I highly prefer the metal filters vs the paper ones. Paper absorbs the flavor and also breaks down, so you have little pieces of paper in your coffee.
I put the paper filter in a gold filter. I know some people use only the gold filter but I find little bits of the coffee grounds come through and settle on the bottom. Agree about the taste of paper from some filters, especially the brown ones. Terrible. I get no paper taste from the ones I use.
I’m currently eyeing a hand grinder made with a ceramic burrs. Expensive though. It would be handy if the power goes out. I don’t want to have to take a hammer to beans just to get a coffee fix.