Harvesting marijuana isn’t as simple as snip, grind, and smoke.
Unfortunately for greedy ganja growers, there are many procedures you have to go through before rolling your first joint. Arguably, the most annoying of these “post-harvest steps” is trimming, which refers to cutting off low-trichome leaves.
Some dedicated home-growers swear by hand-trimming to preserve their buds’ potency.
Although this trimming technique gives cultivators maximum control, it’s time-consuming, labor-intensive, and downright dull. Anyone who’s growing more than two cannabis plants will likely be interested in speeding up the trimming process.
Thankfully, there are now dozens of hi-tech bud trimmers available to home-growers of all skill levels.
These devices range in size and price, but all of them are designed to help cultivators “cut down” their trimming time without sacrificing quality.
If you’re someone who hates hand-trimming buds, you should consider investing in one of the many brilliant bud trimmers now hitting the cannabis market.
Why Bother Trimming Marijuana Buds?
Before sharing our picks for the best bud trimmers, you might be wondering whether trimming is a necessary part of harvesting cannabis.
Indeed, some people argue trimming is simply a kind of “cannabis cosmetics” that doesn’t affect the smoking experience.
In reality, trimming significantly alters the quality and potency of your smoking session. Buds that aren’t adequately trimmed will have a terrible taste and a weak high.
Remember what trimming targets: fan and sugar leaves.
Even if you’re a desperate stoner, you do not want these trichome-depleted leaves in your joint.
Since these leaves have almost zero THC content, they will seriously dampen your pot’s potency—and what toker wants that? To make matters worse, these leaves will cover over your strain’s terpenes, resulting in a dreadful flavor experience.
As these leaves burn in your joint, they won’t add any nuanced flavors or cannabinoids, but they will add a ton of unnecessary combustion. It’s no surprise people who have the misfortune of smoking poorly-trimmed buds describe the experience as “harsh.”
In short: if you want to bring out the best in your buds, you must add trimming to your post-harvest routine.
Wet vs. Dry Trimming: Which Technique Is Better?
All cultivators admit that trimming is essential, but not everyone agrees on when they should cut their plants.
In fact, there are two schools of thought on “cannabis trimming timing:” wet vs. dry.
People who prefer trimming their plants while harvesting are in the “wet” camp. By contrast, cultivators who practice “dry trimming” first place harvested cannabis on a drying rack and begin trimming a few days later.
Choosing between these two methods all depends on personal preference. However, wet trimming tends to be associated with “convenience” and dry trimming with “quality.”
Since your fan leaves are sticking straight up during harvesting, it’s easier for cultivators to snip wet leaves versus brittle dry leaves. Wet-trimmed buds also take up less space in a drying room and have a reduced risk of mold.
On the flipside, fan leaves might help your cannabis retain more cannabinoids and terpenes during the drying process. People who prefer dry trimming swear this feature produces superior quality weed. Unfortunately, these drying fan leaves are also notorious breeding grounds for mold. Plus, since all of these leaves preserve moisture, it takes longer for your plants to dry with this trimming method.
As with every other step in cannabis cultivation, you have to choose the trimming technique you feel most comfortable with. Once you decide when you’re going to trim your plants, please verify your bud trimmer is compatible. Although many bud trimmers work on both wet and dry buds, some are only designed for one trimming method.
Are Automatic Bud Trimmers As Precise As Hand-Trimming?
Until Silicon Valley invents a futuristic nanotech trimmer, there’s no way a machine could replace the precision of hand-trimming. If you’re most concerned with the quality and potency of your cannabis, then you need to invest the extra time and effort into trimming your buds with a pair of shears.
While hand-trimming offers the best result, it’s certainly not the “practical” choice. Indeed, if you’re growing cannabis commercially, it may not be possible to invest all of the extra time and money into employing a team of trimmers. Plus, if you’re only concerned with using your buds in concentrates, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to make them look pretty.
Bottom line: if you have the time and energy to spare, you will enjoy a superior smoke with hand-trimmed buds. However, there are plenty of high-quality bud trimmers that produce decent buds at lightning-fast speeds. Just like with dry vs. wet trimming, only you could decide whether it’s worth your time to hand-trim cannabis strains.
If you are interested in hand-trimming marijuana, please keep in mind Everything But The Plant offers many high-quality titanium shears. Simply type “shears” into our search engine to find dozens of blades perfect for marijuana trimming.
4 of the Best Bud Trimmers In 2020 (Reviewed)
1. The Magic Trimmer
The Magic Trimmer is an automatic device that’s ideal for people who want the precision of hand-trimming without the annoyance of using shears. This affordable tool uses rotating blades to pulverize plant material at a standard speed of 33,000 r/min.
The rubber handle makes the Magic Trimmer easy to grip, and manufacturers claim their product has a patent-pending safety design to ensure customers never nick their fingers.
Since you hold the lightweight Magic Trimmer in one hand, it’s easier to get a professionally-manicured look on your buds versus using a bud trimming machine. On the downside, a few customers complain this trimmer can create a big mess as it splatters plant debris. Be sure to place a tarp in your grow room for easier clean-up.
