We have a LeCrueset grill pan and I am meaning to get the matching lid like that.

I usually use the George Forman grill!

Similar to gsciencechick, we also have a grill pan similar to that, but without the lid...and use our electric Breville Panini Grill for sandwiches.

I have Le Creuset, but my press seems to have disappeared in the move back into the new kitchen!! If the handle on the press pictured doesn't get hot, it should be fine, but it also looks a bit thin. Remember, you're heating it on a separate burner, so it needs enough mass to hold the heat well, and should be cast iron or a similar poor conductor, rather than a quick heat/quick cool substance. Also, in my opinion, the press should be heavy for good results.

So its two votes for a Le Creuset.

To replace your lost press, you can always do like my wife's friend does and use an aluminum foil covered brick (so ghetto).

If you decide to go the electric route, I'm crazy about my Cuisinart Griddler.... there are different sizes (get the biggest).

I've given two of my sons Griddlers for gifts too. We all use them way more than I'd have ever thought.

Even heat and everytime the insides of the sandwiches get melted and the bread crispy but not burnt. When I used a pan with press on top, I was always having trouble regulating the heat and keeping the top hot enough for a thick sandwich.

We have the smaller Breville panini press - my husband thought it was stupid when I bought it for Christmas and now he loves it. As with the Cuisinart mentioned above, the top heats as well so it cooks evenly. These are listed for $99.95 but almost always "on sale" for $69.95.

We have the A-C pan shown in the pic you posted robj. Got it for "free" as a bonus with A-C set purchase. It works fine for us.

The press is cast iron, the grill pan is not.

LOL!!! Rob, thanks for the tip, but my favorite part is the caramelized lines from the grid. :) My press has to be around here somewhere--it disappeared between the living room and kitchen!! It's probably on a high shelf behind the chargers or something because it was in a box with planters, rather than pots. I remember it being unpacked long before the pots... :(

George Foreman is so versatile. Makes delicious paninis (the weight is just right to press but not mash sandwiches, and it's perfect for grilling up a piece of fish or chicken if only one of us is home for dinner. Even if I didn't already own one, I'd buy it before a dedicated stovetop grill press.

I asked the guy at the sandwich shop where I often get paninis what they used and he took me back in the kitchen to show me. Its a big commercial electric unit. I guess one of the electric units mentioned above would be most similar.

Thanks for all the replies!

If you're considering electric, I have to tell you my Breville story.

I bought our first one on Ebay for $20. Several months later one of the kids dropped it and the handle broke. We used it all the time, so I contacted Breville to see about getting a new handle. Even though I bought it on Ebay, and I told them how the handle got broken, they insisted on sending me a whole new unit, BUT...the model I had was no longer current, so 'would I mind if they sent the new one?' It was a larger and better featured model with the retail at $99. I thought we might be able to 'suffer through' and deal with that. :-) It is better than the first one, which we loved.

Breville sure made a fan of me, and I've heard other similar stories about how they stand behind their products and expect them to last for people.

OK rhome, you sold me.

Just won a Breville Panini Press (the Williams-Sonoma model) on eBay.

Thanks everyone for your input!