two-year warranty
- Ensures there’s no spillage
Cons
- Wet buds tend to get stuck and the device needs to be cleaned frequently
Check Price & Reviews on Amazon
2. iPower GLTRIMBOWL16M 16-Inch Leaf Bowl Trimmer
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In terms of look and feel, as well as how you use it, the iPower leaf bowl trimmer is actually very similar to the Vivosun leaf bowl bud trimmer for marijuana that we have seen above. However, this one is a little smaller in size – as it comes with a 16 inch diameter compared to the 19 inches of Vivosun. This is a small hand-held trimmer which gets the job done and makes the trimming process a lot easier for growers who want to trim their weed. Again, this is something that you would like to use for personal and small scale growers and not an ideal equipment for those who grow in large scale. As a brand, iPower has been the name behind many marijuana growers related products such as duct fans, grow lights, grow tents etc and is a very familiar name in the world of horticulture.
Similar to the Vivosun bowl trimmer, you also get a transparent domed covering on top which will make sure that your buds cannot and will not spill over and all the cutting happens inside. The blades are really sharp and will cut through even the stickiest of buds with ease, though you might have to apply a little extra manual force while you spin the top handle. The handle is removable which makes it easy to store this device.
Pros
- Really sharp, can cut through weed easily
- Domed top prevents spillage
- Easy to operate
Cons
- No warranty
Check Price & Reviews on Amazon
3. YOLO Stores Hydroponics Leaf Trimmer
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Slightly expensive than the two we’ve seen above but quite inexpensive compared to many other electrical leaf trimmers, this is a great product for growers looking forward to trim their hydroponic plants. This is a 110V machine where you put in the weed to be trimmed on the top and it is collected on a bag in the bottom. This machine is quite helpful for those growers who want to trim plants and use the excesses to prepare essential oils out of them. This machine has some very sharp blades and is quite effective when it comes to chopping down your weed.
There are three speeds in which the blades can operate, giving you a better control over your trimming operations. You even get six extra blades which you can replace over time. In addition to this, you also get ebooks and instruction manuals which help you operate this machine better, as well as help you become a better grower.
Pros
- Not as expensive when you compare it with other electric trimmers
- Provides you six extra blades which can be replaced
- Trim collection bag makes it easier to manage the trimmed weed
Cons
- Creates a lot of dust and mess which needs to be cleaned
Check Price & Reviews on Amazon
4. Centurion Pro Mini Trimmer
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Centurion Pro Mini is one of the best options for those who are ok with buying an expensive trimmer to trim their marijuana. At almost $6000 + shipping, this one is certainly not easy on the pocket but provides a high-class return. This is a great choice for growers who want to buy a trimmer for industrial and large-scale operations. The manufacturer claims it ot be the smallest tumbler trimmer in the world, but the size really doesn’t matter as Centurion Pro Mini allows you to trim about 6 to 8 pounds of wet weed or about 12 to 14 pounds of dry weed per hour – which is a significant amount! There’s a very sharp spinning blade inside the tumbler which helps give you precise cuts. You don’t even have to clean this yourself as you can schedule maintenance checkups and the company will clean it for you!
Pros
- Can cut through a LOT of weed
- Great for industrial growers
- Very durable, good maintenance and customer support
Cons
- Expensive
Check Price & Reviews on Amazon
5. Twister T6 Trimming Machine (WET OR DRY)
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Manufactured by Flora Hydroponics, the Twister T6 trimming machine is another great option for growers who are looking forward to buying a trimming machine for their marijuana – but for those who are growing large-scale or industrially. This trimming machine supports wet as well as dry marijuana to be cut in it, and claims to offer the ‘tightest cut in the industry’. It is also very easy to use as it has a simple plug and play operation. It is also a great choice for industrial growers who don’t have too much space. This isn’t a big and bulky device but very effective when it comes to trimming marijuana!
Pros
- Saves space
- Great for industrial or large-scale use
- Comes in wet as well as dry variants
Cons
- Might be a little too expensive for some buyers’ preference
Check Price & Reviews on Amazon
Trimming by Hand: How to Trim Your Marijuana Buds?
