No one here has and favors Perfex mills?
It does what I need it to do. I don’t have any complaints about it. There are probably better grinders if people need to grind large amounts of pepper, but that’s not me.
I did have the model shown up the page just labeled “Mess-Free”. The grind size selector stopped working on that one. I think that may be an earlier model than the one I have now. Don’t know if that one is still in the OXO line up or if it’s been replaced by the “Contoured” model.
I got my current OXO at Target.
https://www.target.com/p/oxo-softworks-pepper-grinder/-/A-13557789#lnk=sametab
I just stand mine with the mill at the top, but it’s flat enough at that end that you could stand it flipped the other way if desired.
I find it amusing that a drumstick company and a car company both make pepper mills (or made I guess in the case of Vic Firth).
I have a Peugeot pepper mill (purchased in 2020) for black pepper and a Unicorn Magnum that I use for white pepper. Both work well but I like the way the Peugeot feels when grinding better.
I went to OXO website to look. It seems OXO is still selling both styles, and the Contoured one is cheaper than the Accent one. They both use ceramic grinder and both are about the same size, but a good decent price difference. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Vic Firth pepper grinders used to be cheaper (at least I remember so when I bought it).
Now looking at online stores, the Fletcher pepper mills (acquired Vic Firth) are all around that $50-70 range, which aren’t that much cheaper than Peugeot pepper mills.
I heeded your wise counsel and just ordered one. 
The salt will be removed and the grinder filled with my pepper mix. I hope it can handle it.
Through the magic of Amazon it will be on my doorstep on the morrow!
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on the ‘normal’ designs, the amount of wrist twisting required does not sit well with my joints.
I prefer the crank styles - the OXO is very good.
true . . . I worn one out - took (?)+/- ten years - but at the (then) $12 price point, not especially upsetting to buy another.
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I agree. I have the same Cole & Mason pictured. Works great. It is easy to fill and to adjust the grind. I have a set of Vic Firth. It never worked well and stopped working altogether after a few years. By the time I went to see about the lifetime warranty the company was gone. I tired fixing it myself but ended up just putting it away. I just pulled the mill out to verify the brand, and it is working. I guess it just needed a timeout.
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Re: Timeout
In my experience, if something goes wrong it stays wrong
BUT
The squirter thing on my car windshield stopped on one side; it was going to be costly to repair so I just let it go.
Several months later it started working again, a nice surprise!
I think the pepper mills came first. Not sure about the bicycles, but I think they were before the automobiles, too.
I had an Army friend who used to tell the ladies he “drove” a Peugeot - his bicycle.
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I suspect it won’t stay fixed long. My mill, not your squirter thing. I wonder if your squirter thing was clogged and whatever it was blocking it dissolved? Before anyone suggests it, I don’t think that was the issue with my mill. I cleaned and cleared it per manufactures instructions back when it stopped working.
I had one. It is easy to load, adjusts easily, grinds well, and holds up very well. The crank would have been easier for me to turn if it had been a bit longer. My daughter and son in law were the beneficiaries of my achy fingers. Great little mill.
For the good of the order, anyone who wants vintage Prefex or Peugeot should visit or call Judy at Cook’n in San Francisco’s Haight.
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When I need more than a few turns of my manual grinder I use this battery-operated one. It was a gift and I’d used one at a friend’s house before, so I was game. It kinda follows after deciding that our rechargeable electric wine bottle opener was not going to ruin my status as a kindof wine nerd.
That’s the one I’ve had for years
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For the Ikea grinder, it’s not an option, because the top of the grinder isn’t evenly flat. The knob to adjust the grind is on top. Since the Ikea grinder is on the smaller side (which I prefer), I haven’t noticed any freshness issues. You get a lot more of freshly ground peppercorn, then just the broken bits that may not be as potent.
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Well, I’ll correct myself - sure enough as I pulled it out last night - this mill can sit with the grind side down. The grind setting is just low enough that it will not bump against counter top. However, given that the bottom is wider than the top, it’s not the most balanced way to place it, and I would guarantee that thing will get knocked over every minute if left like that.
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That’s similar to the OXO. You can stand it with the mill at the bottom, but it’s not as stable.
I bought the OXO salt mill and replaced the salt with my 3-peppercorn mix. It failed miserably; there’s precious little coming out, even on the latest grind setting. I think the pink peppercorns gummed up the works immediately.
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