As harvest approaches, many growers are wondering what the best trimming machine of 2020 is.

There isn’t necessarily a “best” trimmer, because the answer to this depends on the size of your grow, how you’ll be trimming, and your budget.

This may be your first introduction to trimming machines, so let’s give you a bit of background info on these valuable, profit-boosting pieces of equipment.

Importance of Proper Trimming

• Smoking leaf is harsh and unpleasant on the throat. Removing as much leaf matter from your weed as possible will make it smoother and taste much better.
• Trimmed buds look way more appealing, but this comes down to personal opinion. Some folks like a less manicured look because it feels more natural. The look of clean, well-trimmed buds is a sign of a grower who cares about quality weed.
• The leaves of your plants contain much less THC and CBD, so removing as much as possible will make your yield stronger.

Things to Remember When Choosing a Trimming Solution

Ultra-modern technology continuously changes and improves machines to make life better and easier.

Depending on your business or personal needs you can go for manual, automatic, or industrial bud trimmer machines and end up happy with your investment but be sure to consider the product’s quality, features, warranty, and your budget in your purchase.

• Sheers for home grow and ultra-premium boutique buds
• Semi-auto for premium buds and startup sized businesses
• Automatic trimmers for large scale commercial operations

Note, there are PLENTY of cultivars that process thousands of pounds of plants annually who still prefer to hire teams of manual trimmers with sheers, and we definitely respect that as providing safe, good paying jobs is just one way the cannabis industry can support their local communities.

We also understand the work supply might be tight in some areas or the buds might be for products that don’t require finesse (hello edibles) in which case automated and semi-automated solutions make perfect sense.

TrimPro Unplugged

The Trimpro is a perfect option for small- medium sized grows with wet trimming needs. This unique trimmer is an effective way to get a close cut while preserving your delicate flower.

Since it’s not tumbling or going into any machine like the T6 or Dry Trimmer, you really have a lot of control over your cut and it will speed up your process in comparison to hand trimming substantially!

Trimpro was the first company on the scene making automated trimming possible and this model in particular, has been one of their more popular models for the last 15 years!

It’s easy to use, easy to clean and replacing any parts is extremely simple. Typically you will be able to accomplish 1–2 lbs an hour.

The new TRIMPRO UNPLUGGED is a light, yet rugged ‘go-anywhere’ model designed for the home enthusiast and ideal for use in the apartment, greenhouse, or any situation where a need for noise discretion means power models just won’t do. It gently processes flowers with slim leather fingers encouraging leaves onto its grate and the razor-edged, stainless steel blades below. And speed, of course, is controlled by your very own hand.

• Never put your fingers, gloves or any other body part in contact with the grate, the blade and/or the rotor.

• Never apply pressure on the grate.

• Do not use scissors, knives or any instrument above the grate.

• Safety glasses and gloves are required at all times.

• Gloves have to be tight enough so they can’t get inside the grate slots. A loose glove is dangerous, beware!

Risentek Bud Leaf Trimmer Machine

Pros:

• Power of 20 pairs of scissors in one unit
• Silicone fingers won’t impart any smell (which rubber can do)
• Adjustable blades for greater precision
• Can fill 20 gallon silicone bucket of buds in about 5 minutes
• Can pulse in both directions

Cons:

• No kief screen
• Somewhat expensive
• Replacement blades sold separately
• One customer wished the collection bag was larger (but said this was a “minor complaint”; overall, they loved the machine)

This Risentek Bud Leaf Trimmer Electric Trimming Machine stands out because it’s designed to work as both a dry and wet trimming machine. And customers rave about this machine in their reviews!

They love how it can pulse in both directions, and how it works for both wet and dry herb. (If you’re trimming wet, you simply remove the “dry trim plate.”)

The blades are adjustable, so you can set this machine to smaller or larger bud sizes for greater precision. One customer raved that the finished product was “dispensary ready” — which is a difficult result to achieve with any cannabis trim machine.

The fingers are silicone, which will not impart any smell to your beautiful buds. (Some machines that use rubber fingers may have this problem.)

This machine harnesses the power of 20 pairs of scissors. You’ll save big on trimmer payroll!

What are the advantages of using automated bud trimming machines?

The biggest advantage of using a bud trimmer is efficiency and speed. Trimming by hand is a long and tedious process. Using a machine to trim will result in you losing a little more smokeable bud as the outside of the buds are trimmed. However, we think it’s worth it for awesome smooth buds and you can easily recover the trimmings to smoke or even cook with.

To Trim Wet or Dry, That is the Question

Within the cultivation community there are generally two main philosophies when it comes to trimming. One side says you should trim as soon as the flower is harvested while it is fresh and the other side says you should first try the flower out before trimming them down.

Below are some of the pros and cons of both wet and dry trimming:

Advantages of wet trimming

• The leaves are more swollen when the branch is freshly cut which makes it easier to remove the sugar leaves
• Wet trimmed buds take up less space when drying
• The buds dry faster because there is less mass to dry (wet trimming can reduce drying time to as little as 3 days in the right conditions)

Disadvantages of wet trimming

• Wet trimming can increase your chance of developing mold when drying
• Even though your buds dry faster, if they dry too quickly the smoke can be harsh and your weed can taste bad and smell like cat piss. Expert growers avoid these issues by slowly and carefully drying and curing their buds after wet trimming.

Advantages of dry trimming

• The smell and flavor of your weed is preserved because the leaves act as mini humidors while your buds dry
• You can trim your buds ‘on-demand’ as you want to smoke them for optimal smell and flavor

Disadvantages of try trimming

• The curled up dry leaves can be harder to trim — but they do break off more easily

Cleaning Bud Trimmer Machines

Bud trimmer machines need to be cleaned regularly. In most cases this simply means clearing out excess trimmings built up within. Eventually, you’ll want to clean the blades as they get coated in cannabis resin. Scrub the resin off using soap and hot water, vinegar, plant oil, alcohol or other organic cleaning agents.

Each bud trimmer machine model will have its own cleaning process specifications. Be sure to reference the owner’s manual or manufacturer’s website for maintenance instructions.

Last Thoughts

Whether you are a home grower or a commercial producer, one thing is essential and that is speed and quality.

You have to opt for both for optimal production. If a trimmer is fast but trims haphazardly, is it any good?

There are ample choices out there, but the above products have been tried and tested time and again.

Each of these has more pros than cons and most importantly live up to the standards set by their manufacturers.

Hobbyists and small-scale weed growers can either go for the cheaper manual options or automatic best trimming machine if they have the budget for it.