No matter the strain you smoke or how you smoke it, there are two things that all weed tokers desire for their stash: great potency and extend shelf life. Fortunately, there’s an easy way that you can achieve both of those goals. How? With a pollen press!
If you want to strengthen your marijuana and retain its freshness, then a pollen press may be exactly what you’re looking for. What is a pollen press? How do you use one? To find the answers to these questions and more – and to see a collection of some of the highest quality pollen presses that are currently on the market, keep on reading.
What is a Pollen Press?
In order to understand what a pollen press is, how to use one, and the benefits it provides, you first need to know what kief and trichomes are.
There’s no doubt that you’ve noticed that sticky, shiny, fragrant substance that blankets your buds, giving them a frost-like appearance. Those are trichomes (also commonly referred to as kief once they’ve fallen off the flower), and they do more than just add to the aesthetic and aromatic appeal of your weed; they add to the potency of the plant, as they contain high amounts of cannabinoids, including THC. In other words, they’re pretty important.
Of course, when buds are harvested, trimmed, and grinded to smoke, a lot of those precious trichomes fall off. Herb lovers recognized this and wanted to come up with a way to preserve the substance, so they put their thinking caps on and came up with an ingenious way to enjoy the tasty flavor and potent THC that trichomes contain: the pollen press.
A pollen press is a device that is specifically designed to turn ground herbs into hard disk-, puck-, or coin-like pellets. Using either manual or hydronic technology, pollen presses compress ground herb into a compact, solid material.
How Does a Pollen Press Work?
Pollen presses are pretty simplistic in design. As mentioned, these devices are manual or hydraulic powered, and they’re used to turn kief into hash, which is essentially heated, compressed kief. By doing so, the chemical structure of the material is altered, which not only makes it easier to handle, but easier to store, and consume; it extends its shelf-life, too.
>Looking for that sticky? Then you’re looking for rosin presses my friend!
It’s important to note that while manner in which pollen presses function is essentially the same, the specific methods employed to turn Kief into those hard, compact, disc-like pellets varies from model to model. Furthermore, it’s also important to note that no matter which type of pollen press you use, you need to have enough Kief to begin with.
To amass a collection, clear out and collect the trichomes that collect along the inside, and if you’re trimming your own weed, use a cannabis tray that features a fine-grade mesh screen sifter on the top and clear out the pollen that falls through the screen and collects on the bottom of the tray.
Once you’ve collected a decent amount of trichome, simply pour it into the open end of the pollen press, and follow the instructions that the device came with to turn the pollen into those hard, compact discs. Typically, that will include keeping the ground plant matter in the press for about 8 hours, which will allow the matter to join together and harden into a disc-like pellet.
What are The Benefits of Using a Pollen Press?
So, what are the benefits of a pollen press and why should you consider using one? Here’s a look at some of the key advantages that these handy devices provide, and why so many tokers enjoy using them.
- Because trichomes are powdery and light, they’re difficult to handle and are easily lost. Compressing it into hard discs prevents it from being lost and makes handling it a lot more convenient.
- By compressing it into discs, it takes up less space and is a lot easier to store
- Compressing hash preserves its freshness so that it lasts and can be used a lot longer.
- If you own and operate a cannabis business, packaging and shipping those hard discs is a lot easier than packaging and shipping light, loose powder.
- Again, if you run a cannabis business, you can easily stamp your company’s logo, name, or any other image or text into the hard, compressed discs.
- The hashish can be easily combined with other ingredients; for example, you can place a pellet onto the surface of a bowl of freshly ground herb.
- The potency of the trichomes is preserved when it’s compressed into a hard pellet-shaped disc.
5 Factors to Consider When You’re Purchasing a Pollen Press
Now that you know what a pollen press is, how to use one, and the benefits that these handy devices provide, you’ve decided that you would like to purchase one. Great!
