Even without the help of a progressive political administration in its tailwind, cannabis is growing at an obnoxious rate. Each year, legal weed pulls in around $8 billion as an industry, with analysts claiming the potential to jump above a $20 billion one in less than a decade is likely.

And because of its current social impact, there’s far more to it than throwing seeds in a bucket and letting them grow in mom’s basement or in the backyard these days. This is now huge business, one affecting America’s economy in a good way. But with capitalism and big business things naturally become competitive. Take for instance the long-traditional technique of bud trimming, a mundane task of manual scissoring for hours on end — a labor intensive and expensive task for growers (costing upwards of $100 to $200 per pound), not to mention the security risks that unknown trimmers pose to growers.

Trimming machines that fix this problem and still accommodate both wet and dry buds have been in the market for years, and are currently being used at many grows, however none have an end result that remotely compares to the coveted "hand trimmed." The reason for this is these machines utilize blades and metal, which are abrasive and destroy and mutilate the trichomes and crystals, to cut or scrape the buds. Many are also labor intensive to clean, noisy and expensive to replace parts. Contamination from petroleum lubricants that get on the trim and the buds is yet another complication of these machines.

But there's a new product on the market being touted as the "cotton gin of the cannabis industry." It appears to be changing the way all growers, both boutique and volume growers, look at machines. It’s called Tom’s Tumble Trimmer, a bladeless dry trimmer invented by Tom Bruggemann from Woodland Hills, California. The product doesn't employ any blades or metal to trim the buds. Tom has created a soft mesh barrel with interchangeable meshes that allows the buds to gently trim each other as they tumble over and over in his patented machine. The results are astonishing, in that even a trained eye cannot tell the difference between hand trimmed and what has been processed in Tom’s machine. If used correctly, 95 percent of trichomes and crystals stay intact.

However, Tom recommends the buds not be processed for more than five minutes. As with the metal machines, there is still a short touch up needed to excise crow’s feet, etc. Tom’s machines typically save the grower 85 percent of labor costs without losing the hand trimmed appeal. There are other benefits to using Tom’s machines as well. It has interchangeable meshes to separate kief and smaller buds from the trim. Maintenance is virtually reduced to nothing, and all meshes can be cleaned in a standard washing machine.

Another benefit is the speed and capacity of Tom’s machines. Tom users report his 2600 model can trim close to 40 pounds in less than an hour. Not to mention the cost of Tom’s machines, which are exceptionally reasonable compared to the metal machines. They have various models and prices for different size growers as well. “We have a table-top model that does a half a pound to a pound, which is great for small growers or people who do a variety of strains,” says Leslie Clarke, Sales Manager for Tom's Tumble Trimmers. “We started out selling to the home grower market and it got so popular we created a commercial line, that many large companies are using.”

With the added demand for cannabis nationwide means growth and a need to control higher bulk of inventory. It’s no wonder Tom’s Tumbler Trimmers are increasingly becoming more popular with grow-houses often dealing with this dilemma of wanting to deliver a superior product in large quantities without having to spend so much cash on human resources or abrasive machines.

The company also offers person-to-person customer service; Tom himself even takes time out of the day to speak with customers who are looking for tips on the perfect trim. The team also promises that no automated systems are in place to handle calls, a point in their mission each of them are proud of and advertise with pride.

So, whether growing a few pounds at home or trying to satisfy an unforeseen growth in the coming years of continued legalization, a look to Tom’s Tumblers is a way to jump into the future of Cannabis trimming. Keep your buds happy!

TomsTumbleTrimmer.com