Victorio Grain Mill - Product Trial

       We've been looking for a hand-operated grain grinder for several years. We had looked at the Victorio Grain Mill but discounted it as too small. We decided recently to try it after reading that Jackie Clay of Backwood Home magazine fame recommends it. It just happened to be on sale at $54.99 through Emergency Essentials catalog.
       The company claims the mill grinds about one-half cup of fine flour or one cup of course flour per minute. Jackie says it takes her about twenty minutes to get enough for a bake.
       I started with five cups of wheat. Grinding took half an hour and produced eight cups. That's eight cups of fluffy, freshly ground flour, not equivalent to eight cups of prepackaged, settled flour, but adequate for most recipes that call for one hundred percent whole wheat flour. The crank was easy to turn, and I went for slow and steady rather than as fast as I could. I had no trouble using either hand even though I recently (Wednesday) had carpal tunnel surgery. The grain in the hopper seemed to take forever to go down. I suppose that's because I'm used to my Vita Mix, where the grinding action is apparent immediately. I use three cups of fresh whole wheat flour along with another four or so of unbleached purchased flour for three loaves of bread and am satisfied with the speed of the grinding process. Dismantling the grinder is easy too.
       Would I recommend the Victorio? Yup. It's so much quieter than the Vita Mix! More to the point, when we're without electricity (which happens all too often out here in the country) I can still grind and bake. It's not bad as entertainment for younger children who may be fascinated by the process while they're learning something about where food really comes from.
       The one caveat I would give is that the grinder must be attached to a stable, sturdy base.