Mockmill vs Komo: Which Grain Mill is Better?

When I began milling my own grain for sourdough bread baking, it was a big investment, and so I needed to do a lot of research before I made that jump and bought a dedicated grain mill.

Two of the most popular home grain milling machines today are the Komo and the Mockmill. They’re both robustly built grain mills that have similar milling mechanisms inside. Here is a brief comparison between the two:

	Komo	Mockmill
Price range	$299 – $1099	$199 – $659
Hopper Capacity	1.9lb – 2.6lb	2.4lb – 2.8lb
Versatility	Fine to coarse flour	Fine to coarse flour
Milling Method	Stone burr milling process	Stone burr milling process
Milling Speed	140 – 255 grams per minute	100 – 200 grams per minute
Additional Features	Flour sifting & flaking options available	Food mixer attachment available
Warranty	12 years	6 – 12 years

That’s a very brief overview of some of the differences. If you’re looking to buy either one of these popular grain mills, this article will give you a full guide as to:

• the differences between the two mills
• how each of them performed in my kitchen
• which is the better grain mill (depending on what you’re looking for)

Note: This post contains affiliate links where I may earn a commission if you choose to click on a link and then decide to purchase what I have recommended. I only ever recommend what I personally use myself or would purchase myself.

I personally own both mills and have used and tested both mills, so this is my own personal account of which one I believe is best, and which one might be a good fit for you depending on what you’re looking for.

As you might know, I’m primarily a sourdough bread baker, and use my grain mill to mill flour specifically for bread baking, so here’s my detailed account of the experiments that I ran to test out both machines along with a full comparison of features, cost, etc and of course, the results that each mill yielded in terms of the resulting flour AND the resulting bread.

The Differences Between Komo & Mockmill Grain Mills

As you can see from the table above (at the top of this article), the Mockmill range starts from a less expensive price point, but the Komo can boast a bigger range of models to choose from that include additional attachments such as sifters and/or flakers.

To check the current price of each, the Komo is available from here (an artisan bread baking equipment specialist store), and the Mockmill is available from their own site here (both links send you to the model I own and have tested).

The Mockmill can generally boast a larger capacity, compared to the Komo and the particular mill that I have (the Mockmill 200 Lino) mills at a faster rate, as you’ll see from the experiments I did below. So, with the Mockmill at a cheaper price point, is the Komo worth the extra cost? I’d say it depends on the results!

Let’s take a look at the results I had with each one, and then we’ll discuss which one might be best for you according to what you are looking for in a grain mill….

NOTE: The specific models of Mockmill and Komo that I own and am testing are the Komo Classic and the Mockmill Lino 200, which are both at very similar price points. If you’d like more detail on the different types that you can purchase and which model might be right for you, take a look here for the Mockmill, and here for the Komo.

Komo vs Mockmill: Testing Both Machines

I tested out each of the grain milling machines for the following:

• Speed of Milling
• How fine/coarse the flour produced
• How evenly it milled
• How wide the range is between extreme ends of the milling
• Ease of use
• Ease of cleaning/maintenance
• Feature comparisons
• Temperature of the flour immediately after milling (this is important because the higher the heat, the greater the chance of nutrient loss).
• And of course, most importantly, the results of my bread from using flour from the 2 different machines.

Disclaimer: This experiment is my own honest & personal account of my experience using these 2 machine. Due to the natural stone used for the burrs of these machine, each machine can be unique in its performance, & this means individual results may vary.

An Initial Look at Both Machines…

Both the Komo AND the Mockmill have very similar mechanisms inside, and they are both very robustly built. In terms of quality and durability, I would say they are equal in this regard. Here’s a picture of the inside mechanisms for both machines side by side…

As you can see, they both use stone burrs for milling grain and are both suitable for milling anything that is non-oily. Stone milling are a traditional form of milling that keeps the grain at a low temperature, which helps preserve the delicate nutrients of the grain.

(Click here to read my article about the different types of flour and which ones are best for sourdough)

It’s also fairly easy to open the hopper (top of the machine) to get access to the stone burrs for cleaning, and the burrs inside are self sharpening, so their integrity remains intact for years and years to come.

