does anyone want to recommend a decent commercial, easily available option?
I've a Vic Firth (yes, that Vic Firth) one that I've had for a couple decades. They're now sold under the Fletcher's Mill brand. They use their own stainless steel mechanism.I went looking for a mill for white pepper recently. I've a 50 year old Danish mill I'd love to repair, but that's a project for another day. Serious Eats seems to like the Kuhn Rikon ones but none of the long term reviews on the KR site are positive. Peugeot naysayers seem to be popping up more frequently, and for that price I'd expect better. Each seems to attract a few specific types of complaints which to me seems to lend a bit of credibility.
In any case, my new Fletcher's Mill grinder just showed up today and superficially it looks like they've only made small changes. The adjustment mechanism is the same and similar to the classic Peugeot mechanism. I've not taken it apart, but I believe the grinding mechanism is the same two stage unit as my old one.
The Fletcher's Mill grinders are _excellent_. Highly recommend these.