If you’d like to learn more about the Magic Trimmer, be sure to visit this link on Everything But The Plant.
Magic Trimmer Specs
- Dimensions: 11.6’’ x 5.1’’ x 3’’
- Weight: 2.5 lbs.
- Wattage: 115W
- Voltage: 110 volts
- Wet or dry trimming: Both
2. CenturionPro Trimmer Original
One glance at a CenturionPro trimmer is enough to let you know this device isn’t for amateurs.
Every one of the CenturionPro’s massive devices has been designed to process large marijuana quantities at ridiculously fast rates. To achieve these fast results, CenturionPro uses only the highest-quality electropolished stainless steel tumblers (one for dry and another for wet trimming).
Anyone who purchases one of these automated systems will also receive a hopper, leaf collector, and three collection bags for kief, leaf, and trim.
According to the company, the Original CenturionPro Trimmer can handle 75 lbs. of wet or 15 lbs. of dry cannabis per hour. That’s equivalent to the labor of about 60 employees!
Obviously, the CenturionPro line is targeted at professional cultivators. Given this machine’s steep price tag and colossal size, it’s best-suited for cultivators who need to process heavy loads of cannabis in a timely fashion. If you fit this description, the CenturionPro Trimmer line may be worth an investment. Just be sure you get a long-term warranty, because you’ll need professional help if anything breaks down.
For more details on CenturionPro products, be sure to check out the parts and units now available on Everything But The Plant.
CenturionPro Original Trimmer Specs
- Dimensions: 30’’ x 13’’ x 28’’
- Weight: 90 lbs.
- Materials: Stainless steel and anodized aluminum
- Input voltage: 7Amp – 110V
- Wet or dry trimming: Both
3. Trim’R-Matic Electric Handheld Trimmer
The Trim’R-Matic Electric Trimmer is another automatic handheld device that’s quite popular with home-growers.
This lightweight device has a total of three blades, one of which moves back-and-forth between the other two. After plugging this unit into a wall socket, you can adjust the middle blade’s speed from low to high. According to manufacturers, the max speed for the Trim’R-Matic Electric Trimmer is 12 cuts per second.
Although this device may seem unsafe, please keep in mind these blades have a safety shut-off feature. Even if you place this blade over a stem rather than a leaf, it should automatically stop working. This sensitive shut-off feature should prevent any accidental cuts.
While the Trim’R-Matic certainly speeds up the hand-trimming process, you do have to be extra careful about snipping the thin wire. Also, since these blades are exposed to your plant material, they will require extra cleaning and lubrication.
If you want to hand-trim your marijuana buds at a faster speed, the Trim’R-Matic might be the right device for you. Find out more about this handheld device on this page.
Trim’R-Matic Handheld Trimmer Specs
- Dimensions: 13’’ x 10’’ x 4’’
- Weight: 3.8 lbs.
- Voltage: 120V or 240V
- Wet or dry trimming: Both
4. iPower 19-Inch Leaf Bowl Trimmer Machine
Many at-home cultivators can’t stop singing the praises of the iPower Leaf Bowl Trimmer Machine. Made in a unique dome-style design, this manually-powered device is an affordable way for growers with moderate yields to complete their trimming in a few minutes.
All you have to do is place your buds on the device’s stainless steel grill, close the acrylic lid, and turn the crank. As you spin the crank, rubber fingers will push your buds around, and a blade underneath the grill will slice away any unwanted plant materials. All of this debris will sift through a fine mesh screen into a stainless steel bowl.
According to iPower, this unit will give you the power of 30 scissors in one unit. After only about 30 cranks, you could trim a full load of cannabis buds. Plus, since the top of this trimmer is clear, you can easily stop every few cranks and check how well your buds are trimmed.
By the way, all iPower Leaf Bowl Trimmers come with two blades: one serrated and one straight. Only use the serrated blade on dry buds and the straight-edge on wet flowers.
All in all, the iPower Leaf Bowl Trimmer is an excellent choice for home-growers who want a convenient way to trim moderate yields. While it’s not as precise as a handheld device, the iPower is affordable, easy-to-use, and doesn’t require electricity. Anyone who wants a convenient way to trim buds quickly should look into this popular device.
If you’re interested in a bud trimmer that’s remarkably similar to the iPower Leaf Bowl Trimmer, we recommend following this link on Everything But The Plant.
iPower Leaf Bowl Trimmer Specs
- Dimensions: 19.5’’ x 19.8’’ x 11.1’’
- Weight: 15.05 lbs.
- Materials: Stainless steel, rubber strips, and acrylic cover.
- Wet or dry trimming: Both
Save Your Precious Time With A Professional Bud Trimmer
Although trimming can be a “pain in the bud,” it’s a necessary part of proper cannabis harvesting. Thankfully, manufacturers are creating many fantastic bud trimmers to save cultivators a ton of time and aggravation.
Whether you’re looking for a heavy-duty machine like the CenturionPro or a handheld device like the Magic Trimmer, you can find a fantastic variety of bud trimmers on Everything But The Plant. If you have any questions about the trimmers on our site, please feel free to reach out to our friendly staff on this Contact Us page.