[Robert]

My JSP mill has worked longer than my BC at this point, but the BC is a nice backup for my roast malts for hand grinding using the manual handle.  That way I don't have to worry about running some pale malt through it to clean it for the next full batch grind.

Don't want to think of ever moving on from JSP  (had fun building it out myself from the rather crude basic model too) but Jack is retiring/has retired? and parts and support will disappear.  Over a year since LHBS was cut off from ordering, and website is pretty much nonfunctional.  It surprised me that there was no succession plan for the company, but as I understand it this was a hobby gone wild, just run out of his house, Jack in the back manufacturing and his wife handling the business. So we have to have a plan B, and BC looks like it. Is there a better option? (Maybe there will be, but I don't  know how much life is left on my rollers. If only I'd bought the case hardened option up fromt...)

I have the same Barley Crusher story as most - worked great, until it didn't work any more.  I feel like I got my money's worth out of it.  However, when it started to have problems I bought a Monster Mill  - really happy with it, and it is a better mill than BC in my experience.  I don't know that I will ever have to buy another mill again, but if I did, I would not hesitate to get another monster mill.

2 or 3 roller?

[Slowbrew]

My JSP mill has worked longer than my BC at this point, but the BC is a nice backup for my roast malts for hand grinding using the manual handle.  That way I don't have to worry about running some pale malt through it to clean it for the next full batch grind.

Don't want to think of ever moving on from JSP  (had fun building it out myself from the rather crude basic model too) but Jack is retiring/has retired? and parts and support will disappear.  Over a year since LHBS was cut off from ordering, and website is pretty much nonfunctional.  It surprised me that there was no succession plan for the company, but as I understand it this was a hobby gone wild, just run out of his house, Jack in the back manufacturing and his wife handling the business. So we have to have a plan B, and BC looks like it. Is there a better option? (Maybe there will be, but I don't  know how much life is left on my rollers. If only I'd bought the case hardened option up fromt...)

I have the same Barley Crusher story as most - worked great, until it didn't work any more.  I feel like I got my money's worth out of it.  However, when it started to have problems I bought a Monster Mill  - really happy with it, and it is a better mill than BC in my experience.  I don't know that I will ever have to buy another mill again, but if I did, I would not hesitate to get another monster mill.

2 or 3 roller?

I have the same experience.  I got a MM3 mill. 

I've only made about 6 batches with it so far and I am stilling learning the tricks to make it work correctly.  On the last 2 batches my extract efficiency is back in my "normal" range.  I'm excited to have more brewing time now that our kitchen remodel is almost done and see if I can push it higher still.

Adjusting a 3 roller mill is different than a 2 roller.  The videos on the web by Monster Mill are very helpful.  The way mill table is setup caused some binding on the drive roller but adding a pillow block to the drive shaft by the drive wheel relieved the pressure causing the problem.  Always new stuff to learn.

Paul

[braufessor]

[
2 or 3 roller?

I have the 2 roller.  It works great.  Not sure what a 3 roller would bring to the game that the 2 roller isn't giving me.   Nice crush, consistent, 85% efficiency, never had a stuck sparge with it..... I have probably run at least 250 batches through mine.... maybe more.

[ynotbrusum]

I didn't know about Jack Schmidling retiring.  I like his product and understand its limitations (none were so significant that I considered them major), so a backup for me would be the Monster Mill, I guess.  Thanks for the update on non-availability of the JSP Barebones Mill.