# #12 Grinder, LEM or Cabela's?



## diggingdogfarm

What's your opinion?


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## pops6927

I have the #22 1 hp Cabela's and it is great, as is the excellent customer service also!  The 1 hp is powerful enough to run the 44 lb. mixer; something I haven't acquired... yet... lol!


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## diggingdogfarm

I just noticed that the Cabela's #12 is on sale for $329.99, with $2 shipping until the 28th, plus an $8 oversize fee.
That's a pretty good deal!

The 20 lb. hand mixer is also on sale....$99.99


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## boykjo

Like pops I have the 1 hp and love it.... All the cabelas commercial grade grinders have had great reveiws from what I have read. Very High quality IMO. Any one of them would be a good choice and a good deal with the sale and the discounted shipping...

Joe


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## 02ebz06

I have the Lem # 8.  A little smaller that you are looking at but...

Purchased for $272.xx online (free shipping).

Only had it a week, used once,  very solid unit.

All metal, no plastic (except stuffer tubes)

There is a good demo/evaluation of it on Youtube.

Lem makes a decent product, I would expect the #12 to be as well built as the #8.


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## pineywoods

I've had a #32 LEM for many years and it's a good grinder but I think if I were to buy a new grinder today it would be the Cabela's I think they are just as well made and it seems they have more attachments available if you want to add them in the future. They also seem to go on sale more often


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## bmudd14474

I have the Cabela's. I really like it. Only thing I suggest you purchase for it is the foot pedal. Helps alot.


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## chefrob

i've had my LEM and it is well built and i have had no issues with it. i'm sure cabellas makes a good unit as well. i do like the "big bite" auger on the LEM. i guess a deciding factoe for me would be do you live near a bass pro or cabella's? if you do then you could just walk in and get parts and such at anytime. i happen to have both in my area but bass pro is about 20 miles closer so i went with LEM.


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## diggingdogfarm

Unfortunately, the closest Bass Pro Shops is 100 miles, and Cabela's a little over 200.


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## doctord1955

They are both great grinders, but if u regrind your meat i would go with the Lem!


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## diggingdogfarm

Hmmmm...interesting.
Here's a video that compares the Cabela's auger to the LEM Big Bite auger.


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## boykjo

Right now the 1hp is 200 extra bucks plus shipping for the lem big bite compared to the cabelas..... the lem looks great but I have no complaints with the cabelas 1hp.... I dont have any problems with the meat not feeding..Maybe it does with the smaller models. My hole in my grinder is pretty large........

Joe


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## diggingdogfarm

Right now there's about a $50 difference (including shipping) between the 3/4 hp #12 LEM and Cabela's.
I still can't make up my mind! LOL


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## bmudd14474

Mine is the 1/2 hp #8 and I have no problem getting it to feed. 

Ita a tough decision. But either will treat you good.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## bpoppp

Thanks for sharing that. We are going to be grinding alot of lamb and was curious as to Lem's "Big Bite" auger. I get tired of forcing meat into my grinder. -Bill


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## bmudd14474

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Hmmmm...interesting.
> Here's a video that compares the Cabela's auger to the LEM Big Bite auger.




If you look close at that video the pieces of meat he was putting thru the Cabela's seemed 2 times bigger than what he was using for the LEM. If he would of used the same size meat you would see a good comparison


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## diggingdogfarm

Yeah, the meat going through the LEM is smaller, because the throat is smaller. LOL
At this point, I'm back to leaning toward the Cabela's.


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## diggingdogfarm

Warranties:
LEM: *"2 years parts and labor."*
Cabela's: *"The warranty is 5 years against defects in the workmanship, under normal wear and tear.  It is for replacement or parts."*

Another plus for Cabela's.


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## msiferllc

In my opinion, go with the LEM grinder.  I sell these for a living, I read reviews constantly, and I know how well made the LEM brand grinders are.  Plus, you get a 2 year warranty with the machine.  I don't want to place my link (made that mistake once), so DM me if you want some more info.


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## msiferllc

msiferllc said:


> In my opinion, go with the LEM grinder.  I sell these for a living, I read reviews constantly, and I know how well made the LEM brand grinders are.  Plus, you get a 2 year warranty with the machine.  I don't want to place my link (made that mistake once), so DM me if you want some more info.




