AROMA-3

I have had mine for close to a year and I use it daily. It’s the best grinder ever. It goes through lots of sticky and never misses a beat. I have not even had to clean it since I bought it. The bearings make it very easy to use and the shape gives an excellent grip. I have a few other “premium” grinders but this one is pretty much the only one that I use now. Definitely a buy once grinder because it’s built to last a lifetime. I would buy again if it got lost somehow and I recommend it to my friends. Exceptional device!

I’ve been using the AROMA-3 for four months now, and it’s the best grinder I’ve owned. I’ve only cleaned it twice in that time, compared to weekly cleaning with other expensive grinders I’ve had. The teeth stay clean and the aromas don’t stick or get trapped.
The grind is consistent and fluffy, and it preserves the flower’s flavor well. The build quality is excellent and clearly made to last. I was so satisfied that I recently bought the new AROMA-3-XL. It has a larger capacity but the same reliable performance, handling flower easily and effectively. Overall, both are solid, low-maintenance grinders that do the job better than anything else I’ve tried.

After 20+ years as a daily 420 user, I finally decided it was time to retire my old grinder of six years and treat myself to something top-tier. After watching a few videos and digging through reviews, I pulled the trigger on the Aroma 3. No question, right out of the box, it’s the coolest grinder I’ve ever held.

But within a month, it became clear I’d need to replace it. The buildup is extreme, and the grinding performance drops fast. What used to take minutes with my old grinder turns into a constant stop and clean routine.

To make sure I wasn’t judging it too quickly, I put this grinder through a thorough test. I ran 14 grams of a single strain through it, cleaned it completely, then repeated that process with four additional strains. I intentionally used a mix of sticky, dry, dense, and fluffy buds to cover every variable. Every single test produced the same result, the grinder clogged, bound up, and slowed to a crawl, no matter what I fed it.

This was the product I was most excited to buy all year, which makes the disappointment even worse. It looks amazing, sure, but at this point, it’s basically an expensive paperweight. If they had gone with a ceramic coating like my Cali Crusher Quick Lock (which I’ve used for over six years while cleaning it once every 6 months), this thing could’ve been incredible.

I wanted it to work. I tried to make it work. But it simply doesn’t live up to the hype or the price, and it’s definitely not “the best grinder” in its current form.

This review is completely unbiased and not sponsored. I just want to help someone avoid making the same mistake.

Very quick delivery - 3 days to EU since shipped (Ordered Nov 6 - Shipped Nov 14 - Arrived Nov 17). One downside to the express delivery is that the 'estimated tax' and processing fees by DHL came up to 50% of the declared value. Apparently there is a "Inflated Import Fees by UPS, DHL, and FedEx Class Action Lawsuit Investigation" because of the frequent occurrence of ridiculous fees, which DHL is definitely prone to on international shipments.
Not sure if there's any other alternative that would work better, but it's definitely something to keep in mind when ordering.
The shipping company (DHL) does handle all declarations on their end and just throws you an estimate + processing fees so you will most likely overpay quite a bit; 50% of declared value on 'kitchenware' is totally ridiculous in my opinion.
That's not something Old Mate Designs has any impact on, but I felt it's important to note as international buyers will likely have to deal with DHLs shenanigans and inflated 'estimated' fees.

The grinder itself is amazing and shreds through flower with almost no resistance - but it did came with some scratches and manufacturing marks even though I didn't purchase a factory second because I didn't want any blemishes.
There is a deep scratch on the bottom part + one slightly more shallow on the top part.
The underside of the middle part also does seem to have some visible manufacturing marks and random circular marks from the CNC machine on it. They are more visible on the parts with the teeth - which does makes sense, as there is less space for tools to properly mill it out - and they kinda do make up a 'decorative' funky reflective pattern. I fully expected those. But the ones on the bottom of the middle part do seem to be more randomly applied - and considering that the part is mostly flat - they most likely shouldn't be there. At least I didn't expect randomly placed manufacturing marks on a mostly flat part...
From some angles it definitely looks very "chewed up" depending on how the light reflects.

I also grabbed the metal spoon, but not sure if I'll be using it to scoop flower as I don't necessarily want to get any scratches / metal flakes within the main chamber. Not sure how much force it took for the scratches to appear on the bottom & top parts during manufacturing, but I just don't wanna risk scratching up the chamber and risking metal flakes in my flowers.

That being said, the grinder itself is great. The magnetic lock works well - I previously had a Cali Crusher with their quick-access turn and switching to Aroma 3 was a breeze. I definitely couldn't go back to a grinder that requires you to spin 20 times to open, so that was a great upgrade even though I went from a 4 piece with kief chamber to a 3 piece without a kief chamber. It's a good tradeoff when going threadless and having no rubbing metal parts / plastic o-rings / etc and I can definitely see myself using the Aroma 3 on a daily basis.
The teeth themselves are also reminding me a bit of the Santa Cruz Shredder, only that they are way sharper (although at this point I'm comparing them to a Shredder I've had for ~13 years). The grind consistency is very similar to the Shredder as well, and considering it hasn't changed on the aluminum shredder after ~13 years of use - the Aroma 3 stainless teeth will most likely never dull and always provide the same (great) grinding consistency throughout years of use.

Overall a 10/10 product and I can't see myself ever going back to a Santa Cruz Shredder/Cali Crusher I had before.
My final reason for switching was the anodizing on my Crushers teeth peeling off and the magnet starting to flake off, and in my research for premium grinders I've discovered Aroma 3. Considering the materials, the threadless design, no anodized layer, the no-contact grinding thanks to the bearing - it's pretty much the best grinder you can get. If you're considering it - just go for it and you won't regret it. And I'm saying that after using a Shredder for ~13 years and a Crusher for ~10 years, so pretty much the 'flagship' 4 piece grinders of the last decade.

That being said, consider that you might pay a large chunk on DHLs 'estimated import fees' + that some manufacturing marks might still be visible. Not sure how they compare to a factory second, but grabbing a factory second might be a good option if you want to save up a bit.

Oh, and after seeing a lot of youtube videos focusing on the spin - I personally didn't think it would be so fun. I never really liked fidget spinners, but I do find myself randomly spinning the top and it actually is pretty fun lol

Attached a few pics of the scratches, kinda hard to show all of them properly as some aren't visible due to reflection and angle. It's more visible on the video, but it still doesn't reflect how it looks like IRL. The scratch on the bottom and the marks on the middle are deep enough to catch your fingernail. Even so - 5/5 rating becaus...

This grinder. Man. I've been eying this for a few months and finally pulled the trigger. I have a bad wrist and weaker grip strength in one hand and this easily grinds. I didn't want an electric grinder and this seemed the best for my situation. I was right. It's very easy to grind. This is well made. If you drop it, make sure it's not on a toe. It is heavy duty.