OPERATING & WORKFLOW GUIDE

The EZ Trim Bud Sorter Mini is a compact, manual cannabis flower sorting and quality-control station designed for smaller operations, lower-volume harvests, and single-operator workflows.

The Mini separates flower by size without motors, vibration, or powered moving components. The operator manually moves flower across removable sorting grates, allowing smaller material to fall into the collection totes below while larger flower continues through the sorting process.

The Bud Sorter Mini arrives fully assembled and does not require the assembly procedure used for the full-size Bud Sorter.

PART 1 — STANDARD CONFIGURATION

1. SORTING GRATES

The Bud Sorter Mini includes three standard removable sorting grates:

¼ inch

½ inch

¾ inch

Flower larger than the final grate remains as the largest finished size category.

This allows the Mini to separate flower into multiple size groups without requiring powered sorting equipment.

Custom sorting requirements may vary by operation, so establish what each separated size represents within your own grading and packaging specifications.

2. COLLECTION TOTES

The Bud Sorter Mini uses:

Four 12-gallon collection totes

Before operation, make sure all collection totes are:

Clean

Dry

Free of loose debris

Properly positioned

Each collection area should correspond with the size category being separated.

3. PRODUCTION CAPACITY

Published average production for the Bud Sorter Mini is approximately:

22 pounds per hour of dried, finished flower

Actual throughput depends on:

Flower condition

Batch size

Desired separation

Operator pace

Number of passes required

Quality-control requirements

Treat the published production rate as equipment guidance rather than a guaranteed output.

PART 2 — WHERE THE MINI FITS IN THE WORKFLOW

4. DRY-TRIM WORKFLOW

For a dry-trim harvest, use the Bud Sorter Mini after trimming.

A typical workflow is:

Hang Dry → Buck → Equalize Dryness → Finger Test → Trim → Bud Sorter Mini / QC

After sorting and quality control, flower can continue into curing, final sorting where required, and packaging.

Pre-sorting before detailed QC allows similar-sized flower to be evaluated together and can help prevent unnecessary hand touch-up of flower that already meets the finished standard.

5. WET-TRIM WORKFLOW

The Bud Sorter Mini can also be incorporated into a wet-trim workflow by sorting flower after wet trimming and before drying.

A typical sequence is:

Harvest → Wet Trim → Bud Sorter Mini → Dry

Separating flower into similar size groups before drying can make it easier to monitor different flower sizes during the drying process.

Size alone does not determine drying rate, so continue to manage drying according to the actual condition of the flower and the drying environment.

PART 3 — PREPARING TO SORT

6. INSPECT THE MINI BEFORE USE

Before each sorting session:

Make sure the unit is stable.

Verify all three grates are clean and correctly seated.

Make sure all four collection totes are clean and correctly positioned.

Remove loose material remaining from a previous batch.

Make sure the flower being processed is appropriate for the intended sorting operation.

If cultivars, lots, or batches must remain separated, clean the product-contact surfaces according to your facility's procedures before changing batches.

7. ESTABLISH YOUR FLOWER-SIZE CATEGORIES

There is no universal cannabis flower grading system that every commercial operation must use.

Before sorting, determine how your operation will classify the separated flower.

For example, categories might represent:

Larger Flower

Medium Flower

Small Flower

Popcorn / Smaller Material

The names and commercial uses of these categories depend on your brand, customer, packaging specification, and market.

The important factor is consistency.

Operators should understand what each separated category represents before production begins.

PART 4 — OPERATING THE BUD SORTER MINI

8. START WITH A MANAGEABLE BATCH

Place a manageable amount of flower onto the sorting surface.

Avoid overloading the grates.

Too much flower at one time can make it more difficult to control movement, inspect the product, and achieve the desired size separation.

A practical starting point is approximately:

1 pound per sorting batch

Adjust the amount according to the flower condition and the operator's ability to move and inspect the batch efficiently.

9. MOVE THE FLOWER ACROSS THE GRATES

Manually move the flower across the sorting grates.

As flower passes over each grate:

Material small enough to pass through the openings falls into the collection tote below.

Larger flower remains on the sorting surface and continues to the next size category.

Continue until the batch has been separated according to the desired specification.

The Mini does not require powered vibration or aggressive tumbling to perform the separation.