Have to edit my previous comment.  I wasn't aware Cabela's grinder has a 5 year warranty.

I would go read reviews.  You will find a lot of complaints that the Cabela's grinders seem to be cheap grinders.  LEM has its negative reviews as well, but overall my impression has always been that LEM grinders are much better.


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## BGKYSmoker

Both the LEM and Cabelas grinders are good. When or if my Cabelas decides to crapout im going with the LEM.


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## boykjo

bmudd14474 said:


> If you look close at that video the pieces of meat he was putting thru the Cabela's seemed 2 times bigger than what he was using for the LEM. If he would of used the same size meat you would see a good comparison




I agree brian......... Looking at the auger the angle of the screw on the lem  you would loose the forward bite unless they are letting it grab the meat and move it forward to where the screw is closer together like the cabelas......


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## diggingdogfarm

I've read the reviews.

That's why it's so difficult to make a decision.

Honestly, I'm a bit down on LEM because of a few bad experiences recently.

They've had some essential products on back order for months, without proper notice on their website.
That caused me some un-necessary problems.

I bought a LEM #10//#12 stainless steel manual grinder for camp recently and that was nothing but a total piece of junk.
The collar would not screw on far enough to bring the the knife up tight against the the plate, making the grinder totally worthless.
That got sent back.

I bought a 1/4" grinding plate from them a few months ago and a flake of metal came off the face of the plate the first time I used it!!!
I've never seen anything like that happen before.

So, I'm not currently overly impressed with their commitment to quality and customer service.


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## JckDanls 07

Welp...  It sounds like ya just need to go ahead and order the best one then...  Cabelas...  as mentioned above there are MANY attachments you can get as well for any of the commercial grade Cabelas grinders...


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## couger78

Both make fine grinders. I don't think you'll be disappointed with either one you choose.

I was in the same boat you are (narrowed it down to the LEM bigbite vs cabela).

What tipped the scale in favor of cabela's was the price discount on a like-new refurbed unit.($429 > $279); The NEW units are now on sale!

Kevin


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## boykjo




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## pops6927

My next one will probably be a Hobart 2-3 hp table top rebuilt with a refurb head.  I ran several of those in smaller meat shops and they were fast and dependable; you could stuff sausage as fast as you could shove it down the throat!  And, grind half boneless necks and half shanks at a time too.


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## lbv1983

Hi Martin,

This is a review I wrote of the LEM #12 Meat Grinder.  I absolutely love this grinder and I am very hard to please! I'm sure Cabela's grinder is excellent as well, but I personally can't ask for anything else out of a #12 electric meat grinder.

I hope it is okay for me to repost this here - the words are my own.

*LEM Products .75 HP Stainless Steel Electric Meat Grinder:* This is a beast of a grinder! It has so much power that it doesn't even finish stretching when I run 20 lbs of pork butt or 15 lbs of beef chuck through it, let alone get a workout. The entire unit is beautiful, strong, and sanitary stainless steel. It feels overbuilt in every way. I can't imagine anything breaking on it.

It is a heavy unit, but not so heavy that it can not be moved. Bear in mind, however that I am a 200 lbs 28 year old guy.

I purchased several extra grinding plates and stainless steel knives and they are all of the highest quality - in line with the quality of the grinder. I also purchased the LEM meat lug with lid and it is also great, just a bit too tall to fit under the grinding plate.

The Big Bite technology is great. It sucks down the meat so fast that there is little to no need to pre-freeze your meat or use the tamper.

I only have one issue with the grinder: It's made in China. That said, I can not imagine finding a grinder of this quality manufactured in the West, believe me, I've looked. I purchased a TSM 5 lbs deluxe sausage stuffer specifically because it was made in the U.S.A. and the quality of the LEM grinder far exceeds the quality of the TSM stuffer. The TSM stuffer is a wonderful product, and I recommend it to anyone, but I feel the comparison helps show just how spectacular this LEM grinder is. Even my Grandfather, who was a butcher for 50 years loves this grinder - and he never likes anything...

I purchased the Meat Grinder attachment for my Swedish built Electrolux Assistent mixer - a fabulous product in its own right - but it is a toy compared to this grinder. I wish I purchased the LEM grinder first and saved myself $200.

