I received my KoMo Fidibus 21 last Thursday. So far I am very happy with my new mill (see also my reasons for choosing this mill). I’m also happy with the service I received from NaturalEurope.com. I sent an email asking a few questions about the mill before purchase and receive a prompt answer. The mill was shipped right away and well packed.
The Fidibus 21 is a very attractive mill with a nicely finished beechwood enclosure. It is not a terribly large mill and has a fairly small footprint. It has to be one of the most convenient mills on the market. I simply pour the grain in the top, put a bowl under the spout, and flip a switch.
Several of the mills I considered had complaints about producing dust. The Fidibus 21 does not have this problem. Neither is it excessively noisy. Depending on the grain used, it is probably about the noise level of a microwave.
One of my concerns was fineness of flour. There are very few mills out there that can beat an impact mill for fineness of flour. The Fidibus 21 produces a flour that is more than fine enough for anything I’ll ever make. It isn’t as silky soft as corn starch, but it seems as fine as any store-bought whole wheat flour I’ve ever used.
On the other hand, I can set it to produce what is basically a cracked grain for hot cereal. I have been using my blender to do this, but the Fidibus 21 produces a much cleaner cracked cereal with much less flour than my blender, and it’s easier to use.
This morning I made scones with flour from this mill. The scones were much lighter and fluffier than I’ve ever been able to make with my old mill. I am very happy with my choice of mills.
UPDATE (February 7): The seller responded to a question about milling beans or oilseeds with this:
With regard to milling beans or oilseeds, this kind of mill – which grinds rather than cuts – is generally not recommended. The beans are not nearly as dry as grain, so they tend to smear on the mill surface during the grinding, and gum up the works. Then this residue tends subsequently to flavor your grain flours and meals in unintended ways.
This is not a problem for me since I have no intention of milling beans and use my blender to handle flax seeds.
Also, in the video, I first fill the hopper and then turn on the unit. The seller recommends spinning up the unit before filling the hopper. I must agree, it does seem to work better that way.
After living with this mill for a week I absolutely love it. While the stunning good looks, fine low temperature flour, and relatively quiet operation are all excellent features, my favorite thing about this mill is its convenience. It is so easy to mill just a little bit of flour without any setup or cleanup. It makes milling almost as easy as using pre-milled flour from the store.
UPDATE (2/9/2007): I just milled 2 cups of flour and then stuck an instant read thermometer in the flour. The room temperature in our house is about 69 degrees F. The thermometer read 80 degrees. The flour that came out first was cooler than the flour at the end, so if you are milling large amounts of flour the stones will heat up some. But a 10 degree gain is miniscule in my mind.
I have mill envy, especially after watching that video. Enjoy the mill! I think you made the right choice.
Hi Brian:
Can you please tell me the company, website etc. from where you purchased the mill? I would really like to have one.
Thanks so much - Maria
http://naturaleurope.com
Hello Brian,
I am considering the Fidibus 21, based upon your review, and was wondering how it does with:
1) Oily nuts
2) flaxseed
3) How is it with cleanup?
4) How is it with regard to (negatively) heating the grains while grinding?
If you haven’t tried grinding nuts yet, but have read reviews on the Fidibus’ capability in this regard, that would be helpful to know, too!
Thanks,
Leo
Leo,
I have not tried grinding nuts or oily seeds. I believe the documentation says to mill only dry items and explicitly prohibits popcorn. It would probably be a bad idea to mill oily stuff. I use my blender for that sort of thing. If you want to mill oily stuff you may want a steel burr mill.
Cleanup is awesome as there basically is none. There is a little brush inside that “sweeps” all the flour out and keeps the inside quite clean. Sometimes a little flour sticks in the spout. If you’re concerned about this you can simply run your finger around the spout to knock it out.
I have noticed that the flour is just a smidge warmer coming out than it was going in, but still quite cool. I haven’t actually measured it. My finger tells me it’s just a few degrees above room temperature.
