Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

[...] I have reviewed just about every coffee mill available known in the free world. I have not found one that was rated five stars (always someone has a petty gripe to knock the product down a notch or two.) I have spent many hundreds of dollars trying to find a perfect coffee mill (Sorry folks! No such animal.) I will address the common gripes that I have read about this wonderful machine: Gripe #1: Small amounts of grind drop when one removes the glass receptacle causing a big clean-up problem and you need to waste wads of paper towels to clean it up. Answer #1: Yes, this is true to some very small extent, but quite insignificant. A simple swipe with a damp sponge instead of a paper towel does the trick. The upside is the the glass container which minimizes static (static is the real mess maker.) Gripe #2: The grind is not uniform. All the grounds must be the exact same size. Answer #2: Holy cow! For over a year, I have found the grind consistency to be excellent and uniform. This complaint is NOT to be believed. Gripe #3: This coffee mill is a bit pricey, at $199.00. Answer #3: Yes, I suppose, if one likes to pay retail. The price on this model actually runs from $299.00 down to $139.00 (I only paid $99.95 during a sale at Costco... Lucky me.) Anything of high quality commands a higher price. KitchenAid is no exception. Consider this when making a comparison: Constructed of Die Cast Metal and Glass (not cheap plastic.) Special stainless steel helical gear controls the delivery of coffee to the burrs for better grind consistency. Cutting burrs turn at just 450 rpm, minimizing frictional heating of the grinds and preserving coffee flavor. Provides simple burr cleaning access. And if all this is NOT enough, try a TWO YEAR, NO HASSLE, replacement warranty (what other company backs their products like this?) KitchenAid has World Class customer service. Gripe #4: The bottom coffee bin is made of lightweight glass (fragile) and can be easily broken. Plus, there is no way to get a replacement if it does break. Answer #4: Lightweight? Yes, because the coffee bin is Blown Glass (another high quality feature.) Replacements? A quick call to customer service will get you a new coffee bin, pronto ($11.95.) Ending. This KitchenAid Proline coffee mill is stylish, beautiful. well designed, quiet, built like a tank (for many years of service), has the best warranty (bar none) and is the very BEST coffee mill I have ever owned. It is well worth the price of $199.00 (But remember, prices can range from $139.00 to $299.00. There ARE deals are out there. Good Luck. UPDATE 11/12/14: The lowest price that I can now find for this coffee mill is around $400.00 and the highest price is around $550.00 (YIKES!). My coffee mill is still working great (well over 8 years) but I would never buy another at that price. All those who have complained about the perceived petty flaws of this excellent coffee mill have forever missed out on a great investment as they are selling these USED for over twice the price that I paid for mine new.