diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/dispatch/MailboxConfigSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/dispatch/MailboxConfigSpec.scala
index 7a469868a4..5e08708037 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/dispatch/MailboxConfigSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/dispatch/MailboxConfigSpec.scala
@@ -173,11 +173,7 @@ class DefaultMailboxSpec extends MailboxSpec {
 }
 
 class PriorityMailboxSpec extends MailboxSpec {
-  val comparator = new java.util.Comparator[MessageInvocation] {
-    def compare(a: MessageInvocation, b: MessageInvocation): Int  = {
-      a.## - b.##
-    }
-  }
+  val comparator = PriorityGenerator(_.##)
   lazy val name = "The priority mailbox implementation"
   def factory = {
     case UnboundedMailbox(blockDequeue) =>
diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/dispatch/PriorityDispatcherSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/dispatch/PriorityDispatcherSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..383cf63f48
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/dispatch/PriorityDispatcherSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package akka.dispatch
+
+import akka.actor.Actor._
+import akka.actor.Actor
+import org.scalatest.WordSpec
+import org.scalatest.matchers.MustMatchers
+import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch
+
+class PriorityDispatcherSpec extends WordSpec with MustMatchers {
+
+  "A PriorityExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher" must {
+    "Order it's messages according to the specified comparator using an unbounded mailbox" in {
+      testOrdering(UnboundedMailbox(false))
+    }
+
+    "Order it's messages according to the specified comparator using a bounded mailbox" in {
+      testOrdering(BoundedMailbox(false,1000))
+    }
+  }
+
+  def testOrdering(mboxType: MailboxType) {
+    val dispatcher = new PriorityExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher("Test",
+          PriorityGenerator({
+            case i: Int => i //Reverse order
+            case 'Result => Int.MaxValue
+          }: Any => Int),
+          throughput = 1,
+          mailboxType = mboxType
+        )
+
+      val actor = actorOf(new Actor {
+        self.dispatcher = dispatcher
+        var acc: List[Int] = Nil
+
+        def receive = {
+          case i: Int      => acc = i :: acc
+          case 'Result     => self reply_? acc
+        }
+      }).start
+
+      dispatcher.suspend(actor) //Make sure the actor isn't treating any messages, let it buffer the incoming messages
+
+      val msgs = (1 to 100).toList
+      for(m <- msgs) actor ! m
+
+      dispatcher.resume(actor) //Signal the actor to start treating it's message backlog
+
+      actor.!!![List[Int]]('Result).await.result.get must be === (msgs.reverse)
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher.scala
index 4fec527642..019923b4b4 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher.scala
@@ -229,9 +229,39 @@ trait ExecutableMailbox extends Runnable { self: MessageQueue =>
   }
 }
 
+object PriorityGenerator {
+  /**
+   * Creates a PriorityGenerator that uses the supplied function as priority generator
+   */
+  def apply(priorityFunction: Any => Int): PriorityGenerator = new PriorityGenerator {
+    def gen(message: Any): Int = priorityFunction(message)
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Java API
+   * Creates a PriorityGenerator that uses the supplied function as priority generator
+   */
+  def apply(priorityFunction: akka.japi.Function[Any, Int]): PriorityGenerator = new PriorityGenerator {
+    def gen(message: Any): Int = priorityFunction(message)
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * A PriorityGenerator is a convenience API to create a Comparator that orders the messages of a
+ * PriorityExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher
+ */
+abstract class PriorityGenerator extends java.util.Comparator[MessageInvocation] {
+  def gen(message: Any): Int
+
+  final def compare(thisMessage: MessageInvocation, thatMessage: MessageInvocation): Int =
+    gen(thisMessage.message) - gen(thatMessage.message)
+}
+
 /**
  * A version of ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher that gives all actors registered to it a priority mailbox,
  * prioritized according to the supplied comparator.
+ *
+ * The dispatcher will process the messages with the _lowest_ priority first.
  */
 class PriorityExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher(
     name: String,
@@ -242,10 +272,10 @@ class PriorityExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher(
     config: ThreadPoolConfig = ThreadPoolConfig()
     ) extends ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher(name, throughput, throughputDeadlineTime, mailboxType, config) with PriorityMailbox {
 
-  def this(name: String, comparator: java.util.Comparator[MessageInvocation], throughput: Int, throughputDeadlineTime: Int, mailboxType: UnboundedMailbox) =
+  def this(name: String, comparator: java.util.Comparator[MessageInvocation], throughput: Int, throughputDeadlineTime: Int, mailboxType: MailboxType) =
     this(name, comparator, throughput, throughputDeadlineTime, mailboxType,ThreadPoolConfig())  // Needed for Java API usage
 
-  def this(name: String, comparator: java.util.Comparator[MessageInvocation], throughput: Int, mailboxType: UnboundedMailbox) =
+  def this(name: String, comparator: java.util.Comparator[MessageInvocation], throughput: Int, mailboxType: MailboxType) =
     this(name, comparator, throughput, Dispatchers.THROUGHPUT_DEADLINE_TIME_MILLIS, mailboxType) // Needed for Java API usage
 
   def this(name: String, comparator: java.util.Comparator[MessageInvocation], throughput: Int) =
@@ -258,6 +288,15 @@ class PriorityExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher(
     this(name, comparator, Dispatchers.THROUGHPUT, Dispatchers.THROUGHPUT_DEADLINE_TIME_MILLIS, Dispatchers.MAILBOX_TYPE) // Needed for Java API usage
 }
 
+
+/**
+ * Can be used to give an ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher's actors priority-enabled mailboxes
+ *
+ * Usage:
+ * new ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher(...) with PriorityMailbox {
+ *   val comparator = ...comparator that determines mailbox priority ordering...
+ * }
+ */
 trait PriorityMailbox { self: ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher =>
   def comparator: java.util.Comparator[MessageInvocation]