Peugeot - Paris u'Select Manual Pepper Mill - Adjustable Grinder - Beechwood, Chocolate

I've been limping along with two pepper grinders gifted to us many years ago. The tall dark one we've used for black pepper and the shorter "beigier" colored one for white pepper. The grind of the tall one can only be adjusted by tightening or loosening the nut on top which also secures the grinder's top. The more you grind, the tighter the nut gets and the finer the grind. The shorter grinder has a chrome collar just below the top with F, M and C settings which work okay, but I end up inadvertently turning the collar as I grind, thus changing the fineness of the grind. And the varnish on the outside of the shorter grinder has aged so that it is now sticky to the touch. Hmph.So, I decided to splurge and get one each of the chocolate brown and natural wood colored Peugeot grinders for black and white pepper respectively. Good choice. Love them. They grind both types of pepper very easily, thank you, the mechanism works flawlessly and they look very handsome on the counter by the stove top.Adjusting grind fineness or coarseness is accomplished by turning a wooden collar at the base of each grinder to the desired setting designated by tiny vertical markings from I to IIII. You have to experiment to figure out if I is coarse or fine, but it's figure-out-able and I won't spoil if for you. I suspect too that the markings will wear away over time thus only increasing the Gallic fun. I had a friend who owned a Peugeot 304 back in the 1970s and the car had similar little idiosyncrasies. Like the ashtray with 14 moving parts.Anyhow, I love the grinders, I use them daily, they feel good to the touch AND the vendor that sells the chocolate colored one, the actual subject of this review, provides a WARRANTY for American buyers that does not require you to try to communicate with les braves gens de Peugeot. Bravo!

I've read some of these reviews and thought I'd try and clarify something: Many have complained about the "start/stop" grinding action as they attempt to use this mill. This is because most of the whole peppercorns sold in the US are Tellicherry Peppercorns which are a larger variety and as a result, the have a great deal of difficulty falling through the hopper. The correct peppercorns to use and for which this mill was engineered would be Sarawak Peppercorns (also available on Amazon). Sarawak is a peppercorn which comes from Malaysia and is a bit more nuanced than its somewhat boisterous cousin. This is a very well built, well designed tool. It even forgives your buttery or wet hands with ease. The adjustment dial provides an even flow according to your grind requirements. I would absolutely advise any future purchaser to consider using Sarawak with this grinder. You'll enjoy the ease, control and consistency this mill provides.

Ok, I'll admit that I thought that pepper mills were pretty much the same - you unscrew the little nubbin at the top, pour in the peppercorns and tighten or loosen the nubbin for a finer or coarser grind. And I had a beautiful stainless pepper mill that I did this with for years. But the grind on it was always inconsistent- I couldn't get it to be really fine and the screw at the top would loosen up over time resulting in large chunks of pepper when I didn't want them. Finally, after reading a reviews for the Peugeot pepper mill on Wirecutter and Cooks Illustrated, I decided to bite the bullet and just get a new one. Can I say GAMECHANGER??? FINALLY, I can get the grind I really want with no loosening of the top screw. The select a size does a great job of getting superfine to coarse grind and even the coarse grind is consistent and well, edible! It is sturdy, but not heavy. Well worth the nearly $40 price tag as I am sure it will last for many years. Will relegate my stainless pepper mill to kitchen decor. ;)

We've had this pepper mill for three years and it continues to perform well with daily use. We replaced an old one that lasted many years, probably more than a couple decades. Note: The instructions say to fill it 3/5 full. So don't over fill it or it could cause it to malfunction.

Grid adjustments aren’t as functional as described. Capacity and speed are good, and it is easy to use. Beautiful design. Having completed the AI requirement - Basically no way to get course grind.