Your hand-trim crew is bleeding you dry—and you probably don't even know the real number.
Right now, you're paying loaded wages (base + taxes + workers comp + overhead) for output that's 3–10x more expensive per pound than automated equipment. While you're managing seasonal hiring chaos and watching revenue sit in trim queues for weeks, your competitors are processing the same harvest in days with one operator.
The math is brutal: A single commercial trimmer replaces 12–20 hand trimmers.
Operations
processing 20+ pounds weekly see 3–12 month payback.
After that? Pure savings for 5–10 years.
This calculator shows you three numbers that matter:
What you're actually spending on hand trimming (loaded costs, not just wages)
The exact machine capacity needed to match or beat your crew
How fast equipment pays for itself with your real numbers
No guesswork. No industry averages. Your operation, your costs, your ROI.
Your Crew Economics:
only people physically trimming (exclude buckers, runners, QC)
true cost including payroll taxes (7.65%), workers comp, benefits, overhead. Multiply base wage by 1.25–1.35 if unsure
hours spent trimming per day × days per week (exclude breaks, lunch, setup)
Hand-Trim Speed (lb/hr per person):
Don't know it? Measure once, know forever:
1. Weigh 8–16 oz of bucked material
2. Time one trimmer processing it to standard
3. Calculate:(ounces ÷ minutes) × 60 ÷ 16 = lb/hr
4. Test 2–3 trimmers, average the results
Typical range: 0.10–0.20 lb/hr (1–2 lb per 8-hour day).
Wet (fresh-cut) → shows wet/hybrid trimmers
Dry (post-hang) → shows dry/hybrid trimmers
Utilization (0–1): Realistic uptime.
Conservative: 0.75–0.80.
Dialed
operations:
0.85–0.92.
Buffer (0–1): Safety margin so machines exceed crew output. Use 0.15–0.25 (15–25%
headroom).
Usually 1. Affects payback calculation.
The math:
Team capacity (lb/hr) = trimmers × hand speed
Target needed = team
capacity × (1 + buffer)
Machine effective rate = manufacturer spec ×
utilization
Payback (weeks) = price ÷ (weekly labor − operator cost)
"Meets Target?" = Machine can replace your crew + margin
"Estimated Payback":
100+ lb/week: often 12–20 weeks
20–100 lb/week: typically 6–12 months
Under 20 lb/week: 12–18 months
These are planning numbers. Actual results vary by flower characteristics, quality standards, and how well you prep material.
| Product | Product Title | Type |
Wet (lbs/hr) ⇓⇑ |
Dry (lbs/hr) ⇓⇑ |
Warranty | Price | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Centurion Pro Solutions 3.0 Stainless Steel Trimmer | Hybrid | 450 | 90 | 10 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions 3.0+ Hybrid Trimmer | Hybrid | 125 | 25 | 10 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions DBT Model 0 Dry Batch Trimmer | Dry | - | 7 | 2 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions DBT Model 1 Dry Batch Trimmer | Dry | - | 10 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions DBT Model 2 - Dry Batch Trimmer | Dry | - | 25 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions DBT Model 3 Dry Batch Trimmer | Dry | - | 60 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions DBT Model 4 Dry Batch Trimmer + Free Size Sorter Kit | Dry | - | 108 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions DBT Model 5 Dry Batch Trimmer | Dry | - | 216 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions Gladiator SS Hybrid Trimmer | Hybrid | 75 | 15 | 10 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions Gladiator Wet/Dry Bud Trimmer | Hybrid | 75 | 15 | 10 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions Mini SS Trimming Machine | Hybrid | 35 | 7 | 10 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions Mini Trimmer | Hybrid | 35 | 7 | 10 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions Original SS Hybrid Trimmer | Hybrid | 50 | 10 | 10 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions Original Trimmer | Hybrid | 50 | 10 | 10 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions Silver Bullet Trimming Machine | Hybrid | 50 | 10 | 10 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions Stainless TableTop Wet/Dry Trimmer | Hybrid | 15 | 3 | 10 years | $3,995 | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions Tabletop Wet & Dry Bud Trimming Machine | Hybrid | 15 | 3 | 10 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions XL 10.0 Industrial Trimmer | Hybrid | 3000 | 600 | 5 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions XL 5.0 Industrial Trimmer | Hybrid | 1500 | 300 | 5 years | Loading... | |