You’ll have no trouble finding pollen presses, as there are so many different options available. There’s no doubt that you want to choose the best pollen press, and while choice is certainly a good thing, trying to determine which one will best meet your needs can seem like a pretty overwhelming, daunting task. To clear up any confusion, here’s a look at some key factors that you should take into consider when you’re shopping for a pollen press.
The weight and Size
Unless you’re a professional grower and producer, a compact, lightweight pollen press is your best bet. The smaller and lighter it is, the easier transporting it will be. Smaller pollen presses not only cost less, but they take up less space, they’re easier to store, and they’re easier to conceal.
Construction & Material
This is a super-important factor to consider. You want to be sure that your pollen press will function properly, and in order to do that, it needs to be well-constructed. When you’re shopping, check out the materials that the device is constructed of; heavy metals, such as steel or aluminum, are ideal. Also, read customer reviews to see if other users have provided input about the construction of the device.
Ease of Use
The best pollen presses are easy to use, clean, and assemble. Cleaning and maintaining the device is important, as it’s going to get sticky, so you want to make sure that you can disassemble, clean, and reassemble the parts.
The Function (Manual vs Assisted)
You’ll also want to consider the function of the device. As mentioned, pollen presses are either manually or hydraulically powered. Typically, the former is suitable for individual use, while the latter would be ideal for industrial applications.
The Total “All-in” Cost
Last but certainly not least, you’ll want to consider the cost of the pollen press. The cost of these devices can vary widely, and you want to be sure that you can comfortably afford it. Typically, simplistic, manual-powered devices are more affordable, and hydraulic pollen presses tend to be more expensive, as they’re usually larger and more complex due to the technology that is used to power them.
When we say “all-in cost” we mean to say you need to take into account your end goal, what you’re trying to accomplish, when considering hydraulic presses vs cheaper manually operated presses. Are you a casual smoker and looking for a fun way to re-purpose all that kief you catch? You’ll be perfectly fine with a manual option.
However, if you are a home grower regularly harvesting multiple plants worth of flower or you are a cannabis processing entrepreneur and are trimming that flower in a way that produces significant trichome droppage then based off pure volume you’ll probably want to look at hydraulic options over manual options.
The Best Pollen Presses for Your Precious Kief in 2023
As we said earlier, there’s no shortage of pollen presses on the market, and while having a lot of options to choose from is a great thing, if you’ve never shopped for a pollen press before, trying to weed out the good from the bad and determine which one will best suit your needs can be a bit of a daunting, confusing, and overwhelming task.
To help you on your quest for finding the best pollen press, we’ve taken the liberty of sorting through countless options and have narrowed the list down to what we believe are the best options currently on the market. Without further ado, here’s a look at our top picks for the best pollen presses.
Standard Manual Metal Kief Press
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First on our list of the best pollen presses is this option from Maybao Wholesale. It’s a compact pollen press that’s made of high-grade zinc alloy stainless steel. The T-bar design makes it super easy to use, and because it measures just 54 inches tall, is 1.5 inches in diameter, and weights just 298 grams, it’s super compact and easy to transport and store. It’s also very easy to take apart, clean, and put back together again.
This pollen press easily packs ground Kief into densely packed, solid, pellets; simply place the powder into the device, press down on the piston, and voila! The pellets this press produces measure 1.5 inches in size, and they can be stored right in the piston, if you so wish. For an added bonus, the manufacturer also offers the option of imprinting this pollen press with your logo and/or name.
Pros
- Made of super-durable zinc alloy stainless steel
- Easy to use T-bar design
- Compact and lightweight
- Easy to disassemble, clean, and reassemble
- Produces compact, 1.5 inches pellets, which can be stored in the piston, if you’d like
- Names and logos can be imprinted on the device
- Affordably priced
Cons
- Some users said that it took a few tries to master using this pollen press
- If you’re pressing anymore than a few pucks worth of kief your hands will get tired fast
- The chamber holding the kief requires a tight grip to hold still while turning the t-handle, becoming fatiguing over time
Dulytek Hammer-Style Pre-Press Pollen Press
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The Hammer Style pollen press by Dulytek is another great option to consider. Thanks to the food grade stainless steel construction, it’s super durable, is easy to clean, can withstand wear and tear, and will last a long time; it’s also safe to use. Available in two sizes – large (22 mm diameter, 5 grams) X-large (30 mm diameter, 7 grams).