TIP: If you’re looking for a grain mill that is suitable for oily grains, then the Country Living Grain Mill is by far the best one. (Link takes you to one of the best steel burr grain mills available at a family owned business that specializes in artisan bread baking).

The specific Komo and Mockmill models that I have, both have similar casings (although Mockmill also do a plastic casing; here’s an example of it), whereas Komo has a range of different wood finishes available. They are both designed to be used in a similar way i.e. open the lid, place your grain into the top, switch it on, and the flour comes out at the bottom. Super simple and easy.

The Mockmill holds a larger amount of grain as it has a larger hopper, which is useful if you want to place the grain in there, and then leave it to do it’s thing while you go about your business. Whereas the Komo has useful attachments, available such as a flour sifter.

Both Mills have the ability to produce flour from very coarse, to very fine, by turning the top part of the mill to either side (I tested the 2 extremes, which we’ll get to later).

Now it’s time to switch them both on and see how they perform!

The Milling Process for Komo & Mockmill Compared

Here’s a quick video of both mills being used, with exactly the same amount of wheat, and switched on at exactly the same time. I used 250 grams of hard red wheat berries for both machines…

I used both mills to the finest setting as I was going to use it for bread baking (see my article here to get some tips about milling grain for bread use). As you can see in the video, the Mockmill grinds the flour much faster than the Komo, but remember this is also because it is the Lino 200 model (this one), which is twice as fast as their Lino 100 version (this one).

As soon as the flour was produced, I took a temperature reading of both to see if they stayed within a safe range. As you might be aware, the cooler the temperature, the less nutrients are lost.

The temperature of the flour for each machine were as follows:

• Mockmill flour temeprature immedietly after milling was 108F (42C)
• Komo flour temperature immedietly after milling was 104F (40C)

The Komo had the lowest temperature, but this was to be expected because the Mockmill produced the flour faster, hence creating more friction, and in turn, more heat. But both machines are still well below the temperature where nutrients can be lost, which is 125F (51C). So both machines passed this test.

The Range of Grinding Capability for Both Machines…

I also tested the two extremes of the mill grain, from very coarse, to very fine, and also mid range, in order to compare how versatile each mill was.

Here are some pictures of the flour that each mill produced, ranging from the most coarse, to the finest….

Although the Mockmill produces fine enough flour to produce a great bread, it didn’t go quite as fine as the Komo did. Upon feeling the texture of each flour, the Komo seemed to have a very slightly more even, smoother texture than the Mockmill (which became more apparent as I began to use the flour in my dough).

The Mockmill however, produced a much coarser, cracked wheat at the other end of the scale, which the Komo couldn’t get. Cracked wheat is an excellent addition to bread for extra texture.

How Much Flour Did Each Machine Yield?

From the 250 grams of grain that I milled through each machine, here is how much flour that was produced…

Mockmill	242 grams
Komo	202 grams

So in terms of wastage, the Mockmill gives you more flour for the same amount of grain compared to the Komo. I found that the Komo left some of the flour in the machine, which would only come out when I ground more grain. This is not so important if you’re using the mill on the same setting each time, but can be a tad annoying if you are wanting to use it at a different setting each time, because you would always get a bit of the previously milled grain coming out.

Now let’s take a look at how each flour performed when I put it to the test in my bread….

Baking Results of the Komo vs Mockmill

In order to keep the experiment as fair as possible, here’s what I did:

• All parts of the bread baking process were done at the same time for both the Komo and the Mockmill batch i.e.
  • mixed at the same time
  • autolyse for the same amount of time
  • added the starter and salt at the same time
  • baked at the same time
• I used my bread proofing box (this one) to keep a controlled temperature for both doughs
• I used 100% of the freshly milled flour from each machine. I mixed NO OTHER flour into the breads at all to get an accurate representation of how each flour performed.

Here’s a picture of each of the breads I made….

