Pepper Mill Imports Atlas 8" Brass Pepper Mill

My wife and I have always struggled with poor quality pepper mills because we couldn't come to grips with spending this much money on something so simple. I finally decided enough was enough and started browsing Amazon for a worthy candidate. After reading the reviews, I decided to give this one a spin (oops - sorry about that).

Mind you, I had very high expectations after reading the reviews and viewing the picture. So when it arrived, it had to impress - and it did. In fact, it far exceeded my lofty expectations. One of the reviewers said it was built like a tank. That's no exaggeration. Cockroaches and these grinders will be the only things left if there's nuclear war. The grinding mechanism feels sure and solid when you turn it, and the quality and quantity of the grind is superb. I doubt that I could be happier with my purchase.

Update 2-15-11: After about a year of use, the grind quantity became inconsistent. I discovered one of the brass screws on the...Read more

I bought this mill as a Christmas gift to myself because I'd been looking for a good-quality pepper mill that wouldn't break like the others I've tried in the past. It's attractive and elegant-looking and seems nice and sturdy. It holds a lot of pepper corns so I won't have to refill it very often. It produces a nice, uniform grind with a pretty smooth action when the crank is turned. The only thing that disappoints me about this pepper mill is that it seems to have only one setting-- very fine. My husband and I prefer a coarser grind, and I can't seem to adjust the mill accordingly. I tried turning the screw on the bottom in both directions to get a coarser grind, but it just stays fine. So, I'm either too dumb to figure out how to adjust the fineness of grind or this mill is only capable of a very fine grind.

We were given our first brass pepper mill (the 8" open bottom version) as a wedding present twenty years ago - they were a bit more exotic back then and harder to find. It has been in continuous service on our dinner table since them. It is indestructible. The oils from the peppercorns keep it lubricated. It is adjustable.

My only complaint is that it is slightly (only slightly) awkward grinding pepper into a small bowl for cooking. The rotation of the handle rotates the bottom slightly so you have to hold it tightly in place if you are grinding several tablespoons of pepper into a small bowl.

Our solution was to pick up the larger (11") version with the bottom cup to catch the pepper. The second one stays in the kitchen.

We have been giving these pepper grinders as wedding presents ourselves - it is I gift I'm certain they'll use for many, many years!