Sabretooth Grinder Vs. Phoenician Grinder: Comparison

A grinder is an essential tool for marijuana aficionados because it helps break your weed into smaller pieces. The result is a smoother hit, whether you are smoking a joint or hitting a bong. Although there are plenty of ways to grind up your cannabis without a grinder, it is the best option because it speeds up the process and offers nice bonuses such as a kief catcher.

As you may know, the kief catcher is the bottom chamber beneath a grinder’s screen that collects the high-THC crystal kief that comes off the buds as you grind them. You can easily take the kief and add it to a joint or bowl to intensify the hit. There are hundreds of grinders around ranging from cheap plastic options to expensive, yet effective, tools that make grinding up weed incredibly easy.

In many ways, there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to grinders. Once we reached the 4-piece stage, it became a matter of having sharper ‘teeth’ that grind marijuana flower effectively. As such, we are going back in time a little to take a look at what remain two of the best grinders on the market.

Grinder Design

Sabertooth Grinder

At the time of its release, the Sabertooth was regarded as a market leader and is built from aircraft grade aluminum. It is available in a range of cool colors and the stylish brand logo is on the top and bottom; which makes it very difficult to accurately counterfeit. The lid fits perfectly, and the teeth have a sharp square shape with grooved metal that should, in theory, have the ability to grind your weed into very fine material.

Sabretooth also deserves credit for the lovely threading, which makes it very easy to screw and unscrew the lid. Overall, it is a well-designed grinder with a wide mouth, and the construction is solid to the point where you never believe it will break or become damaged. Its kief catcher has deep edges and nice curves to make it easy to get your kief.

The Phoenician Grinder

This brand can point to the fact that its grinders are made in the USA. Not only that, but the Phoenician Grinder is also made from materials sourced in America, including an aerospace grade aluminum material carefully inspected for quality. The brand places its grinders through what is called a ‘deburring’ process which removes any sharp flakes. It sounds like basic safety, but believe it not there are plenty of brands that don’t adhere to the deburring process.

The Phoenician caused a storm upon its initial release because its design was very different from anything available at the time. It includes a handy slot where you can store your rolling papers; a nice touch. It is only when you hold it in your hands that you realize how huge it is! There are ridges along the sides of the grinder to help you screw and unscrew it easily with a good grip. There is also the subtle inclusion of the brand logo.

Unlike most grinders of the time, the Phoenician does NOT rely on threading to hold it on. Instead, it has a magnetic lid so you can turn it once to unlock, and turn it once to lock. We’re not confident that it will stay shut when traveling, however. The material is extremely durable, and there is no danger of breaking it if it falls. The kief catcher is enormous. At over 1 cm deep, and almost 8cm wide, it is possible to store a significant amount of potent kief for future use.

This grinder has fewer teeth by design; it allows more room for your weed to move while reducing friction. The goal is to provide users with a smoother cut. The teeth resemble razor blades in that they are slim but very sharp.

Verdict:

The Phoenician has a nice design and a massive kief catcher which gives it the edge over the more classic design of the Sabertooth.

Grinder Function

The Sabertooth Grinder

When you open up this grinder, you can clearly see that it is manufactured to precision. It has a lightweight feel yet is extremely durable. The Sabertooth has a lot more teeth than the Phoenician, and you become well aware of this fact when you begin grinding your plant material.

The device has a smooth twisting action which allows you to turn the grinder back and forth easily. Despite the number of teeth, the herb goes straight down to the next chamber with no clogging. The result is extremely finely ground material. The Sabertooth collects kief fairly well although some gets stuck to the metal.

The Phoenician Grinder

The screens of this grinder are stainless steel and are sized to the grinder rather than being stretched to fit. After the screen gets dirty, you can remove or replace it. One major plus with then Phoenician is that you can clean it fairly easily; the lack of teeth definitely helps in this regard. The kief catcher has a bowl-like design so you can collect the pollen without leaving any behind.

The grinder operates smoothly, and you can feel the razor blades getting to work as they effortlessly cut through the plant matter. It takes all of the buds down into the next chamber with no clogging in the grinding section. Although it broke up the bud fairly well, it isn’t as effective as some old-school grinders with square teeth. The Phoenician collects kief exceptionally well.

Verdict:

The Sabertooth takes the honors here with finely ground weed, although the Phoenician is the superior kief collector.

Grinder Price

The Sabertooth Grinder

You can find the Sabertooth grinder for as little as $20 online. When you take into account the design quality, its function, and durability, this grinder represents a bargain at the price. There are low-quality older grinders that cost around the same as the Sabertooth without performing half as well.

The Phoenician Grinder

This grinder is very much at the top-end of the market and will cost you around $100. There is a version made of 24-carat gold available for $1,500! Not many users will pay a full Ben Franklin for a grinder, and we feel it is overly expensive for what you ultimately receive. It functions well, has an excellent design, but it is definitely overpriced.

Verdict:

The Sabertooth wipes the floor with the Phoenician in this category.

Sabertooth vs. Phoenician Grinder: Final Thoughts

In terms of aesthetics, the Phoenician grinder is the better grinder. It is a large, durable grinder with sharp teeth, and the ridges make it easy to use. We also believe the slot for the rolling papers is a cool touch. The Sabertooth is solidly designed and should last you for years. It has more teeth than the Phoenician and is perfectly manufactured.

The Sabertooth takes over when it comes to function as it grinds marijuana more finely than its counterpart. The Phoenician is the better kief catcher, however, so bear that in mind when shopping for a grinder. Ultimately, the Sabertooth is available for 20% of the cost of the Phoenician. When you consider that it grinds material better and is far more affordable, we have to say that the Sabertooth wins the battle in our opinion.