Questions about the idoobi electric herb grinder

The idoobi is a rechargeable electric herb grinder made by Theroux Innovation Inc. in Vancouver, Canada. It grinds up to 3 g of dried herbs per load, charges by USB-C, and runs 62 to 90 grinds on one charge.

Using it is one step. Set the idoobi over your herbs, press the top for a few seconds, and lift it off. There is no twisting, no lid to line up and nothing to unscrew.

The only part that does the grinding is a stainless steel chain. The idoobi has no plastic teeth.

And because there are no teeth to clog, there is nothing to scrape out afterwards.

The idoobi uses a stainless steel ball chain instead of blades or teeth. A motor spins the chain inside a smooth, clear chamber, and the spinning chain breaks the dried herbs apart.

Blades slice and teeth tear, and both leave corners where sticky herbs pack in. A chain has no corners. It knocks the herbs apart and keeps moving, which is why the chamber stays clear and the grind comes out even and fluffy. You can watch it work through the clear chamber, and the chamber lights up while it runs.

No. The only part of the idoobi that does the grinding is a stainless steel chain.

Grinders with teeth work by rubbing two sets of teeth against each other and against the herbs. The idoobi has no teeth. Its chain spins in open space and does not touch the chamber wall.

The body and the clear chamber are plastic. They hold the herbs, but they do not do the grinding.

The idoobi grinds up to 3 g of dried herbs per load. Pieces should be about the size of a piece of popped popcorn, so break up anything bigger with your fingers first.

Three grams is the comfortable limit we recommend. Loading less is fine and grinds a little faster. If you need more, grind a second load, which takes only a few more seconds.

Press and hold the top of the idoobi. It grinds for as long as you hold and stops the moment you let go. Hold about 3 seconds for a coarse grind, 5 seconds for a medium grind, and 8 seconds for a fine grind.

The longer you hold, the finer it gets. Some uses call for a coarse, fluffy grind and others for a fine one, and you get either with the same single press. There are no dials, modes or settings to learn. Your finger is the control. If the grind looks too coarse through the clear chamber, press again for a second or two.

No. The clear cap is the tidy way to grind, but the idoobi also works straight on a clean, flat surface. Set the herbs on a tray, a plate or a countertop, place the grinder over them, and press.

With the cap, the ground herbs stay in the cap when you lift the grinder off, ready to pour. Without it, they are left in a neat pile where you ground them.

The idoobi grinds dried herbs, and the drier the herbs are, the better it grinds. It does not grind damp or fresh herbs, and it is not made for coffee beans.

Dry herbs shatter when the chain hits them. Damp herbs bend instead of breaking, so they come out clumpy. If a load is not grinding well, the herbs usually need more drying, not more time.

The idoobi is about as loud as an electric toothbrush.

It also only runs for a few seconds at a time, so there is very little noise to speak of. Nobody in the next room will notice.

The idoobi is 10.8 cm (4.25 in) tall and 7 cm (2.76 in) across. It weighs 227.9 g (8 oz).

That is roughly the size of a small coffee mug and about the weight of a phone. It fits in a kitchen drawer, a bag or a glovebox, and it stands upright on a counter without taking up room.

Each idoobi comes with the grinder, a USB-C charging cable, and a spare stainless steel grinding chain. Herbs are not included.

The spare chain is there on purpose. When we read reviews of other chain grinders, the chain was the part people most often wore out or lost, and they then had to buy one separately. We put a replacement in every box so you are covered from day one.

No. The idoobi does not need cleaning. It has no teeth or blades for sticky herbs to clog. After the first uses, a fine film of dust coats the inside and the corner near the rim fills in. It then stays at that level and does not keep building. We have used one for a year without cleaning it, and we just keep using it. Every other grinder we have owned stopped working properly at some point if it was not cleaned.

If you have owned a toothed grinder, you know the routine: it gets stickier every week until the lid will not turn. We have had one stick so badly it took a hammer to open. That does not happen with the idoobi, because there is nothing for the herbs to pack into. Your fingers get the rest of the year off.

Spray a little 70% or 99% isopropyl alcohol on a cloth and wipe the chamber and the chain. Do not rinse the idoobi or put any part of it under water.

This is optional and takes under a minute. Let it air dry for a moment before the next grind. Most owners never need to do it.

No. The idoobi is not waterproof and must not be rinsed or submerged. Wipe it with alcohol on a cloth instead.

The motor and battery sit directly above the grinding chamber, so water running into it can damage them. Water damage from rinsing is the one thing we ask you to avoid.

Pull the old chain out of the shaft until it pops free. Push the new chain down from the top until it slides into place. A spare chain is included with every idoobi.

It takes a few seconds and needs no tools. If you can change a battery in a remote, you can change this chain.

Yes. A replacement stainless steel grinding chain costs C$9.99 in Canada or US$7.99 in the United States, with free shipping.

You already get one spare in the box, so most people will not need to order one for a long time. It is there for when you do.

The idoobi has a 1200 mAh rechargeable battery that runs 62 to 90 grinds per charge. At one grind a day, that is more than two months between charges.

Each grind only runs the motor for a few seconds, which is why one charge goes so far. Most people forget where they put the cable long before the battery runs out.

A full charge takes 1 to 2 hours with the included USB-C cable.

It charges from a standard USB-C charger, such as the one for your phone or laptop. Plug it in while you make dinner and it is ready for the next two months.

The light on the idoobi is red while it charges and turns off when the battery is full.

Red means it is still charging. When the light goes out, it is done and you can unplug it.

Yes. The idoobi works while it is plugged in.

If the battery runs out mid-week, you do not have to wait. Plug it in and grind straight away.

The idoobi costs C$89.99 in Canada and US$69.99 in the United States. Shipping is C$12.99 in Canada and US$11.00 in the United States, and it is free on orders over C$90 (about US$70), for example a grinder with the warranty upgrade.

That price includes the grinder, the USB-C cable, a spare grinding chain and a 1-year warranty. The site shows prices in your own currency based on where you are.

idoobi ships to Canada and the United States. Orders ship within 1 to 2 business days, and delivery takes 1 to 5 business days. Orders ship from a warehouse in your own country, so there are no import duties.

Canadian orders ship from inside Canada and US orders ship from inside the United States. Nothing crosses the border on its way to you, so there are no customs delays and no surprise fees at the door.

You can return your idoobi within 90 days of delivery for a refund of the product price, even if you have used it. It does not need to be unused or in its original packaging. You pay the return shipping.

Call or text 1-604-366-6676, or email support@idoobi.ca, first to get the return address. Ninety days is a long window on purpose, so you have time to use it and decide.

Every idoobi includes a 1-year warranty.

If the grinder has a fault in the first year, contact us and we will put it right. You can also extend the cover to five years when you order.

The 5-Year Warranty Upgrade extends the idoobi warranty from 1 year to 5 years for C$29 in Canada or US$22.99 in the United States. If the grinder stops working for any reason in those five years, including accidental breakage, loss or theft, idoobi sends one replacement and you pay US$9.99 for shipping.

In plain terms: drop it, break it or lose it, and you get a new one for the cost of shipping. The upgrade covers one replacement per grinder, for the original buyer. It is not available in Quebec.

Call or text 1-604-366-6676, or email support@idoobi.ca. idoobi is operated by Theroux Innovation Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

A real person answers. Texting is usually the fastest way to reach us.