Brian,
can I ask if you considered the Family Grain mill (electric and hand crank) and why it was not what you wanted?
thanks!
Claire,
Yes I did consider the Family Grain Mill. It looks like a great mill. The reason I decided against it is that I read in many places that it produces a flour that is not very fine. I wanted as fine a flour as I could get without having to use an impact mill. (and stay under $300)
On the other hand, if you want to mill oily seeds, nuts, or beans, and have the option to hand operate the mill, the Family Grain Mill looks like a great option.
My main purpose for this mill is for making various breads and for cracking grains for cereals. I think The Fidibus 21 is a better choice for this.
Brian,
Thanks for your follow-up comments….the Fidibus is certainly aesthetically pleasing, with convenient size and performance.
In your research…did you find any compelling reason to possibly spend more than $300 on any of the grinders?
Leo
KoMo has several more expensive mills, and there are other companies that make mills over $300. In the case of KoMo, I believe there are a couple reasons to spend more:
* aesthetics: some of the more expensive mills are even more attractive.
* capacity: some more expensive mills have larger hoppers, larger stones, and larger motors. This will allow you to mill more flour faster and the stones will stay cooler longer. If you’re going to mill enough flour to make 10 loaves of bread at once, you will definitely want to buy a bigger mill.
Hi Brian,
Just wanted to know how your new mill performed with grain that you sprouted and dehydrated. I’m very tempted to buy the Fidibus - I love the look of it - but would need to know that it could handle sprouted grains.
Thanks
Anna,
I recently made cookies with sprouted wheat using this mill. You can read about it here:
http://cooking.glassbrian.com/2007/02/10/healthy-tollhouse-cookies/
Hi Brian,
I am in the market and have a question for you. You say the documentation that came with the Fidibus forbids grinding corn. On the Komo website it lists corn as one of the grains it can grind. Also, in Flour Power it states that the Fidibus can grind corn and beans. Do you have any insight? I will probably end up contacting Komo but wanted to check first and see if you had any actual experience. Grinding corn is something that I must have in a mill.
Thanks
Nicole,
No, the documentation does not forbid grinding corn. It specifically forbids grinding popcorn, but not corn in general.
The retailer I bought it from did not say it couldn’t grind beans, just that if you grind beans, it may cause unexpected flavors in other things you grind.
I have not ground corn yet as I usually do this as a blender batter.
Hi, Brian–
I was wondering if you’d tried grinding dehydrated sprouted grain and, if so, what you thought of the results. I’m very interested in doing that myself, but have been wary of buying a mill for that purpose after being told by a Nutrimill dealer that dehydrated sprouts were strictly forbidden.
Thanks!
–branen
Branen,
I mill dehydrated sprouted wheat pretty regularly (see cookie link above). I don’t let the sprouts get too long, but don’t have any problems.
Have you ever tried the Vitamix for blending grain? I don’t have their special blender cup for doing that, so I was thinking about a food mill.
Can you notice a distinct taste difference in freshly milled wheat berries? is it cheaper to buy them in bulk? And, if the wheat is sitting around for a few weeks, does the freshness come from the fresh grind?
can you grind corn for tortillas? Or is that a special type or preparation of corn?
I have not tried a Vitamix.
I know people who say that freshly milled grains taste quite a bit better. I have not done a taste test and have not had store-bought flour in quite some time, so I can’t really say.
Unmilled grains (wheat at least) will last for centuries. Once they are milled they go rancid in a fairly short amount of time. The freshness comes from the fresh grind.
I have recently tried milling corn (hominy actually) with some difficulty. It works, but the corn kernels are big enough that they sometimes get stuck and don’t drop down between the stones. If you want to grind a lot of corn I might consider another mill.
Hi Brian,
I have been watching your website for the past several months. I am looking at replacing my current grain mill - it is a 25+ year old impact mill. I have noticed lately the flour seems to get hotter and hotter every time I mill. I have found out this is common when this particular mill starts to have problems. Anyway, I am leaning towards a stone mill this time.
