During harvest season, growers have a choice between trimming buds by hand or automating the process with machines. Both methods have their pros and cons. We’ll go through them here.
Benefits of Hand Trimming
Allows Greater Precision
When you trim buds by hand, you have a lot more control over the appearance of the buds. Some trimmers think of themselves as sculptors creating a work of art out of every flower.
Does Not Destroy Trichomes
Almost all trimming machines destroy trichomes, which are the “hairs” of the flower. Preserving trichomes retains the quality of the end user’s experience.
Preserves Beauty
Trichomes are major factors that contribute to the aesthetics of weed. Mangling them with machines makes them uglier.
Preserves Resin & Flavor
Trichome loss means resin loss. Resin is a valuable component of the user’s experience.
Helps You “Weed” Out Tainted Buds
Some buds could be moldy or damaged by insects. When hand trimming, you can spot problems because you’re trimming one bud at a time.
Allows Premium Pricing
Hand trimming is normally recommended for both small grows and high quality strains. It will preserve the top shelf quality of your top shelf strains. That means you can sell it at a higher price.
Benefits of Machine Trimming
Boosts Efficiency & Saves Money
You will trim a lot more bud a lot more quickly with a trimming machine.
If you pay people to trim and have a ton of crop to harvest, you will save a lot of money over time.
Letting them trim by hand will be expensive. Some trimming machines can handle up to 20 pounds of bud per hour.
It’s Cleaner
You don’t have to get your hands dirty if you use a machine.
A Point to Ponder About Machine Trimming
Keep in mind that, as technology advances, the quality gap between hand and machine trimming closes.
Of course, higher quality machines are more expensive. On the other hand, as better technology develops, the older machines it surpasses become cheaper.
Which Trimming Machine Should You Use?
If you decide you want to invest in a machine, you have a lot of choices. Trimmers vary in price, quality, efficiency, and size.
They also vary according to whether you want to cure your buds before or after you trim them. There are pros and cons to both wet and dry trimming.
Prices in USD can range from the lower hundreds to a few thousand. Some companies rent out the high-end trimming machines to growers who don’t want to invest thousands of dollars. Some end up buying after renting if they like the results.
3 Great Machine Trimmers Available from Grow Supply Shop
Pro-Cut P2X Leaf Trimmer
The stainless steel P2X has a reputation for speed. It also has a durable direct drive motor.
Learn More & Purchase ($2,019.95)
16” Crankit Dry & Wet Precision Bowl Trimmer
They say this stainless steel bowl trimmer is the equivalent of 20 pairs of scissors. It’s compatible with both wet and dry material.
If you’re on a budget and don’t want to spend thousands, give it a try.
Learn More & Purchase ($429.00)
ThunderVak™
This is one of the most efficient trimmers on the market. It has no blades. Instead, it cuts with nylon cords. That means no sharpening is required.
You can also adjust the speed up to 65 RPMs.
If you need to move it around, you can do so easily. The ThunderVak™ only weighs 58 pounds.
Learn More & Purchase ($4,019.00)
