Pepper Mill Suggestions

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Just thought that you guys might like to see some of the modifications of the Unicorns that the company can and will do to distinguish
the various types of peppers to be ground.... I do not own any Unicorn stock..... Just think the grinders are great, and a very agreeable
company to deal with.
 

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I wish these are more readily available in Canada [emoji19]

Anybody used the long slender "stick version" ? Is it any good?
 
Michi said:
I don't understand what the problem is with that. I'm finding this thread interesting, regardless of its age.
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I agree, and add I've been very happy with my Peugeot pepper (and salt) grinders, although the finish is starting to wear on the wood handles after 15 years. I also have a Krups blade coffee grinder for larger spice grinding quantities, but just like it doesn't do a good job consistently grinding coffee, it makes a pretty wide variation of ground pepper--from dust to nearly whole peppercorns.
 
I love my magnum, but now that I have a lathe, I am thinking of making one.
 
I had a vic Firth one about 10yrs ago that was real nice, one of the better ones I've used. Right now I have a shorty Peugeot that's alright but I wouldn't spend any real money on it.
 
Xenif said:
I wish these are more readily available in Canada [emoji19]

Anybody used the long slender "stick version" ? Is it any good?
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I know you can find someone in the US to ship you one if you covered the costs. Assuming there is no issue with customs.
 
I've tried all three. I’d recommend Unicorn, Vic Firth, Peugeot--in that order. Unicorn has the best mechanism, easy to adjust precisely and deals with hard peppercorns easily. It is also objectively ugly--great for the kitchen as a tool, not pretty if you plan on putting it on the table. Vic Firth and Peugeot have nice mechanisms, too, but don't adjust nearly as precisely. Vic Firth also has a few upside-down pepper mills, which are designed to be put on the table grinder up to keep the table clean. Really cool design. (I don't think Vic Firth has a website for grinders any more, so you'd have to hit ebay or some such.)
 
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In our home kitchen we're still using the same Unicorn mill I bought maybe 10 or 12 years ago. Still works fine.

I'm tempted to get a good electric pepper mill, but frankly I just don't cook under the kind of time pressure where I need to grab it and use it one-handed. It would be convenient, but I had a cheap electric pepper mill years ago that didn't last long (motor burned out). I'm sure better ones are available now, but for me, an electric pepper mill is just over the line into gadget territory vs. "tool." So I'll save my money for other things.
 
Scribbled said:
I repurposed a superfluous hario coffee grinder.
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This right here is the correct answer. I repurposed a coffee grinder and it has become my favorite pepper mill. I like the fact that I can grind what I need extremely quickly no matter the amount. Need a tablespoon of pepper for a large recipe, no problem. Keeps everything nice a clean because it discharges all the pepper into a cup attached to the bottom of the mill. It's outstanding.
 
I thought of making my own, as I too own lathes... Asked Unicorn if they would sell their world class mechanism, and they said yes,-------
but only with the plastic attached.... Did not want to get into competing with themselves... I fully understand, but if I go to the trouble
to make one, I will buy Unicorn, as I feel their mechanism is superior.
 
It was too expensive to have a Unicorn shipped to europe, but I read somewhere that their burr-set is made by Tre Spade.
So I bought a Tre Spade instead and have been very happy with it. Much faster that my previous Peugeot mills.
 
Surprised no one said Peaugeot. They're what we use at work and it's what I bought for my own house. I love it. It looks good, feels good, consistent grinding as well. I heard a lot about the unicorn mills but holy sh*t are they ugly. The aesthetic really doesn't work for me, to the point that I couldn't get myself to buy one despite all the ravings I read about it.
 
You can buy ceramic mechanisms online, try woodcraft. I’ve used their ceramic mechanisms to turn a mill, which only takes a few hours. I use hard maple blocks. Fun project, and great gifts.
 
GoodMagic said:
You can buy ceramic mechanisms online, try woodcraft. I’ve used their ceramic mechanisms to turn a mill, which only takes a few hours. I use hard maple blocks. Fun project, and great gifts.
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Crush grind is the current favorite mechanism on the market.
 
CoteRotie said:
...I found it interesting and once again you lot have convinced me to go spend money on something I wasn't planning to buy ;)
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An everyday kitchen staple that will last 10-20+ years
IMHO a good use of money :D
 
Peugeot pepper mills are overpriced crap. I've had two of them (Paris model) at home now during 10 years time and the wooden ring around the bottom has split on both of them. The grind mechanism is also junk - you have to constantly adjust the screw at the top of the mill to get it to grind properly. And it wobbles.

Cole & Mason Derwent, which I had before the Peugeots, was even worse.

Honestly just thinking about getting an Atlas / Alexander.
 
Chips said:
My Unicorn Magnum of well over a decade of use has been turned idle by my Weber Moulin.
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Wow, that's a work of art. I have no doubt that it works extremely well. There is the price though; you really have to be an enthusiast to pay that much for a pepper mill.
 
Michi said:
Wow, that's a work of art. I have no doubt that it works extremely well. There is the price though; you really have to be an enthusiast to pay that much for a pepper mill.
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With a 20-step precision locking ring, I'd buy one if I were running a high-end kitchen and needed reproducibility.

For home use, wouldn't pay that even if I had a Greek boatload of cash.
 
podzap said:
With a 20-step precision locking ring, I'd buy one if I were running a high-end kitchen and needed reproducibility.
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It's a bit like the ultimate sink bridge. Total overkill, but wonderful in its own right, and not just for its utility…

And, come to think of it, if it's OK to pay $500 for gyuto that definitely doesn't work more than twice as well as one for, say, $200, what's the problem with paying $320 for a pepper mill? ;)
 
Michi said:
It's a bit like the ultimate sink bridge. Total overkill, but wonderful in its own right, and not just for its utility…

And, come to think of it, if it's OK to pay $500 for gyuto that definitely doesn't work more than twice as well as one for, say, $200, what's the problem with paying $320 for a pepper mill? ;)
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I wouldn't pay 500 for a knife, either. The insane prices reflect a speculator's market and not actual value. Much like the same kind of people who tried to flip domains for profit 10 years ago. In that sense, knives can be resold somewhere relatively near plus or minus purchase price. Try to resell a 320 dollar pepper mill and see how big of an offer you get :)
 
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