Products · Grain mills · GrainMaker
GrainMaker Model No. 44 Grain Mill
Reader ratings
A US-made hand-crank mill with a steel hopper, hardened alloy-steel burrs, a stainless auger and an uncoated steel auger tube. No plastic named. $625. The finish inside the hopper and burr housing is not described.
Best for A household that wants a US-made hand mill whose maker names a steel hopper, with a guarantee that covers the burrs.
- Our rating
- Good (4.1 of 5)
- Price range
- Mid-range
- Size
- 10¾ × 9 × 8½ in, 17 lb; 4 in steel burrs; 8 in flywheel; 3-cup hopper
- Made in
- Made in Montana by 1889 Wild West Co.
approx. $625 for the hand-crank mill
See it on GrainMaker’s site → (opens in a new tab)We are not affiliated with GrainMaker. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.
Also sold at Pleasant Hill Grain ($625) .
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Your review
Reviews are personal experiences, not research, and they never change our quality ratings. Every review is read by our team before it appears.
How we evaluated it
How it scores Our rating, metric by metric
- What touches the flour 40% of the rating 4 of 5
Steel hopper, stainless guard and auger, an uncoated steel auger tube and alloy-steel burrs, with no plastic named. How far the powder coat reaches inside the hopper and burr housing is not stated.
- Grinding 15% of the rating 4 of 5
Adjustable from coarse to fine, 1 cup of flour in 1 minute 20 seconds by the maker, and it takes oily and soft grains. Owners report fine flour in one pass, but we found no independent measurement.
- Durability 20% of the rating 5 of 5
Lifetime guarantee that covers the burrs and is valid in all countries, with spare burrs sold and a maker in business since 1999. It excludes the finish and is void if anyone else services the mill.
- Trust 10% of the rating 4 of 5
No recalls or Prop 65 notices found, and it names most of the parts in its grain path. Points off for no compliance statement for the powder coat and ship-time statements that disagree.
- Value 15% of the rating 3 of 5
$625, in the middle of the mills here. The grain-breaker auger is included; a motor is not.
The rating, 4.1 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank grain mills and our standard.
Where to buy Stores and the prices we saw
- Pleasant Hill Grain (opens in a new tab) approx. $625. Grain-mill specialist that sells GrainMaker mills. The Model 44 (part number 44-001) at $625 with free shipping, the same price as GrainMaker’s page. Out of stock on 2026-11-03, with an estimated restock date of 11/27/26 and preorders open.
Prices as we saw them on October 23, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.
What it’s made of What touches your food, water, skin or air
- Hopper: 3-cup steel, under a stainless steel safety guard. The maker does not say whether the inside is coated.
- Feed auger: stainless steel coil auger inside an uncoated steel auger tube. A stainless steel GrainBreaker auger for large grains is included.
- Burrs: 4 in, machined from hardened solid alloy steel. The grade is not named. A spare set is $175.
- Burr housing and outlet: not described. Flour falls into a container you supply; no bowl is included.
- Dust cover: removable, powder-coated steel. Other powder-coated parts are implied (a choice of colors is sold) but not listed.
- Frame and base: “heavy duty metal construction” (the metal is not named), with four 3/8 in mounting holes. The finish is not described.
- Bearings: sealed, shielded, US-made ball bearings. Lubricant not named.
- Crank: extended lever with a rotating hardwood grip, and an 8 in V-belt flywheel pulley.
What people ask Worries raised online and elsewhere, and what we found
- Is the powder coat food safe, and does flour touch it?
- Unclear. GrainMaker’s product page (opens in a new tab) says the auger tube is left uncoated to avoid powder coat wear and keep the food stream clean, which means other parts are coated. It calls the dust cover powder-coated and does not say whether the hopper interior or burr housing is. Coatings that touch food are regulated, for example under 21 CFR 175.300 (opens in a new tab), and GrainMaker gives no compliance statement. Its guarantee excludes the finish. We found nothing saying the coating is a fluoropolymer and nothing saying it is not.
