Customer Reviews

William Bounds 8-Inch HM pepper Mill

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First I bought the Wm. Bounds tapered pepper mill with the crank on the top. That one was not very good. Kind of difficult to turn the crank, very course pepper, difficult to spin the courseness regulator and the little knob at the top kept getting loose. This one is great, easy to grind, good pepper texture, no top knob movement and comfortable to hold. Would definately recommend.

If you are into stainless, you really can't go wrong with this one. The three settings work great, it cranks out a lot of pepper with each twist, it is attractive, sturdy, and easy to fill and operate. There really isn't anything else I could ask for.

Update 1/21/2009 - It broke after 2 years. If I could change my rating, I'd give it 2 stars instead of 5. I know I can't expect everything to last forever, but 2 years? I expected more from a $30 pepper mill. To its credit, it worked perfectly until it died.

This mill offers an easy and consistant grind. It has three settings of courseness, and the fine setting actually "fine", unlike some other W&B pepper mills. It's a little hard to fill because a non-removable cross section in the body, but that really my only complaint. I've only had it for a few weeks, so hopefully it continues to give a consistant grind in the future.

I'm just retiring mine after about 8 years of service. It was a gift and is exactly like this model, except it has a wooden body (referred to as "Espresso & Stainless Steel" on the William Bounds site).

The Good:
I really liked the grind select ring which allows you to adjust between the 3 grind sizes without having to fiddle with a screw on the bottom of the mill. (Caveat - see below)

Maintains consistent grind size.

The Bad:
It's a bit hard to fill due to two perpendicular crossbars across the top, through which you must pour the peppercorns.

Doesn't output very much pepper per turn. It is very tedious to grind out a couple of tablespoons worth of pepper for recipes or rubs.

Questionable longevity - I gave one to my mother-in-law as a gift. Less than two years later she's having trouble with the selection ring. Mine took longer to start giving me trouble, but after about 4-5 years I, too, started having some trouble with the ring. The output is almost completely unaffected by the selection on the ring. The upshot is that I have to fiddle with the screw on the bottom after all! The ceramic milling mechanism has a lifetime warranty, but I'm not sure about the ring. In any case, I don't have a receipt because this was a gift.

The Conclusion:
After about 8 years, I'm left with the impression that this is a good mill, but that the quality is over-hyped.

I've just replaced it with the Unicorn Magnum Plus Pepper Mill 9-in. It is the top-recommended mill by Cooks Illustrated and is Alton Brown's choice as well. I don't find it as aesthetically pleasing, and I'll have to wait and see how long it lasts, but I've been very impressed with it so far. I can tell you this: right out of the box the Unicorn is doing a much better job delivering very coarsely ground pepper (cracked pepper) than the William Bounds ever did.

As a chef, I count on my equipment to come through and I have used these peppermills for years and they never let me down. It doesn't matter if I am doing some in-home catering, serving hundreds at a party, or even covering an extra shift at the restaurant; the first things I pack are my knives and my peppermill. The grind adjustments for coarse, medium, and fine are quick and precise. They work every time and deliver consistent grind quality and quantity. It is refreshing to find such a quality piece of kitchen essentials that delivers on all promises. They don't put lifetime warranties on these lightly, and I have never had to take them up on that. Please do yourself a favor and get a functional, important piece of equipment and you will know why I give these out for Christmas to my friends.

Works well for the average home cook. Fine Medium and Course settings work well.

I have a set of William and Bounds salt and pepper grinders that I have had for about 3 years. Recently while I was filling the salt grinder a piece broke off due to my own neglegence. I emailed the company and told them what happened. I recieved an email the next day saying that I needed a whole new top for my grinder and that if I gave them my address they would ship it out immediatly (NO CHARGE FOLKS!). Well I gave them my address and 4 days later it arrived in the mail. I am immpressed to say the least!. this company will forever be my go to company when it comes to salt and pepper mills. Love them.

This new William Bounds pepper mill is the best pepper mill I have ever owned. Not only does it grind the pepper corns to everyone's liking, it's an attractive asset to your dinner table. The ability to choose the size of the ground pepper corns with it's convenient size mechanism is the best. The larger course setting is great for cooking where the small setting is great for seasoning your food at the table. We are very happy with this product and would recommend it to anyone.

I have had this one for several years. After a few years the plastic parts under the top started to break apart (the metal top is just a cover and the plastic parts underneath are what turns the metal shaft when you grind pepper.) I fixed it a few times so it would still work, however it continued to break apart and finally has given up. The grinding mechanism is also twisted and misaligned and so it wouldn't grind very well.

They do have a lifetime warranty so I could send it back for repairs, but they require you to pay shipping both ways, and they use UPS for return shipping, thus I would only save a few dollars over the cost of a brand new one. So if you decide to buy this one, be prepared that it will work fine for a few years and eventually will start to self destruct. How long it will last depends on how often you use it. The plastic parts are the weakness, and I'm not sure if all their mills are built the same way. I would take the top off when you get one and look inside. Send it back if you see any plastic as it won't last long.

I was hoping for average or better quality, but surprised how well it works compared to the disposable grinders you find in the seasoning isle.