I am curious how you like your KoMo Fidibus now that you have used it for several months. Anything you don’t like about it? I am a little concerned with the corn issue - I would really like to try my hand at making corn bread with fresh corn mill. I wonder if the Fidibus classic would do any better?
I would be grateful for any information you can offer.
I am very happy with my Fidibus 21. That said, there are a few things that could be better.
As the stones heat up they expand and eventually start to touch each other and make a grinding noise. This occurs only when you are trying to get the finest grind possible. I put in only 1 cup of grain at a time so that I can readjust the fineness before they start touching. When doing large batches, the stones seem to reach an equilibrium temperature at which they no longer continue expanding and you no longer have to worry. A large batch for me is about 2lbs grain (2 loaves of bread).
While the stones do heat up and expand, they do not get hot enough to make the flour very hot. Temperature measurements have shown that my flour maxes out at about 90-95F when I’m doing a large batch.
I have tried grinding posole (nixtamalized corn). It doesn’t work very well. The kernels are too big and often get jammed up before getting down to the stones. Once the corn gets down there the stones do a find job of grinding. It seems to work better the more corn you have in the hopper (the weight helps). Once you get down to just a few kernels left you pretty much have to turn it off and dump it upside down to get them back out because they just bounce around like popcorn being popped. I don’t know if the Classic will handle this any better. I also wonder if posole is different than regular corn. The little nibs stick out further and may cause problems. The treated kernels may also be a bit larger. I have not tested regular corn. Popcorn is strictly prohibited.
The corn issue doesn’t bother me much because I make blender batter corn bread in my blender. It’s actually much easier. The only thing I wanted corn meal for is dusting bread or pizza. Commercial corn meal is good enough for that.
See Sue Gregg’s blender cornbread recipe:
http://www.suegregg.com/recipes/breads/cornbread/cornbreadA.htm
I am saving money for a grain mill and have had a hard time getting good information about the Fibidus/Wolfgang mills. I think I have narrowed it down to either a Fibidus or a Retsel Mill-Rite. I am still wondering a few things?
What happens if the stones glaze up from grinding wet wheat (I live in the Pacific NW)?
Can it run dry(empty) without harming the mill?
Will stones in the wheat hurt the mill?
Also I have run across information on Hawo’s brand of grain mills - they look almost exactly the same as the Fibidus, but a different brand. I wonder if they are made in Germany too?Anyone know about these?
I have not ground wet wheat so I can’t say.
I don’t think it harms the mill to run empty.
Stones in wheat will hurt any mill you care to put them in. My guess is that if you damage your stones you can replace them.
Hawos are made in Germany. Two guys design the Fidibus mills. One of those guys is the guy who did the Hawos mills (don’t remember which one). They teamed up and formed a new company to make Fidibus. Most German mills are designed by one or the other or both of these two guys.
I don’t read German, but I know how to use Google Translator and I’ve read some German forums on grain mills. The Hawos seem highly regarded as do the Fidibus.
Just ran across this blog as I was looking for a site that sells the Fidibus 21 mill. I already have one and am cogitating on purchasing a second one for our motorhome. I have owned my little Fidibus for a few years now and LOVE IT!! I am gluten intolerant and am very restricted to the grains I can use. One of the okay grains for me is sorghum, and the Fidibus does a fine job on that. I can also have corn, but I have found that the Fidibus spits it back out from the hopper. I have solved this problem by “rough” grinding it in my dry bowl on my VitaMix first, then putting it thru my Fidibus. This works great. The VitaMix doesn’t grind the corn fine enough for me unless I follow up w/ a second grind on the Fidibus. I had read not to grind oily nuts in the Fidibus, so I have avoided that. The other thing that I grind in my Fidibus is brown Basmati rice, and that works great. I just don’t think you can go wrong with the Fidibus. Prior to purchasing my Fidibus, I bought a wooden hand-crank mill, which I still have … I didn’t realize that it takes forEVer to grind on these cute little mills. It has made me appreciate my Fidibus all the more! Happy milling!!
