What are the best pepper mills under $20?

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IKEA 365+ IHÄRDIG vs Eparé Electric Grinder vs Kuhn Rikon Ratchet Grinder

Specs

Weight

9 oz

Type

Manual

Dimensions

5 x 2 inches

Warranty

-

Capacity

9 cubic inches

Material

ABS plastic, glass

Color

Clear+black

Grinding levels

Adjustable, no preset levels

Grinding mechanism

Ceramic grinder

Weight

16 oz

Type

Electric

Dimensions

8.8 x 2 inches

Warranty

Limited Lifetime

Capacity

3.6 cubic inches

Material

Stainless steel, acrylic

Color

Stainless steel, copper

Grinding levels

Adjustable, no preset levels

Grinding mechanism

Ceramic grinder

Weight

5.9 oz

Type

Manual

Dimensions

8.5 x 2.25 inches

Warranty

2 years

Capacity

7.2 cubic inches

Material

Plastic

Color

White, black, green, red

Grinding levels

Adjustable, no preset levels

Grinding mechanism

Ceramic grinder

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Very cheap

Costing just $5.99, this spice mill is one of the cheapest you can find with a ceramic grinding mechanism.
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Pro
 Fits on any IKEA IHÄRDIG spice jar

The top, containing the grinding mechanism, can be unscrewed and moved to another jar from the same collection. That way one mechanism can be used for multiple spices.
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Pro
 Can be used to grind other spices

The ceramic mechanism holds up well against oily spices (like red peppercorns), it just needs to be washed after grinding.
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Con
 No warranty

IKEA offers no warranty either for the mechanism, or the glass jar.
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Con
 Not very good at fine grinding

The lowest of 6 settings does not produce a very fine grind.
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Pro
 Consistent grinding

In comparison to other electric pepper mills, Eparé mill offers the best consistency in grinding - no big lumps of pepper will fall out when it's set to a fine setting.
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Pro
 Relatively quiet

All electric grinders are loud, but the Eparé pepper mill is the quietest of the bunch. That makes it suitable to use not only when cooking, but at the dining table as well.
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Pro
 Convenient for one-handed use

The electric grinder is convenient in case you only have one hand free when cooking - you just need to push and hold the button on the top to turn it on.
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Pro
 Can grind salt or other spices

Ceramic grinding mechanism will not rust, so it can also be used for grinding salt (kosher, sea, Himalayan) or other spices.
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Con
 Slow grinding

Eparé mill, as most electric mills, grinds slowly - much slower than manual ones. It takes almost 2 minutes to finely grind a teaspoon of pepper. The grinding is faster on the coarser settings, but not by much.
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Pro
 Comfortable grip on the handle

The ratchet mechanism with a large handle is easier to use for people with arthritis or weaker grip than the usual "hold and twist" kind.
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Pro
 Faster than most traditional grinders

Since it's easier to just flip the handle back and forth than twisting the cylinder on traditional pepper mills, this grinder can produce the same amount of ground pepper about 1.5 times faster.
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Pro
 Easy to refill

There is a small hinged window on the side, that opens up and you can easily refill the grinder with peppercorns.
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Con
 Can't be washed

This grinder can't be pulled apart and washed. If you want to use different spices, the only way to clean it is to grind some coarse salt through it.
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Pro
 Suitable for most dry spices

The Kuhn Rikon grinder can be used for grinding salt, peppercorns and other dry spices, like coriander or cumin seeds, or dried rosemary.
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