10. USE CONTROLLED MOVEMENT

Use only enough movement to allow appropriately sized material to pass through the grates.

The objective is:

Separation—not unnecessary agitation.

Operator-controlled sorting allows you to adjust:

Amount of flower being processed

Speed of movement

Number of passes

Amount of handling

according to the flower and the level of separation required.

PART 5 — QUALITY CONTROL

11. USE THE MINI AS A QC STATION

When dry trimming, sorting provides an opportunity to inspect finished flower before automatically sending it to hand touch-up.

As the flower moves through the Mini, ask:

Does this flower already meet our finished standard?

If yes, additional hand finishing may provide little value.

If not, identify the correction that is actually required.

This creates the workflow:

Sort → Inspect → Pass or Correct → Targeted Touch-Up

12. DON'T AUTOMATICALLY TOUCH UP EVERY BUD

The objective of machine-assisted harvesting is not to machine trim the flower and then automatically hand trim all of it again.

Use quality-control labor where it adds value.

If an unusually large percentage of a batch requires manual correction, investigate the upstream process:

Did the flower pass the Finger Test?

Was dryness consistent?

Was the flower properly individualized?

Were excess stems removed?

Were the trimming settings appropriate?

Was the trim cycle appropriate for the cultivar?

Excessive touch-up can be useful information about the process feeding the sorting station.

PART 6 — SORTING FOR PACKAGING

13. KEEP FINISHED CATEGORIES SEPARATED

Once the flower has been sorted, keep each size category identified.

Sorting similar-sized flower can simplify downstream QC and packaging because employees are working with more consistent flower rather than repeatedly selecting from a mixed batch.

Use the size categories that correspond with your operation's finished-product specifications.

PART 7 — BUD SORTER MINI VS. FULL-SIZE BUD SORTER

14. CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE SYSTEM FOR THE WORKFLOW

The Mini and full-size Bud Sorter use the same general principle of manual, operator-controlled flower separation, but they are intended for different production requirements.

BUD SORTER MINI

Single-operator format

Three standard sorting grates

¼", ½", ¾" grates

Four 12-gallon totes

Approximately 22 lb/hr average production

Compact footprint

Fully assembled

FULL-SIZE BUD SORTER

Higher-volume commercial format

Five standard sorting grates

¼", ½", ¾", 1", 1¼" grates

Five 27-gallon collection containers

Approximately 70–90 lb/hr published production

Larger QC/workstation format

Operations processing larger harvest volumes or requiring additional size categories should consider the full-size EZ Trim Bud Sorter.

Full-Size Bud Sorter: /pages/bud-sorter

PART 8 — CLEANING

15. CLEAN THE MINI AFTER USE

Remove loose flower, shake, and plant material from:

Sorting grates

Sorting surfaces

Frame

Collection totes

Keep product-contact surfaces clean between production runs.

If processing different cultivars, batches, or lots that must remain separated, clean the system according to your facility's sanitation procedures before beginning the next batch.

Because we do not have a Mini-specific cleaning transcript or manufacturer procedure specifying cleaning chemicals, concentrations, pressure washing, or disassembly, I would not publish unsupported cleaning instructions here.

BUD SORTER MINI QUICK CHECKLIST

Before sorting:

□ Mini is stable and ready for use

□ Three grates are clean and correctly seated

□ Four 12-gallon totes are clean and correctly positioned

□ Flower-size categories have been established

□ Manageable batch loaded onto sorting surface

□ Flower moved across grates using controlled movement

□ Finished flower inspected during the process

□ Touch-up directed only where required

□ Separated flower categories remain identified

□ Grates, surfaces, and totes cleaned after use

DRY-TRIM WORKFLOW

Trim → Bud Sorter Mini / Pre-Sort → Inspect / QC → Targeted Touch-Up → Final Cure → Final Sort → Package

WET-TRIM WORKFLOW

Wet Trim → Bud Sorter Mini → Dry → Continue Post-Harvest Process

BUD SORTER MINI OPERATING PRINCIPLE

Use the simplest sorting process that produces the flower categories your operation actually needs.

The Bud Sorter Mini provides compact, operator-controlled flower separation without powered vibration or moving sorting components.

Used as part of the complete harvest workflow:

Sort → Inspect → Separate → Target QC Labor → Package Consistently