Hi Brian.
OK, so from the Komo website (linked from this page) I think I figured out the deal with the Hawos mills. According to Komo, there are two different German brands: Hawos, and Wolfgang. The creators of both teamed together to create the Komo Fidibus mills. This sounds like the best of both worlds. Though the older Wolfgang mills and Hawos mills are easier to find in the US and still being sold, the newer Fidibus line looks superior. I think you made a great choice. I am looking at purchasing the Fidibus classic model - since I need to make bread for a family of 6! I am still considering the Retsel mill, but I think that the German technology and reliability will be better - and the mill is much less expensive! BTW, Great Website. I am learning tons here. Have fun milling.
OK Brian,
I went out and bought one! I purchased the Komo Fidibus Classic from naturaleurope. I couldnt be happier. It’s so easy to use and I’m thrilled. For the past year I had had difficulty getting good information about this line of mills but thanks to your Review I took the plunge. I made bread the first day it arrived. I’m very pleased.
Thanks for your helpful information
On the subject of milling wet grains, I can now say I have experienced this. I tried milling oats in the mill and the stones got glazed up. I had to take it apart and clean off the stones with a brush. It’s easy to clean and such, but the oats I have are basically unmillable. Perhaps I should try mixing them with another grain like barley. Generally I only use oats in my pancakes and do that as a blender batter so they have never gone through the mill by themselves before this (except to crack for hot cereal).
Brian,
I read your website. Thanks for the information. I am planning to buy a Komo Fidibus 21. I assume it is a reliable milling machine.
I wanted to know if you or anyone had any experiences dealing with customer service in case the machine breaks down ?
I have not had any experiences dealing with customer service.
Brian,
Your blog, specifically your grain mill analysis, got me started on traditional foods. The Fidibus 21 was one of the best investments I’ve ever made. Can’t thank you enough - keep up the good work!
Hi Brian,
Regarding the wet oats.
I know that oats can be a problem because they are so soft, but you could also try sticking the oats in your dehydrator or warm oven over night. That should do the trick for you.
Also, if the mill stones glaze over like that, run a bit of brown rice through the mill. That is a quick and easy way of cleaning them up.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Sven
Have you considered the other brands like Hawo, Wolfgang, etc? I’m looking for a mill that can do coarse (for cream of wheat) as well as fine grind. Does the Fidibus 21 allow you to do that? Do you know of any other grinders (since manufacturer recommends not using beans) that are in the stone grinder category like this one, which can do garbanzo bean/chickpea (ceci) flour? Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks!
FYI, Hawo was begun as a company by one of the owners of KoMo (Wolfgang Mock) back in the late 70s. He left Hawo in the early 90s, and started his own company.
And the “Wolfgang” mill is called this name only in this country by one of the KoMo importers (Tribest). In Europe, this KoMo model is known as the Fidibus Classic, which is the big brother of the Fidibus 21. Our website, NaturalEurope.com, uses the European names of all the KoMo models.
Hello Brian and Fellow Grinders,
I have had a lot of fun reading everyone’s comments about milling and household mills. And I enjoyed watching your little film, which illustrated a difference in technique. Whenever I grind flour or meal, I start the mill and adjust the stones before adding the grain. If I want a fine flour, I turn the mills just to the point where they touch, and then back off just a tiny bit, and then fill the hopper….
And normal oats are, indeed, too soft to grind with this kind of mill. You might consider a flaker. If your stones get gummed up in the future, you might try cleaning them by running a little rice through the mill.
I have a question for your readers: Has anyone bought a KoMo mill from a European vendor and found a transformer in this country that will allow the mill to work well on 110 V? I would like to be able to recommend something to a couple who have this problem, and who wrote to me for help.
