Ardred and I have had both of our pepper grinders crap out on us in the last month or so.
We love our freshly ground pepper, so we’re looking for advice on buying a new one.
I like those clear bulb squeeze handle ones. Like: this one but I don’t know anything about them.
Our price range is under $20 ish.
What do you recommend?
My family has a similar problem; we must have gone through a half dozen pepper mills in the last few years. Plastic ones seem to be the least durable–especially with the squeeze handles; wood ones with twist action, the most durable. I hope to hear others’ recommendations, though.
After multiple similar experiences I splashed out and got myself a salt and pepper set based on the ceramic crushgrind system as made by these guys. They’re a supplier to other manufacturers rather than an end product maker but if you can find a mill based on their mechanism they’re just about the best out there. My own set come from T & G woodware but I’m not sure they’ve an american presence. Chances are it will be a shade over $20 but you’ll not be replacing it for a very long time. For reference my salt and pepper set was €50 ish about 2 years ago, and Ireland is in general a lot more expensive than the states.
I have this one, and I love it.
http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=115464
It has the salt shaker on top, but you can get one with just the peppermill.
I got mine on ebay for half the price.
I really like my Oxo Good Grips model, the one with the crank on top. Easy to fill, easy to grind (even if you’re grinding up a lot), and easily adjustible.
Here it is. A steal at $16.99.
I have the samll version of that same grinder, it has a magnet and sticks to the fridge. I also have the salt mill.
I don’t know how well the larger one works, but I wouldn’t recommend the small version. It doesn’t grind very well.
I have a small acrylic Mr. Dudley set that I really love. It works great.
I’d like to invest in a nice wooden one someday.
This site has some gorgeous ones.
I like the Magnum but it’s a little out of your price range at $31. This one by the same manufacturer is $22 though.
This (Crushgrind mechanism) looks very impressive. 25 year warranty, even. Too bad the birthdays have passed; should make a great Christmas gift though.
I like these - OXO Grind it Basic Set
Ceramic grinders won’t corrode. I have several and use them to grind dried herbs too.
I’ve got a Unicorn Magnum. I had great fear of spending $40 on a peppermill, but the Unicorn has been worth the price. It’s adjustable anywhere from “cracked peppercorns” to a very fine grind. Unlike many of the cheaper ones, the grind adjuster isn’t part of what holds the whole thing together, so it won’t change after you refill it.
Seems like it’ll endure many years of use too.
We had one of these and I didn’t like it. It also didn’t wear well. We went back to the traditional style mill from Olde Thompson. Ours is similar to this one. We’re planning to buy this one for my in-laws for Christmas.
We’ve had ours for about 6 years and it has seen heavy usage. It grinds most excellently, doing both coarse and fine grinding reliably. We were trying to use it only for the table so as not to get it nasty while cooking–we had teenagers living at home, so lots of cooks and not all of them tidy. However, the Mr. Dudley pepper mill I bought to use for cooking just isn’t as nice, so we usually go grab the nifty one off the table.
Also, IME, Olde Thompson is a great company that stands behind their product. About six months ago, my husband killed our pepper mill. 
He shattered the grinding wheel. It has a life-time warranty so I shipped it back and they replaced the grinding mechanism, filled it with their awesome pepper, and shipped it back. It cost me about $2.00 to ship it and it’s as good as new.
I love my peppermill.
I’ll third the Magnum pepper mill and raise you the Magnum salt mill. These things are simple and indestructible. You can spend $20 now and 20 later and 20 still later, or you can buy a Magnum now and likely not have to buy another mill…ever.
So how much money have you spent on pepper mills over the last few years?
Do yourself a favor and spring for a Perfex.
I know I know, you’re thinking it’s insane to spend $60+ on a pepper mill, but again, how many $20 pepper mills are you going to have to buy over the next couple of decades? When I ran across the very hard to find 6" giant Perfex at Williams Sonoma, I shelled out $120 for it with a clear conscience. It’s worth every penny.