July 16, 2020 - 7:05am
Equal Or Better Alternatives to Komo
I excitedly ordered a Komo Duett 200 Grain Mill/Flaker about two months ago, but it keeps getting delayed further and further. Are there any comparable alternatives out there? I really liked the idea of a combo mill flaker unit, but I am open to separate units. I don't even mind paying a bit more for a quality alternative. Right now, they are looking at the end of September at the earliest.
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Welcome to TFL!
Good choice on the Komo. It's very popular.
Past discussions can be found via the search feature:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/search/node/komo+mockmill
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Though, a quick and cursory search of online sellers leads me to believe all the good mills are back-ordered. Likely due to so many "isolation bakers" becoming home-millers.
Placing a new order for a different brand could just put you at the end of another waiting list.
Thanks for the welcome; glad to be here!
Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of with the backorders. I am making delicious sourdough with our Breville blender-milled flour, but definitely want to take things to the next level and up the whole grain percentage. The blender just doesn't get it fine enough to go beyond 60% with good, consistent results.
I'll probably just end up waiting it out. In the meantime, I'll keep making savory oat groats instead of flaking it for breakfast...
Try this mill. See youtube reviews too. Very happy with over 500lbs over 20 years of service and still going strong!
https://pleasanthillgrain.com/wondermill-grain-mill-wonder-mill-flour-grinder
Have you considered the Mock milll? I just checked and it appears they have the 200 series in stock https://mockmill.us/product/mockmill-200-stone-grain-mill/ They also have a lino model that is slightly more attractive, but not enough to justify the price increase, IMO. The mock uses the same layout as the Komo - The wonder mill is entirely different in that it is an impact mill that grinds the berries by hitting them with metal teeth, the Mock and the Komo use a stone to grind which gives you more control over how coarse or fine the flour comes out.
I use a Vitamix blender as my mill. It's the regular container, not the dry grains container.
I actually do a two-pass process. First I weigh/divide the grain into 225 gram (1/2 pound) bags. a batch is usually 3 to 5 pounds, or 6 to 10 bags.
Then I crack the grain, one bag at a time, in a 3-roller hand crank mill. I then chill the bags of cracked grain in the fridge.
Then I "blend" one bag, 225 grams, for 30 seconds in the Vitamix.
Chilling the cracked grain keeps it from over-heating in the blender.
Pre-cracking the grain prevents the whole berries from scratching the inside of the container, and making the plastic look cloudy. Which happened the first time I tried it.
Going longer than 30 seconds in the blender will catch the stray gritty "chunk" that otherwise sneaks through, but it's not worth it to me.
I have a blog entry that describes how I handle the coarse milled flour.
I usually make loaves of 90% home-milled and 10% store-bought white flour.
https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/64863/7-things-about-freshmilled-flour
If the description "wet sand" resonates, check it out.
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I keep each "sub batch" (1/2 pound) in separate baggies, because the flour is not a consistent particle size. In a container of varying size objects, the larger objects float to the top. If all the flour went into a single 5 pound bag, the first scoops out of it (first loaf) would be large particle size flour, and each successive loaf would be made with smaller particle flour, resulting in inconsistency. So by blending/milling 1/2 pound at a time, keeping the bags separate, using 2 to 2.5 bags per bake, it is more consistent bake to bake.
I use Nutrimill for about 4 years and I like it much more than my Komo. It's faster and makes better-qualified flour. It's easier to use it and it fits most of the corn types.
Well, after continuing to get notices about supply shortages and delivery delays, I decided to cancel my order for the Komo Duett 200 and ordered a Mockmill 200 Professional. I was really looking forward to having the flaker as well, but I figure with the large cost savings on the Mockmill, I can buy a separate flaker when they are more available.
Based on my reading, I am expecting the Mockmill to at least perform equally to the Komo, and should last a lifetime. The 200 Pro is rated for continuous use, and considering I am not likely to mill more than about 2 - 3 kg per week, it's probably way overkill. It is not as attractive as the Komo, but not ugly either, so we'll see; it might end up in a cabinet instead of on the counter.
I know this post is a little old but I am considering the MOckmill 200 Professional instead of Komo because of delays....what has your experience been?
I'd ordered a mill this past summer from a Canadian website (I'm in Canada) and it was endlessly, repeatedly delayed. I cancelled my order when I found someone selling a used Komo on Kijiji (similar to Craigslist). It was less than half the price of new and there was no waiting!
Which is to say: used equipment can be a really great option....