Thanks Michael for the info! This might sound like a dumb question, but where exactly does one go about buying “whole grains”? I know the health food stores sell them over weigh and pay means. And I am not really sure where I’d go about trying to buy more grains (say around 5lbs to 10lbs) for milling in the US.
Thanks again!
U
try checking your local indian grocery stores. I have seen large quantity of grains and beans there.
Love your video and this blog.You really helped me to decide on this mill.Thank you!
I just got mine a week ago [I bought the bargain model made of Birch plywood] and I truly love it! It’s fast and powerful for its petite size. Question:I never do hear the burrs touching when I adjust it. It just works fine on the first spot for fine to get fine flour. Should I be able to adjust it more than that? I mean should it ,when new especially, not be able to be used on the finest setting because the burrs will touch or should it be usable at all settings right off the bat?
Oh yes, almost forgot! I get my whole grains from Bobs Red Mill online store.Really fast shippers.
They may have changed the design or something. I have always been able to adjust the stones so they touch. I believe the directions even recommended doing that and then backing it off 1 notch. What do you directions say?
My instructions do say the same thing. I think I was taking the dots for fine and coarse as absolutes.:) It appears, now that I try it, that the adjustment can go quite a way beyond the finest dot and that is where the burrs touch on mine. Whew. Just a newbie not fiddling enough. Thank you Brian, I appreciate your response, it did remind me that indeed I do have instructions. Do you know if there is anyplace to get replacement burrs should they ever be necessary?My instruction sheet has nothing in the spot for the service address. Also~ have you oiled the exterior of your grinder ? I’m wondering if linseed oil or something would help to maintain the beautiful wood.
I have not investigated ordering parts. I assume the distributor will know how to get parts. I have not oiled mine either, though I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt.
This may have been addressed here, I haven’t read everything, so sorry if this is a repeat. I am seriously researching grain mills and have already bought some grain for when I do. I love your video clip, so helpful. I do wish to grind corn very often, so I want a grain mill that has an attachment for that. The Mill-Rite by Restel is what I am considering. It also uses the stone burrs. Do you know anything about the aluminum oxide in stone burrs? That is the ONLY thing that holds me back from purchasing a grain mill with stone burrs. Any information would be such a blessing.
OH, I bought my 50lb bag on Golden 86 at an Amish Store. You can also check out local food co-ops. I imagine you can look them up by city online through google…something like “Food Co-op Grain, city, state” might work.
The Fidibus does have corundum (aluminum-oxide) in the stone. It was a compromise I made. My guess is that very little of the corundum gets into the flour.
I sure wish someone would do a study on this. I would love a stone mill. I’m just too hesitant because of the aluminum. Yet, it seems that the stone outlasts other types of grinders, generally never needing to be replaced unless a foreign object, like metal or a hard stone, gets into the mill.
Do you know if this is addressed in the “Flour Power” book?
Tina,
Flour power describes the corundum and other various types of stone mills, but doesn’t really attempt to analyze the health issues related to different stone materials. It is noted that natural stones tend to wear faster and need more maintenance. And I might observe that some natural stones may not really be any “better” for you than stones with corundum in them.
My guess, though it’s just a guess, is that the stone particles that end up in your flour, while small, are still too large to enter the blood stream and thus pass out through the digestive tract.
You pretty much have to make some type of compromise no matter what type of mill you buy. If you get something other than a stone mill the likelihood is that the flour will be heated too high during milling or won’t be milled finely enough. There’s always something.
Hi Brian,
Everyday I am learning new things! Never have I heard of this brand of grain mill. I have been grinding my own for over 27 years and thought I knew about all the brands. (my mill is by Retsel). The Komo looks like a great mill and I love the sleek wooden simple European style of it. My Retsel will be around till the end of this millennium , it’s not the prettiest or lightest mill on the planet, but it is dependable!
I seriously doubt Aluminum Oxide grinding stones will contribute anywhere near the intake from current domestic food production. Just the aluminum intake from one bakery product using aluminum based baking powder is more than years of wear on grinding stones.