- How long is the wait for one?
- The site banner says orders may take 6 to 8 weeks to ship. The FAQ (opens in a new tab) says most models ship in 7 to 10 days, 14 for custom colors. A buyer of the larger Model 99 reported a four-month wait (opens in a new tab) in 2023 and called the maker honest about it. Ask for the current lead time before you pay.
- Does it grind fine flour?
- By the maker’s account, 1 cup in 1 minute 20 seconds, with a Click & Lock knob that sets the grind from coarse to fine. Owners we found describe it well: the Model 99 buyer above says wheat berries on the fine setting make “perfect flour on the first milling”. Those are one person’s words about a larger sibling, and we found no independent measurement of the No. 44.
- Can the burrs leave metal in the flour?
- We found no test of flour from this mill. A PubMed search (opens in a new tab) for studies of stone or metal wear in flour returned no results on 23 Oct 2026. GrainMaker covers the burrs for life, so wear is something it expects and replaces.
- Does GrainMaker pay people to promote it?
- It runs an affiliate program: an “Affiliates” link in its site footer leads to an affiliate portal, so reviewers who link to it may earn a commission. We could not see the rate. The Reddit recommendations we read, such as this one (opens in a new tab), mention no code.
Why we chose it What put it on our list
- GrainMaker names the grain path: a 3-cup steel hopper under a stainless steel guard, a stainless steel coil auger, an uncoated steel auger tube and 4-inch burrs machined from hardened alloy steel (product page). It says the uncoated tube avoids powder coat wear and helps keep the food stream clean.
- The output is stated: 1 cup of flour in 1 minute 20 seconds. The burrs also handle oily and soft grains, which stone mills take only when mixed with other grain.
- The Heirloom Guarantee is for life, covers all parts including the burrs, excludes the finish and is valid in all countries (guarantee page). A spare burr set is $175.
- Designed and made in Montana by 1889 Wild West Co., which says it has built GrainMaker mills since 1999. No CPSC recall or Prop 65 notice names GrainMaker.
Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy
- Steel burrs, not stone. GrainMaker says they also handle oily and soft grains.
- Parts of the mill are powder-coated: the dust cover is, and GrainMaker leaves the auger tube bare to avoid powder coat wear. Its guarantee excludes “the finish”. It does not say whether the inside of the hopper or the burr housing, where flour passes, is coated.
- You turn it by hand and bolt it to a counter through four 3/8-inch holes. A motor is not included, although the flywheel takes a V-belt.
- $625, and the site banner says orders can take 6 to 8 weeks to ship, while its FAQ says 7 to 10 days. The guarantee is void if anyone but GrainMaker services the mill, and the owner pays postage for repairs.
What to know Details worth knowing first
The No. 44 is a steel-burr mill, not a stone mill. We list it because GrainMaker describes the grain path in unusual detail: a steel hopper, a stainless steel auger, an uncoated steel auger tube and burrs machined from hardened alloy steel. The uncoated tube is deliberate. GrainMaker says it avoids powder coat wear in a high-friction area and helps keep the food stream clean. For the wider case for keeping plastic away from food, see reducing your microplastic exposure.
The open question is the finish. Parts of the mill are powder-coated, and a powder coat is a polymer. GrainMaker does not say whether the hopper interior or the burr housing is coated, and its guarantee excludes the finish. We are asking for a list of every surface the flour touches and for a food-contact statement for the coating.
It is a hand mill at a considerable price, with a lifetime guarantee that covers the burrs, the parts that grind. The flywheel takes a V-belt if you later add a motor. Check the ship time before you order.
Whole berries such as Grand Teton’s organic einkorn berries are what a mill like this turns into flour. For what whole-grain flour does in baking, see spelt, fiber and blood sugar and sourdough. For how glyphosate can end up in wheat, see what glyphosate is.