If you want a meat grinder of the highest quality at a great price, purchase the LEM #12 Stainless Steel Grinder; you will never look back.

Don't worry about the noise. This machine is not much louder than my grandmother's 1980 Kitchenaid (Hobart) Standmixer.


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## diggingdogfarm

Thanks!
I sure sure appreciate it!

I've decided that the LEM is probably the best and that's what I intend to go with when I cough up the extra money.


~Martin


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## lbv1983

I honestly can't imagine it will disappoint you.   I cringed a bit when I saw the $397 price tag on Amazon, but now that I own it, I believe it is an exceptional deal.  If the grinder were run over by a bus (one of the only things I imagine could break it), I would replace it in a heartbeat.

Pleasanthillgrain had the best price around on stainless steel grinder plates and knives, but it looks like they recently increased their prices by several dollars.  You might want to consider them for accessories when the time comes to replace knives and plates.  Their customer services is beyond belief and they have free shipping on orders over $99. 

Let us know how your thoughts when the grinder arrives.


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## diggingdogfarm

I watch eBay closely for deals on plates and such.
About 4 months ago, we got 4 brand new #12 SS plates for a total of $24 shipped!

I'll probably spring for the grinder soon.

~Martin


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## lbv1983

Wow that's a great deal!  I paid $15.99 each for a #12 - 1/2" and a 1/4" Stainless Steel Grinding Plate and $10.99 each for 4 Stainless Steel knives and I thought that was a steal...


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## diggingdogfarm

Yeah, I was surprised!

The guy had bought the wrong size and apparently nobody else noticed the auction.

I've bought #12 knives for $9.95 off eBay with free shipping.


~Martin


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## bamafan

Glad I saw this thread. I'm in the same boat. It looks like the cabala's #22 467.49 plus 30 dollars shipping. Lem"s # 22 at Bass Pro 549.99.with free site to store. I have a bass Pro 25 miles away and get 10 % military discount. Can't decide either. Do I reall need the 22 or would the 12 work for casual use??????????????? Decisions, decisions. Academy Sports has the LEM #12 for 399 plus free shipping?


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## mrh

I have the 3/4 horse Cabelas and my Brother has the 3/4 horse LEM... I wouldn't be be afraid of either of them, very comparable in performance.  I guess it would depend on price and what is easiest for you to get.

Mark


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## JckDanls 07

BAMAFAN said:


> Glad I saw this thread. I'm in the same boat. It looks like the cabala's #22 467.49 plus 30 dollars shipping. Lem"s # 22 at Bass Pro 549.99.with free site to store. I have a bass Pro 25 miles away and get 10 % military discount. Can't decide either. Do I reall need the 22 or would the 12 work for casual use??????????????? Decisions, decisions. Academy Sports has the LEM #12 for 399 plus free shipping?



Tim..  I have the 1/2 hp Cabelas Commercial Grade..  it's more than enough for what we do...


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## markf

I've got a 1HP Cabelas and it's an absolute beast of a grinder. It'll eat fist sized chunks of meat all day long and never stress one bit.


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## gomez93

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Hmmmm...interesting.
> Here's a video that compares the Cabela's auger to the LEM Big Bite auger.



How do you think the test would have went if he had used the same size strips of meat on both?


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## diggingdogfarm

Gomez93 said:


> DiggingDogFarm said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hmmmm...interesting.
> 
> Here's a video that compares the Cabela's auger to the LEM Big Bite auger.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How do you think the test would have went if he had used the same size strips of meat on both?
Click to expand...



The pieces are cut to fit the throat....the LEM has a smaller throat than the Cabela's.
I've used both grinders....I prefer the LEM.


~Martin


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## woodcutter

My family is getting together to make sausage early in Feb. We will have 2- #22 grinders, Cabelas's and the LEM Big Bite there. We can see which one gets through 20 lbs of meat first.


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## diggingdogfarm

What's your opinion?


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## pops6927

I have the #22 1 hp Cabela's and it is great, as is the excellent customer service also!  The 1 hp is powerful enough to run the 44 lb. mixer; something I haven't acquired... yet... lol!


