Peugeot 23461 Paris u’Select Pepper Mill, 7″, Chocolate, 7 inch

I really like this pepper mill, had it for 10 years. The wood around the adjustment part cracked and fell off a several years ago, but it continued to work just fine until it broke.

I had purchased this item because it appeared to have an all metal mechanism. Many inexpensive grinders have plastic grinding parts, this one has metal. But it turns out the metal parts on the bottom screw into some sort of plastic ring that you can’t see beyond the metal, and one of the lugs that the screws go into finally broke off.

Anyhow, I was happy enough with it to buy another exactly the same, except I opted for a black one instead of natural beech. The instructions for the new one hinted at a long warranty, but I didn’t want to go through the hassle, plus the wood on the bottom was gone (and is not warrantied).

I was a bit reluctant to spend this much $$ on a pepper mill. The mill we bought 15 years ago had always been a little frustrating and has gotten worse over the past year. After getting thoroughly tired of twisting a mill and having little to show I decided to splurge a little on this one. I am so glad I did! Great adjustability, and even on the finest setting this produces copious amounts of uniformly ground pepper. It is cleanable and I fully expect this to last a lifetime. I should have purchased this years ago.

I’ve never had a peppermill work as good as this. The adjustment is at the bottom unlike other pepper mills.
There are six settings on the piece that rotates on the bottom but you could adjust the grind to any size in between.
No more cranking and shaking to get the peppercorns to come out.
This peppermill is without a doubt the best you could get from my experience.
If you’ve been frustrated with the way the pepper Mills you purchased in the past have performed, this one will absolutely amaze you, trust me you won’t regret it.

As above, it looks for real, and definitely grinds pepper. The adjustment range is from subatomic to medium/coarse, and at least 80% of the range results in some grade of fine dust. This probably accounts for the reviews calling it “slow.” Normal table pepper is about the second to last setting. The settings are continuous, so you have infinite control.

The adjustment ring is not wood, but a pressboard material of low strength, which I discovered when it toppled from my countertop and creased/cracked. This doesn’t seem to affect performance, nor is it getting worse, but it clearly won’t endure much dropping. The combination of a heavy wood and metal construction, with the soft, exposed adjustment ring was not a great decision, and a little disappointing at the price.

Another quibble is once you look inside, it’s clear the mechanism is supported by a plastic frame. This was bought to replace a decades old mill with a crank mechanism, for which the crank handle finally fatigued until it broke, but it works perfectly still if one turns the nub. I might repair it, as it would serve multiple lifetimes. This mill simply will not, as the plastic will eventually wear and break.

Overall, this is a good mill that will serve you well, but it probably won’t be the last one you buy.

I don’t know why I persisted for so long with sub-standard pepper mills, this thing is just wonderful to use and looks fantastic too. You feel like you’re holding a well engineered piece of machinery, rather than a simple pepper grinder. I won’t go into loads of detail but suffice to say, this works as expected, and has no drawbacks whatsoever.
Do yourself a favour and if you’re considering buying this, just do it. Treat yourself, you won’t regret it.