Aluminum loading into the body is coming primarily from fruits, vegetables, and grains that are grown in areas that receive rain with a slight to high acidic PH from sulfur based air pollution. That means most of the USA. The acidic rain water causes the high content of Aluminum Oxide in the soil to be readily absorbed into the plants root stalk. It becomes soluble.
Many animals are showing signs of heavy metal poisoning and the resulting blood tests show Aluminum is the culprit. This has been reported by researchers to the FDA. The FDA commissioner doesn’t want to touch that subject with a mile long pole. What would the population do if they knew the whole food chain is contaminated? I have no choice but eat the same food and take weekly doses of the Homeopathic medicine ALUMINA to excrete the aluminum byproducts. Also, cooking in Aluminum pans with acidic foods is bad, bad. Stainless steel contains 18% poisonous nickel. Use porcelain(glass coated) iron cookware.
hi,
Nice review of this machine, there is a site in this country that has this mill and similar i think one is called the vario.
But i would love the retsel mill-rite, i feel that it would last a lot longer, being that it has a large induction motor(these things run for thousands of hours in things) gearbox to reduce the speed.
and finally the stones or steel burrs.
The only downside its heavy so you may have to leave it in one spot. and its not pretty but even the company say that.
If i get one of these i would leave it in my laundry, but i must admit these wood case covered machines look great.
By the way i am from australia.
steve
One thing that perplexes me is that on the German websites, the Komo grain mills have warranties of 6 years, whereas the Komo and Wolfgang grain mills sold in the U.S.A. have warranties of only 3 years! Anyone understand what happens during the crossing of the Atlantic to these machines?
I found a site that sells the fidibus 21 in the states for $317
How much was yours from europe? also you mentioned that the 21 was little brother of wolfgang yet the specs as far as oz per min are same? what is different? Thanks Eric
I ordered mine from naturaleurope.com. It is a company that imports the mills from Europe. I believe the Wolfgang mill is the same unit as the Fidibus Classic.
Hi there! Thanks for the great tips everyone. Just today I have purchased the Wolfgang from “livingright.com” for $449> along with free shipping. It is the exact same as “Komo Fidibus Classic”.
It was the cheapest I could find as everywhere else on web it was $499.
Also, it will be shipped immediately where as most other sites said “two to three weeks” including Amazon.
Read Livingright.com return policy first. Strict with returns. Also they said that they do not deal with warranty issues one would contact Tribest out in California and they would honor. I assume you could get parts from Tribest as well. They also said that the only complaint they have had with the Wolfgang was that someone didn’t receive an instruction manual.
I checked “Epinions” for reviews of company and they had LOTS of reviews…some complaints but nearly 5 stars. Most said they got their product fast and that they had cheapest prices on the web. They are small company in Arizona. I called them twice today. Once I left a message and received a call back in 15 minutes. The second time someone answered and took my order. Shipped today.
The tip on pre-rough grinding corn in the Vitamix was a great one. I will use that.
I love German stuff! I have Miele vacuum and also dishwasher and love both.
Brian,
is yours also made like the new ones?
“The attractive housing of the mill is made from furniture-grade beech wood veneer plywood.”
I’m concerned about veneer plywood on my food….
thanks,
claire
It’s also made with veneer plywood. I don’t see that as a problem. The veneer is just a thin layer of wood that is glued to the rest of the wood. The glue is not on the outer surface. I believe the surface is treated with some type of oil - linseed oil or something.
I purchased the Komo Fidibus 21 from natural Europe a few months ago. I use it twice a week to make spelt pancakes, bread, and muffins. Works faultlessly. Some times I grind some rice or rye or oat flour to blend in with a recipe. The Oat flour is a softer grain but no problems. I put a scale under the output tube and grind to my recipe quantity and switch it off. Works great. The Spelt grain is plenty fine for bread or pancakes, even muffins. It isn’t pastry flour or cake flour, but just fine.