What we checked Each claim, and how sure we are of it
| What we checked | What we found |
|---|---|
| Named stones or burrs Maker’s claim | 4-inch burrs machined from hardened solid alloy steel (product page). A spare set is $175. |
| A plastic-free flour path: metal parts Maker’s claim | 3-cup steel hopper under a stainless steel guard, stainless steel coil auger, uncoated steel auger tube, steel burrs. No plastic part is named. |
| A plastic-free flour path: coating where flour passes Not verified | The dust cover is called powder-coated, and the auger tube is left bare to avoid powder coat wear, which implies a coating elsewhere. The guarantee excludes “the finish”. GrainMaker does not say whether the hopper interior or burr housing is coated. |
| Fine to coarse in one machine Maker’s claim | A Click & Lock knob sets the grind from coarse to fine. GrainMaker states 1 cup of flour in 1 minute 20 seconds and says the burrs handle dry, oily and soft grains. |
| Built for years Maker’s claim | Lifetime Heirloom Guarantee on all parts including the burrs, excluding the finish; valid in all countries; void for commercial use or service by anyone else. 30-day money-back guarantee. Sealed ball bearings. |
| California Prop 65 notices Verified | No notice names GrainMaker or 1889 Wild West Co. in the California Attorney General’s 60-day notice database (searched 2026-10-23, three name variants). |
| Recalls Verified | No GrainMaker recall in the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recall database (title, description and product-name searches, 2026-10-23). |
What the labels mean
- Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
- Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
- Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.
Sources Where our facts come from
- GrainMaker: Model No. 44 Grain Mill. Maker’s page. Features list, weight, size and price read on 2026-10-23. The text’s “15 pounds” conflicts with the features list’s 17 lb; we used the features list. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- GrainMaker: Heirloom Guarantee. Maker’s page. Lifetime, all parts including burrs, excluding the finish, valid in all countries; void for commercial use or service by anyone else; 30-day money-back guarantee. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- GrainMaker: about us. Maker’s page. Designed, manufactured and backed in Montana; 1889 Wild West Co. has built the mills since 1999. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- GrainMaker: FAQ. Maker’s page. Says most models need a 7 to 10 day lead time and custom colors 14 days. The site banner on 2026-10-23 said orders may take 6 to 8 weeks. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- GrainMaker: Extra Burr Set. Maker’s page. $175 for the No. 44. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- California Attorney General: Prop 65 60-day notice search, defendant “GrainMaker”. Certifier or regulator listing. No results on 23 Oct 2026. Searches for “1889 Wild West” and “Wild West Co” also returned none. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- CPSC recall database, title search for GrainMaker. Certifier or regulator listing. An empty list. Searches for “Wild West” in titles, descriptions and product names were also empty. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 175.300: resinous and polymeric coatings. Certifier or regulator listing. The FDA rule for coatings that touch food: permitted substances and extractive limits. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- PubMed search: millstone wear, flour, contamination, grit. Independent source. No results on 23 Oct 2026. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Reddit r/Homesteading: my take on the GrainMaker 99 after using it (March 2023). Independent source. A buyer of the larger Model 99: four-month build time, “perfect flour on the first milling”. One person’s experience, not a test. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Reddit r/BuyItForLife: stone grain grinder (August 2025). Independent source. An owner’s recommendation of GrainMaker and Country Living; mentions no code. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Alternatives Other options to compare
- GrainMaker Model No. 99 (opens in a new tab) The larger sibling: 5-inch burrs, a 6-cup hopper and 1 cup of flour in 60 seconds. $850.
- Country Living Grain Mill A US-made hand mill with steel plates, a cast aluminum frame and a food-grade powder coat. $810, with a lifetime warranty on the mill; the plates are covered for one year.
- hawos Molere Beech, stone and a glass bowl, $299.50 in the US, but slower: about 25 g of fine flour a minute.