mummel
Master of the Pit
Wow this one is only $90 vs the LEM at $150. No contest. Where can I buy aftermarket stainless steel gears?
OK , Best stuffer by far.
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timberjet
Master of the Pit
The Weston stuffer is the same price and has metal gears. By the time you get new gears if you can you will probably have paid that much. On the other hand if you don't bottom the piston out and keep trying to crank the handle the plastic gears will last forever.
smokin' burt
Smoke Blower
STAY AWAY from Sausage Maker's vertical stuffers with the polymer gears!! I have their 15 lb. stuffer and had problems with it after having stuffed less than 50 lbs. of Bologna I broke a tooth on one of the gears. Because it was off warranty, the Manager of their local store offered to replace the gears for me for $25, which was the cost of the gears. I got it back and a few weeks later was making a batch of venison bologna for my Bro-in-law and it wouldn't push the meat out of the cylinder because the new gears literally skipped over each other. I was PI$$ED to say the least! I managed to stuff his bologna logs with my big Hobart grinder after having to build a fire in the garage so I could work out there as it was in the low teens that evening.
I called their home office in Buffalo that next day and they told me that the local manager has no authority to do repairs and it should be sent back to them. They repaired it free of charge but I had to ship it to them on my dime. It appears as though they welded a stainless spacer on the riser so that the gears would not be able to move away from each other when the handle is turned. I have not used it since but may in the near future as I have some ground venison left that I want to use up.
Overall I'm just not impressed with their models which have polymer gears. My neighbor had one of their earlier models which had steel gears and never had a problem. I know they went with the molded gears to reduce manufacturing costs, but unfortunately they sacrificed quality in doing so.
SMB
I called their home office in Buffalo that next day and they told me that the local manager has no authority to do repairs and it should be sent back to them. They repaired it free of charge but I had to ship it to them on my dime. It appears as though they welded a stainless spacer on the riser so that the gears would not be able to move away from each other when the handle is turned. I have not used it since but may in the near future as I have some ground venison left that I want to use up.
Overall I'm just not impressed with their models which have polymer gears. My neighbor had one of their earlier models which had steel gears and never had a problem. I know they went with the molded gears to reduce manufacturing costs, but unfortunately they sacrificed quality in doing so.
SMB
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mummel
Master of the Pit
smokin' burt
Smoke Blower
So who offers them at a reasonable price??... We all know stainless is the way to go for food prep, etc., but who offers something reasonably priced for the home sausage maker that has stainless gears? Sorry, but I've only dealt with polymer gears and they suck. If I ever buy something I want to last, or if I want to start making volume, I'll buy something from F. Dick, Koch, or comparable. The only problem there is, you're gonna pay high $$$ because it's quality.
SMB
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I'll still stick with my Kitchener I got on sale... I mean, most folks are not doing sausage every week or two ! Well, except Gary S, that guys a sausage makin machine as of late... LOL. BTW, he has just as I do a Kitchener grinder & stuffer.... My last comment in this thread, but again I think folks are overthinkin the plastic gears... Again, have not had any issues at all ! Slow up when your plunger gets close to the bottom ! My last 2 cents !
msuiceman
Meat Mopper
timberjet
Master of the Pit
stainless is just chrome plating on gears. carbon steel will run just fine until you are long gone if properly aligned and running with some lube. I can't see how this medieval looking thing would ever break as long as I don't have a overachiever on the on the handle.
voodoochile
Meat Mopper
fiber gears work ok UNTIL you try to stuff snack stix ........... then they wont last long,ask me how I know
...... if you are just stuffing brats and salamis fiber gears are ok
smokin' burt
Smoke Blower
Well if it's any consolation to ya, I usually make sausage in batches anywhere from 10 - 50 lbs. and can't imagine doing a 50 lb. batch on my Maverick Kitchen grinder... I could grow a beard quicker!! I use it for small chores like making some bacon burger or making a few lbs. of something special. If I'm stuffing in hog casing I use the Hobart for large batches and the stuffer for small batches. I also use lubriplate on my gears and I marked the threads of the shaft with a paint stick about 1-1/2" from where the piston on my stuffer will bottom out, just so we know when you're getting close. My wife is usually the one cranking the handle and she has a good feel for it, I think I just managed to get a lemon with the stuffer I have. My friends and I get together after deer season and routinely make 100 or more lbs. so we stuff right out of my Hobart because it's so much faster.
And I'm a firm believer in mixing cold water into my sausage prior to stuffing. I noticed our leeks (ramps) are up in full force... Hmmmm... chicken sausage with fresh leeks anyone?
SMB
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voodoochile
Meat Mopper
knotfree
Fire Starter
I got an exceptional deal today on 2 of the LEM 15lb stuffers at a liquidation place. $129.00 canadian each with taxes. Have wanted one with a lower gearing for doing snack sticks ..Sold the spare to a cousin.(at cost)
mummel
Master of the Pit
westby
Smoking Fanatic
Weston 11 lb vertical dual speed stuffer. I've had no issues at all with mine and I really like the larger capacity.
http://www.westonsupply.com/11-lb-Vertical-Sausage-Stuffer-p/86-1101-w.htm
http://www.westonsupply.com/11-lb-Vertical-Sausage-Stuffer-p/86-1101-w.htm
westby
Smoking Fanatic
Cabelas and Gander Mountain rebrand everything and they sure do look just like the LEM stuffers. I'm 95% sure they are all the come off the same assembly line (with maybe a few minor details changed).
Cabelas, Gander Mountain and LEM 5 # stuffers with metal gears....ARE THESE ALL THE SAME, they sure look that way even in person????
Take a look at the Weston 11 lb vertical stuffer. For 150 bucks, it sure seems a lot better built than the ones you listed. It is more like the commercial grade stuffers that Cabelas lists in the 300 range.
You are about to see some really great prices in a month. Black Friday and cyber Monday usually mean up to 20% and/or free freight.
I know last year I held out and saved over 100.00 I think on my grinder.
I know last year I held out and saved over 100.00 I think on my grinder.
mummel
Master of the Pit
You will probably also want the breakfast sausage tube at some point. Cant remember the exact diameter, but I think it was ~$20 just for that tube, so that that into account when buying. A stuffer with the breakfast sausage tube is a plus.
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