Trimming with the Twister T6 is easy!
It’s all about the three P’s – Product, Preparation, and Process.
Spending some time understanding these three elements and how they affect your trim session will go a long way to achieving success with your new Twister T6.
PRODUCT
The condition of your flower is key. This is true with any style of trimming. While impossible to handle every strain or flower type on the planet, the Twister T6 was designed to handle most conditions, and it’s extremely capable at handling nearly everything you load into it. That said, you’ll want to pay close attention to a few variables.
When trimming dry, you’ll want to trim your flower at a moisture level between 10-13%, where the outside material of your flower is dry but the inside is spongy moist. How to test? Lightly squeeze the bud between your thumb and finger. If it crumbles, the product is too dry. If it stays squeezed it’s too moist. If it bounces back, it’s just right!
PREPARATION
When trimming dry, you’ll want to remove any fan leaves and larger leafy material before you hang dry your product. Dry at 78-80 degrees F with a humidity level of approx. 62%. After you’ve reached your desired moisture level, buck the product off the plant and cut the stems as close to the flower as possible. Why? Stems can cause the flower to “pole vault” within the tumbler, reducing the chances the leaf will gain access to the blades. Removal of excess material will help produce a better final product and speeds up your trim time.
PROCESS
With all the variations in flower out there, i.e.: strains, conditions, moisture levels, flower density, etc. it’s impossible to provide one process that works with all flower conditions. The good news is the T6 is built to customize your trimming experience to match most flower conditions.
GETTING STARTED
When it comes to the correct process, the key to success will come from spending the first 10-15 minutes testing your flower conditions against your setup. There are three things to consider when customizing your trimming process:
- The incline of your machine
- Your load speed
- The amount of time in the tumbler
When getting started for the first time, the recommended trimming setup and process is: Machine incline at approx. 1 inch; a load speed of approximately one handful every 30-45 seconds; and a time in tumbler between 30 – 60 secs.
Using the above process as a guideline will help you customize your T6 to fit the conditions of your flower.
CUSTOMIZING YOUR PROCESS
To start, load approximately one ounce of product into your T6. Do not load anything further. You’ll notice that the first batch of product will make its way through the tumbler to the final two-thirds of the tumbler towards the end. This is normal as most of the trimming will occur in this area of the T6 tumbler. Leave the first ounce or so of product in the T6 for approximately 60-90 secs before you load more product. This will allow the first batch of product to spend enough time in the tumbler to trim correctly.
Then Customize – After the 60-90 seconds, begin to load more product into the T6 one handful at a time and approximately every 30-45 seconds thereafter*. As you load more product you’ll notice the tumbler will fill and new product will make its way down the tumbler forcing existing product further down the tumbler. When this happens, product will naturally exit the T6. Now is your first chance to QC the output.
*You may require more or less time between handfuls depending on your conditions.
QUALITY CONTROL
Check Final Appearance. If the flower needs more trimming, it is most likely due to the product exiting the T6 too quickly. The flower needs enough time in the tumbler to trim properly. To improve the quality, either lower the incline of your T6 and maintain the same load speed OR reduce your load speed. Either way you’re trimming too fast. Slow down!
Watch for Overloading. You should never have more than an ounce or so of flower in the tumbler. Doing so will overload the tumbler resulting in a rapid decline in quality. The ideal amount is approx. half full towards the final two-thirds of the tumbler.
Watch for Product Location. Look for the final two-thirds of the tumbler to be doing most of the trimming. The first third of the tumbler should be kept somewhat clear, as room is needed for new product to enter the tumbler. Let gravity do its thing.
Check Time in Tumbler. Once your settings are correct, you’ll notice a rhythm to loading your T6 and how your product exits. Loading a handful of product at a time every 30-45 secs should eject approx. a handful of product shortly after. This is the correct process and equals a time in tumbler of approx. 30 seconds. Adjust accordingly.
Loading the Last Batch. When you are done loading product you will need to leave the last ounce or so of product in the T6 for an additional 60-90 secs before turning off your T6 and vacuum. This will allow the last batch of product to spend enough time in the tumbler to trim correctly.
TUMBLER TYPES AND SIZES
Another important tool in your “quest for the perfectly trimmed flower” may be the type of tumbler and slot size you use vs. your unique flower conditions.
The T6 ships with a 3/16” stainless steel tumbler designed to work with most dry flower types and conditions and works well in helping preserve the flower, resulting in a better appearance and higher overall flower yield. However, under some conditions, user testing has shown the larger 1/4” slot size (shipped with wet machines) to work better on some larger flower types and conditions (specifically at moisture levels between 11-13%), resulting in a slightly better appearance with a lower overall flower yield.
Depending on what your overall goals are, you may or may not see improvements with the larger 1/4” tumbler size, should you choose to try it out. Some users have had success with it. Like mentioned earlier, there are many variations in flower out there, i.e.: strains, conditions, moisture levels, flower density, etc. and it’s impossible to provide one process that works with all flower conditions. That said, the good news is you can potentially improve your trimming process, simply by swapping out the tumbler – no setup or tools required. The choice is yours!
And that’s it.
Results will always vary but keep working on the three P’s of trimming. You’ll be an expert T6 trimmer in no time!
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