Filter bag blowouts are as small, allowing you to get better yields. It comes complete with a wooden dowel and a plastic funnel, which can be used to fill the device with herb and to push the puck that the device produces out of the chamber, allowing for easy operation. It’s easy to clean and affordably priced, too.
Pros
- Heavy duty, food-grade stainless steel construction
- Available in two sizes
- Both sizes are lightweight and compact
- Comes with a wooden dowel and a plastic funnel to ensure ease of use
- Easy to clean
- Affordably priced
- Great for experimentation with kief resin extraction if you have a resin press
Cons
- It won’t produce large amounts of rosin pucks
TrimpJack Puck Press 2 Ton Round
If you’re interested in larger hash pucks, then the Jack Puck Press 2 Ton Round may be exactly what you’re looking for. Jack Puck is one of the best-known names in the pollen press market, and this pollen press is one of the best options the company offers. It’s a 2-ton round brick press that turns loose Kief into compact, hard, 2.75 inch diameter pucks.
The Jack Puck features a dismountable mold and the metal can be warmed up, increasing its efficiency. A 2-ton hydraulic jack delivers intense amount of power to loose Kief, but despite the weight, the pollen press is surprisingly lightweight. It’s easy to clean and maintain, too, and any pellets that get trapped inside the chamber are easy to remove.
Pros
- 2-ton round prick press
- Turns loose leaf into 2.75 inch diameter pucks
- The dismountable mold adds to the ease of use
- Despite the 2-ton hydraulic jack, it’s quite easy to use
- Durable construction
- Easy to use and maintain
Cons
- The price is a bit on the high side compared to manual options
- It’s an investment with limited resale potential, so it’s good to be certain before purchasing
Dabpress DIY Rectangular Pollen Press Mold
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While the above options work for people with or without other equipment the Dabpress pollen mold is designed to be used in conjunction with other machinery, primarily a dedicated hydraulic or pneumatic rosin press or, if you’re on a budget and careful enough, a traditional shop vise.
The Dabpress mold, and most pollen molds, whether square, rectagular, or “puck” shaped function the same way; containing your kief in a defined space so that under pressure the kief is compacted into a solid puck or square. Key features must include a billet construction as anything constructed out of multiple pieces is likely to fatigue and break with use over time.
Pros
- Rectangular shape allows for maximum volume compared to square or circular molds
- The Dabpress is extremely affordable given it’s constructed out of solid anodized 6061 aluminum
- Dabpress is one of the most trusted brands when it comes to cannabis extracts so you can trust you’re buying a quality product with a quality company that stands behind it
- Great option for both press owners and those who just want to compact their kief and have access to a vise
Cons
- It’s ultimately just a mold, so to do the job you’ll need either a specialized press or a rather large vise
Herb CEO Summary
As you can see, there are some great rosin presses on the market. Whether you’re looking to make it for yourself or to sell to customers, with one of the pollen presses on our list, you can rest assured knowing that you’ll receive excellent results.
Kief pucks are wonderful things, kind of like gold bullion of the pro-cannabis community. Kief is one of the more valued parts of the cannabis plant, being packed with the terpenes and THC people seek, so being able to compress this natural goodness into a compact form for storage, transportation, or rationed use is both fun and convenient.
With the world going the way it is we don’t think it would be all that bad to have a stash of kief pucks (stored out of light and oxygen of course to preserve quality) around for emergency bartering use, or, if it doesn’t come to that, some great last minute Christmas/birthday/whatever gifts for likeminded friends!
Last update on 2024-11-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API