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## diggingdogfarm

I just noticed that the Cabela's #12 is on sale for $329.99, with $2 shipping until the 28th, plus an $8 oversize fee.
That's a pretty good deal!

The 20 lb. hand mixer is also on sale....$99.99


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## boykjo

Like pops I have the 1 hp and love it.... All the cabelas commercial grade grinders have had great reveiws from what I have read. Very High quality IMO. Any one of them would be a good choice and a good deal with the sale and the discounted shipping...

Joe


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## 02ebz06

I have the Lem # 8.  A little smaller that you are looking at but...

Purchased for $272.xx online (free shipping).

Only had it a week, used once,  very solid unit.

All metal, no plastic (except stuffer tubes)

There is a good demo/evaluation of it on Youtube.

Lem makes a decent product, I would expect the #12 to be as well built as the #8.


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## pineywoods

I've had a #32 LEM for many years and it's a good grinder but I think if I were to buy a new grinder today it would be the Cabela's I think they are just as well made and it seems they have more attachments available if you want to add them in the future. They also seem to go on sale more often


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## bmudd14474

I have the Cabela's. I really like it. Only thing I suggest you purchase for it is the foot pedal. Helps alot.


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## chefrob

i've had my LEM and it is well built and i have had no issues with it. i'm sure cabellas makes a good unit as well. i do like the "big bite" auger on the LEM. i guess a deciding factoe for me would be do you live near a bass pro or cabella's? if you do then you could just walk in and get parts and such at anytime. i happen to have both in my area but bass pro is about 20 miles closer so i went with LEM.


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## diggingdogfarm

Unfortunately, the closest Bass Pro Shops is 100 miles, and Cabela's a little over 200.


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## doctord1955

They are both great grinders, but if u regrind your meat i would go with the Lem!


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## diggingdogfarm

Hmmmm...interesting.
Here's a video that compares the Cabela's auger to the LEM Big Bite auger.


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## boykjo

Right now the 1hp is 200 extra bucks plus shipping for the lem big bite compared to the cabelas..... the lem looks great but I have no complaints with the cabelas 1hp.... I dont have any problems with the meat not feeding..Maybe it does with the smaller models. My hole in my grinder is pretty large........

Joe


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## diggingdogfarm

Right now there's about a $50 difference (including shipping) between the 3/4 hp #12 LEM and Cabela's.
I still can't make up my mind! LOL


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## bmudd14474

Mine is the 1/2 hp #8 and I have no problem getting it to feed. 

Ita a tough decision. But either will treat you good.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## bpoppp

Thanks for sharing that. We are going to be grinding alot of lamb and was curious as to Lem's "Big Bite" auger. I get tired of forcing meat into my grinder. -Bill


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## bmudd14474

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Hmmmm...interesting.
> Here's a video that compares the Cabela's auger to the LEM Big Bite auger.




If you look close at that video the pieces of meat he was putting thru the Cabela's seemed 2 times bigger than what he was using for the LEM. If he would of used the same size meat you would see a good comparison


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## diggingdogfarm

Yeah, the meat going through the LEM is smaller, because the throat is smaller. LOL
At this point, I'm back to leaning toward the Cabela's.


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## diggingdogfarm

Warranties:
LEM: *"2 years parts and labor."*
Cabela's: *"The warranty is 5 years against defects in the workmanship, under normal wear and tear.  It is for replacement or parts."*

Another plus for Cabela's.


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## msiferllc

In my opinion, go with the LEM grinder.  I sell these for a living, I read reviews constantly, and I know how well made the LEM brand grinders are.  Plus, you get a 2 year warranty with the machine.  I don't want to place my link (made that mistake once), so DM me if you want some more info.


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## msiferllc

msiferllc said:


> In my opinion, go with the LEM grinder.  I sell these for a living, I read reviews constantly, and I know how well made the LEM brand grinders are.  Plus, you get a 2 year warranty with the machine.  I don't want to place my link (made that mistake once), so DM me if you want some more info.




Have to edit my previous comment.  I wasn't aware Cabela's grinder has a 5 year warranty.

I would go read reviews.  You will find a lot of complaints that the Cabela's grinders seem to be cheap grinders.  LEM has its negative reviews as well, but overall my impression has always been that LEM grinders are much better.


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