Trimming your buds using a bud trimmer is quite easy. You can simply make use of any of the 5 best bud trimmers for marijuana that we have provided in our article above. However, if you were to trim it using hands – it is a rather tedious, time consuming and complex task which requires a lot of patience and time. For that, you would require a pair of sharp scissors, a pair of pruning shears, disposable gloves, 3 trays, and lastly, but not the least, a well-lit room with a very comfortable set of a table and a chair. It is a complex and a tiring process and the last thing you need is getting worn out just because you have to sit there for a long time. Also before you begin, one last thing that you must know is that there will be a LOT of smell. The smell will be overpowering and might linger around the room in which you are trimming for quite a long time so be careful about that before you begin trimming.
- Start off by ensuring that you have a good few hours at hand. Then make sure that the place where you are going to trim your bud has decent lighting and allows you to see the bud clearly because you will need to observe it up close in order to trim it properly. Make sure there’s no cloth or carpet nearby because if you’re trimming wet and moist buds they might stick on it and would be difficult to clean.
- Begin with placing the buds. When you start off, all the untrimmed buds would be kept on one tray while the other two will remain empty. The other two trays will be used eventually – one for keeping the portions that you are trimming off the bud, and the other for keeping the trimmed buds. Then put on the gloves so that the sticky buds don’t really stick to your hands.
- Use the pruning shear to cut off a branch from your plants and then start removing the leaves by cutting them off. The larger fan leaves can be pulled apart by using your fingers and then dispose of them away later.
- So here comes the critical part where you actually start trimming the weed. First you start off with sugar leaves. These are basically those tiny leaves that emerge out of the bud where only the leaf tips are visible. Start by trimming these tips off. Sometimes growers see that there’s a bit of trichomes on the leaves and they let them be. However we strongly urge you to not do that and to trim them off. This is because even if you let them be, the trichome content is too little while the harshness that it adds on to makes the bud quite unpleasant to smoke. What you can do, however, is that you can keep them in that third tray and then seperate the trichome portions and use them later for making edibles, hash, etc. Once these sugar leaves are gone the weed gets a better and more rounded appearance.
- Now observe the bud really closely and see if there’s any tiny bits of twigs or other similar foliage left sticking on to it. Given how moist the buds are, there’s always a chance that there’s something which remains stuck to it and you’ll need to pull it out either using scissors or your hands. Be careful while doing so because you might end up damaging the bud! This has to be done with care as well as precision.
- Repeat this process branch after branch till the entire plant is done with. This is basically the long and short of the trimming process. Even if you use a bud trimmer for marijuana, you will still need to do the step above this just to make sure nothing is sticking around.
Frequently Asked Questions About Marijuana Bud Trimmers
Now that you know which are some of the best options you have when it comes to trimming your marijuana buds, let us take a closer look at some of the most common and frequently asked questions about marijuana bud trimmers:
1. Is it legal to buy bud trimmers?
Yes, it is totally legal to buy bud trimmers. However, there might be a problem if you are using them to trim marijuana because weed might not be legal in all states. You need to check with your local laws as to what they say about growing marijuana in your area. However, buying a trimmer will not put you in any legal danger.
2. Which is the best bud trimmer for marijuana?
This frankly depends upon your preferences and your budget. There are some which do the whole job for you but cost a bomb while there are others which are not that expensive but need some manual effort. You can go through our list of the best bud trimmers and decide which is the one that is the best bud trimmer for marijuana that suits your needs.
3. Is it better to trim your weed before you dry it or after you dry it?
Dry trimming is a better option for most growers because it makes the job a lot easier. Wet buds tend to much more stickier and are hence difficult to trim. You require to put in stronger force while trimming them and they also tend to stick to your bud trimming machine. Trimming while wet can also cause a lot of stress on the buds and might result in them breaking off in awkward angles. Dryer buds are much easier and simpler to trim. However, while trimming weet bud is difficult when doing it by hand, it is simpler to do so while using a machine.
Conclusion
We hope that this article on the 5 best bud trimmer for marijuana has helped you understand every aspect of trimming weed. While trimming your buds using machines makes it a lot easier in comparison to trimming by hand, we have also provided a detailed guide on how to trim by hand. This is keeping in mind that trimming machines or bud trimmers can be expensive to buy and can cost thousands of dollars, which all growers might not be able to afford. If there’s anything else that you would like to know about trimming your marijuana buds, or if there’s something that you feel we might have missed out on – drop us an email or let us know in the comments section and we shall get back to you shortly! Till then…
…Happy Trimming! 🙂
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