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Centurion Pro Solutions XL 5.0 SE Industrial Trimmer | Hybrid | 2000 | 450 | 5 years | Loading... | |
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EZTRIM Satellite Bud Trimmer | Hybrid | 45 | 30 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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EZTRIM Trim Pen | Dry | - | 0.44 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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EZTRIM Wander Trimmer | Wet | 1 | - | 3 years | Loading... | |
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GreenBroz Harvest Bucket Bud Trimmer | Dry | - | 4 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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GreenBroz M Lite Tabletop Dry Trimming Machine | Dry | - | 9 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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GreenBroz M+ Dry Trimming Machine System | Dry | - | 30+ | 3 years | Loading... | |
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GreenBroz M1 Dry Trimming Machine | Dry | - | 19 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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GreenBroz Model M Dry Trimming Machine | Dry | - | 16 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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Hygrohub 3000XL Bud Trimming Machine | Hybrid | 27 | 12 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Hygrohub 4000XL Bud Trimming Machine | Hybrid | 36 | 16 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Hygrohub P100 Wet Bud Trimming Leaf Trimming Machine | Wet | 0.5 | - | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Hygrohub T250pro Bud Trimming Machine | Hybrid | 5 | 2.5 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Hygrohub T250X Bud Trimmer 3rd Generation | Hybrid | 5 | 2.5 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Mobius M108S Wet & Dry Hybrid Bud Trimmer | Hybrid | 120 | 60 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Mobius MD48 Dry Trimming Machine | Dry | - | 72 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Mobius TD15 Dry Bud Trimming Machine | Dry | - | 10 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Mobius TD25 Dry Bud Trimming Machine | Dry | - | 24 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Triminator Dry Trimming Machine | Dry | - | 20 | 1 year | $3,375 | |
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Triminator Hybrid Wet & Dry Trimming Machine | Hybrid | 40 | 15 | 2 years | $11,100 | |
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Triminator Mini Dry Trimming Machine | Dry | - | 8 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Triminator XL Dry Trimming Machine | Dry | - | 60 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Twister T-Zero SE Trimming Machine | Hybrid | 600 | 150 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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Twister T2 Trimmer Wet & Dry Automatic Bud Trimming Machine | Hybrid | 45 | 16 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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Twister T4 Pro Wet & Dry Hybrid Automatic Bud Trimming Machine | Hybrid | 23 | 14 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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Twister T4 Wet & Dry Hybrid Bud Trimming Machine | Hybrid | 23 | 14 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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Twister T6 Wet & Dry Hybrid Automatic Bud Trimmer | Hybrid | 7 | 2 | 3 years | Loading... | |
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Twister Technologies Batchone Go Dry Trimming Machine | Dry | - | 5 | 1 year | Loading... | |
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Twister Technologies Batchone Pro Dry Trimming Machine 88Lbs/Hr | Dry | - | 88 | 1 year | Loading... |
Everyone else? The equipment pays for itself in one season and runs for 5–10 years.
Talk to us, not the manufacturer.
We match equipment to your actual operation—strain characteristics, quality goals, facility constraints, realistic throughput expectations.
We review: Volume, strains, standards, facility, budget
We recommend: Specific models with reasoning
We support: Ongoing optimization to dial in performance
Because buying the wrong equipment is worse than not buying at all.
See how fast automation pays for itself — our team can help you run the numbers and choose the right trimmer. Chat with our experts today.