And here’s a look at the inside of the bread…

As you can see, they are very similar. I would say that upon using the flour and mixing and handling the dough, the Komo flour was smoother and easier to work with, because the flour had a finer and smoother texture. And you might notice in the photo above, that the Komo flour produced a more open crumb too (meaning it was slightly fluffier and lighter in texture). Again, this was down to the slightly finer, smoother flour.

Which Grain Mill is Best? The Komo or the Mockmill?

Both machines are excellent machines and I think anybody purchasing either of them would be more than happy with their purchase. But here’s a summary of what’s good about about both of them, and then we take a look at the differences between them:

• Durable and high quality
• Very simple and easy to use
• Produce wide range of flours, from super fine, to very coarse, with an even texture
• Produce great breads/flours
• Grinds at a low temperature which maintains nutrients

Let’s take a deeper look into the differences I found when using both machines…

How the Mockmill is Different to the Komo

• Not quite as fine/smooth a flour as the Komo (though it still made great bread)
• The cheaper ranges only come with a 6 year warranty
• Able to grind to a more coarse texture compared to the Komo (great for porridge, garnish or adding texture to breads)
• Is generally less expensive than the Komo

How the Komo is Different to the Mockmill

• Produced a smoother, finer flour that was easier to work with
• Produced a more open crumb bread
• Is generally more expensive than the Mockmill
• All models come with a 12 year warranty

Some Things the Mockmill has that the Komo Doesn’t…

• The Mockmill can hold a larger quantity of flour in one go as it has a larger hopper. This is great to ‘set it and forget it’ if you tend to want larger quantities milled at a time
• The Mockmill range has a ‘Kitchen Aid’ attachment available, which means anyone who doesn’t want to spend money on a stand alone machine can simply buy the attachment and use it with a food mixer that they already own. (here’s a link to the attachment)

Some Things the Komo has that the Mockmill doesn’t…

Here’s a list of things that the Komo has, which is different to what we see in the Mockmill:

• Really useful attachments available as additional options such as a flour sifter (excellent for baking lighter goods like cakes, pastries, or more open crumb breads).
• Can produce a slightly more finer, smoother textured flour than the Mockmill, hence producing more open crumb breads

Conclusion

In conclusion, honestly, you can’t go wrong with either of the machines, but if you’re really after the smoothest, finest textured freshly milled flour, then the Komo wins, (here’s a link to the one I love because it mills really fast). In addition, the electric flour sifter attachment that can be used with it, (this one), can be a game changer in terms of saving time and getting more consistent results with your baking.

However, if you’re after the best value for money, the Mockmill prices start from less than the Komo and is a very high quality, durable machine that produces great flour and breads. It holds a larger capacity of grain, and mills flour at a faster rate, which makes it more convenient if you want to include using freshly milled flour as part of a busy routine.

So if you’re priority is getting the best value for money, then the Mockmill would be the machine of choice, but if you’re after a super fine, super smooth flour, the Komo would be first choice.

Which one would I personally purchase given the opportunity? I have used the Mockmill for a good few years now and it still works just as well as it did the day I purchased it. I love it and wouldn’t give it up as it has made me great, nutritious breads that my family enjoys.

The Komo however, is a welcome addition. I enjoyed the finer, smoother texture the flour produced and enjoyed working with this dough very much. I will be purchasing the flour sifter attachment (this one) which will help bring a new level of bread baking to my schedule as I will be able to much more easily remove some of the bran from my flour when the need arises.

Call me crazy, but I will be keeping and using both machines! The Mockmill is excellent for fast, easy access to flour when I’m busy and need something quick. Or when I want a really coarse grind to add extra texture to my breads. And the Komo will be used when I want to get a super fine, smooth texture or want to use my flour sifted.

You can purchase the Mockmill from their company site here (you’ll get an exclusive 5% off by using the link on my site!), and the Komo is available from a lovely family owned company that specializes in artisan bread baking equipment here. There is a range of prices and types to choose from for both the Mockmill and the Komo but the ones I specifically tested and own are:

• Komo Classic (here’s a link to it)
• Mockmill (here’s a link to it)

Both these models are at a very similar price point. If you’d like to see my top pick, and a full buyers guide to help you choose the best grain mill for your needs, check out my article here.