iTouchless Automatic Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder Set – Battery Operated – Adjustable Coarseness – LED Light, 1 Set (2 Count), Stainless Steel

Without a doubt there are much nicer electric salt and pepper grinders out there in the world. There are cool gravity-operated ones, or space-saving combination salt/pepper grinders, and they all fall in a wide price range. You can spend hundreds of dollars or tens of dollars.For my budget, this "iTouchless Automatic Stainless Steel Pepper Mill and Salt Grinder" set was just what I wanted. You get two matching grinders for less than you would pay for many single grinders, they look great in the kitchen and they work just fine. I dig the light on the bottom even more than I thought I would. I thought that was a silly and unnecessary feature until I put it to use, and now I don't want to cook without it. I also have really appreciated the cap, which lets you measure out ground pepper for recipes. At first I thought the chambers didn't hold very much, especially compared to my old hand-crank grinders, but this hasn't been a problem. Refilling is easy once you get the hang of it.I have seen several reviews were these grinders fall apart after a week, so I have been waiting and using my grinders for a month before chiming it. Happily, after a month of daily, sometimes heavy, use I have had no problems whatsoever. They have ground their way through two family BBQs now as well as just daily cooking. I keep one grinder with Himalayan pink sea salt and the other with standard peppercorns, and the "iTouch Automatic" grinds them both just fine. (pun intended!)There are some elements that make these less than perfect. They are somewhat large, and while as a guy I have no problem one-handing them and pressing the button on top to activate the grinder, my wife finds them too bulky for that. (Don't be fooled by the name "touchless." There is a dime-sized button on top that needs to be held down in order to grind.) Also, the adjustment knob for the grind is just basically a nut that screws up and down, so you don't have really fine control over your grind. I am sure the pricier brands and models offer you more control in this area, but it is hard to complain too much with the great price on this set.

I bought these to replace one that looked almost identical that had lasted over 10 years, when they came it was nice to see the change from a chrome looking plastic top to a brushed aluminum, better for finger prints, time will tell on cleaning. Another nice extra is that they have end caps, so any loose pepper after grind does not end up on the counter. Although I am still getting used to it having the cover and have ground a good share of pepper into it, but then you just sprinkle it over the food, no waste, just a duh moment. Of course you do not need to use the caps, so time will tell on that one also.It takes 4 AAA batts and I would strongly suggest Alkiline (common Duracell or Eveready)as the motor needs some good cranking juice, if you use regargables I would go for NiMH, cheap batteries will not fair well, even new. In this model they have a battery retainer ring that hold the 4 batts in place, my old one I used a rubber band to hold them together.OK, now to the real matter at hand, grinding pepper. I was a little worried when I read the reviews about the ability to adjust the grind, and perhaps it is just me but I found it had a pretty good range, from fairly fine, like what you might get in a regular pepper shaker to pretty big, great for salads and grilling.Given my old one had a light on the bottom that was a must have feature, you would not think it would come in handy but it really does, especially on a fine grind onto dark colored food, it lets you see the flow rate very well.These are fairly new, cost a 1/4 of what the other did from Sharper Image, and there are two of them so I have a spare since I rarely have need for fresh ground salt and for that I just use one of those McCormick Grinder/Salt bottles they sell. I used the other one nearly daily for over 10 years.I saw a number of reviews noting a weak motor, and while it is possible to get a bad unit, I did not find the motor weak at all, however if you fill the hopper more than 3/4's full then you can expect trouble, it is not as much the motor being too weak but without room to jiggle around a little too many corns get crammed into the grinder and against the entire case and that is too much for the motot. The other main cause for what appears to be a weak motor are cheap batteries, given that you'll only change batts once a year or so, spring for some good ones, I use Duracell copper tops and they work fine.So, great price, back-up unit if you use it for pepper only, good grind range, bottom light and cap, all makes for a pretty handy unit, and they really do look good also.

Though the material is stated as stainless steel, it started getting stained within days.

I've searched the internet for a long time now looking for the closest match to an automatic pepper grinder I've had for about 14 years but which had no maker's mark on them anywhere. The iTouchless pepper and salt mills are that - sleek ergonomic sturdy rounded form in brushed stainless steel - so no finger marks left when using it, no extraneous projections to collect dirt or dust, a pleasurable sturdy weight and feel to use (they feel robust and long lasting) and best of all that one-handed easy button operation so one can hold the whole chicken open or whatever is being seasoned with the one hand and season with the other. the plastic cap on the bottom permits clean storage when not in use (no salt or pepper crumbs spilling onto the counter or shelf). If my previous one is to go by, the batteries last ages before needing to be changed - a year or more. It was a little tricky to work out how to insert the batteries - slightly different to my previous model but more secure once I'd worked it out. Also as they can topple over I keep them in a sturdy narrow mug each on my counter top ready to hand. My only other criticism and this is really nit-picking is that the coarsest setting is still quite fine. I wouldn't want that changed or any other of refinements added if it altered the essential ease of use and sleek simplicity of the design. I look forward to years or use.

These salt and pepper grinders are absolutely excellent! They arrived with a much shorter delivery time than I had anticipated, appeared to be of substantial quality and have functioned beautifully since I "pressed them into service". The removable bottom caps are a helpful feature as well, as it keeps trace amounts of salt and pepper from depositing on the counter (only problem is you have to remember to remove them before you start the grinder :-)). I also find the LED lights helpful to assess exactly how much salt and/or pepper is going on to the food that is being cooked. The grinders grind the salt and pepper in very short order and provide uniform size and dispersal of the spices and all with a quick press of the top-mounted buttons. I would especially recommend these grinders for people who struggle with arthritis or other hand-related mobility limiting conditions. The only minor irritant I have had is that, depending upon the size of the peppercorns that you are attempting to load into the grinder container from the bottom, it can be a little difficult to refill the pepper grinder with spice (i.e. larger peppercorns tend to bind on the grinding rod during the refill attempt). This is a very minor issue, however, and should not dissuade you from purchasing these well-functioning units.

Good value, two notes, one grinder has a stronger motor (this one is for salt) and the fill hole is rather small.

Doesn’t quite crush the salt/pepper fine enough.