# Still Comparing Meat Grinders



## old sarge

I have been researching meat grinders of late.  LEM, Carnivore, Weston and tonight I stumbled upon the Guide Gear from Northern Tool.  Any of you folks got experience with this brand?  Looking at the #12 and not much in the way of reviews anywhere.  Thanks.


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## motocrash

old sarge,I'm in the same boat as you.The problem I'm having is a lot of the reviews of many brands read as if they were the pay to play type-we give you X amount toward merchandise from us to write a review.Here is one on the guide gear that is a prime example of what I speak of.
★★★★★★★★★★5 out of 5 stars.

 21 days ago  
*Outstanding Grinder!*
I can't be more pleased with the quality and ease of cleaning and use. This grinder is very well built and with stainless gear and front it is exceptional. I ground 30lbs. of venison in approximately 4 minutes. I never had to put pressure on the plunger nor did the grinder hesitate to quit feeding or grinding. I am very pleased with my purchase and can't say enough about this quality product. If your on the fence about buying this grinder or one in the $150 dollar range, don't waste your money and just buy this. You will not regret it and I expect to get many many years of use out of this work horse.


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## smokin pop-pop

Hey old sarge , don't know much about Northern Tool products, but I've been using everything from
Cabelas now for about 4 years with no problems , 10" slicer , 1/2 hp. grinder , 11 lb. stuffer & a
7 gal. meat mixer. A bunch of us got together last year and did approx. 80lbs of deer burger with
beef and bacon added in a day ( wife was sooooo happy that day , 5 guys ,2 cases of beer and meat
flying all over the kitchen !! ) but on a good note the grinder worked flawless. we did let it rest a couple
times but hey we probably did well over 100 lbs. of meat between the deer, beef and bacon, plus our beer
kept getting warm. Hope this helps, here is a pic ( sorry the slicer didn't make the picture )













smoking meat folder 077.jpg



__ smokin pop-pop
__ Jan 4, 2015


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## murraysmokin

Just got the 3/4 hp Carnivore and will continue to update my review as I use it more.


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## muddydogs

I'm still running the $100 LEM #8 575 grinder, got over 2000 lbs of meat through it without a problem. I started to grind my burger and sausage meat once just using the small plate and the grinder still grinds as fast as I can stuff the meat down the tube. Most of the time I'm grinding 50 to 100 pounds at a time with no breaks from start to finish.


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## bdskelly

Sarge. Good morning.  I’ve had my LEM big bite #8 for a number of years now. I couldn’t be happier. We use it a lot . Not just for sausage but I like to grind my own hamburger out of chuck.
Once we started grinding our own burger a breakfast sausage we never consider to buy it at the store every again. We know what’s in it. ... Better texture... Tastes so much better! We grind batches vac pack it and date it.


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## old sarge

I keep coming back to the models from LEM.  Real happy with the LEM vacuum sealer I bought last year.  But I have an open mind so no decision on brand reached yet. The tough part is I NEED an 8 but WANT a 12.


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## muddydogs

Sarge
If you have the cash for a 12 get the 12, no one ever complained that there tools were to big. The 12 will run faster and work less so in the end you'll be putting less strain on the 12 and should get a lot of use out of it.

If I ever kill off my grinder I will definitely set up to the 12 just to have the extra size and power.


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## murraysmokin

The 3/4 carnivor went through 20 lb butt, fine grind only who has time for double grinding, in about 10 min.  With my older one it would have taken me 45min more to grind plus a extra 20min to cut the meat smaller.  Agree with Muddydogs glad I went bigger than I originally planned.


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## old sarge

Decisions, decisions.  And now this!


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## old sarge

Just ordered the LEM Big Bite#8 from Mills Fleet Farm. On sale for $249.99 plus shipping.  Seems like a bargain.


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## ab canuck

you should be happy with it. I have the LEM 22. It works great and great customer service I had. A friend dropped the neck and egged/small dent in the part you insert into the drive. They had one ready to ship to him as a replacement. I ended up fixing it and no issue.


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## old sarge

Here is the link to the #8 at Fleet Farms for anyone interested.  The second link, for price comparison, is for the MightyBite #8 which has a two year warranty. Seemed to be a no brainer.  And yes, I do believe I am going to be very happy with it.

https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/le...780984844?bc=LEM&brandCrumb=4164077436&bn=lem

https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/lem-8-mighty-bite-grinder/0000000222839?Ntt=lem mighty bite 8


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## dward51

Didn't Guide Gear "used" to be the brand of Gander Mountain before they closed all their Gander Mountain stores last year.  I'm not sure how that brand ended up at Northern Tool.  Did they buy the remaining stock or are they just buying from the same maker (or are they even the exact same grinders?).  Not sure of any of those answers.

I almost bought one of the #12 stainless steel ones the last week of the Gander going out of business sale.  It was 60% off, but I really was wanting either the LEM #12 big bite of a Weston so I hesitated.  By the time I came back to that part of the store 15 minutes later, it was gone. 

Actually looking at a photo of the current #12 Guide Gear grinders, it is not the same as the one that I almost bought at Gander.  The one they had was an all stainless body and looked more like the same "make" as the Weston and Cabela's commercial ones (it was like $479 regular price for the #12).  So it appears to be different from the Northern Tool Guide Gear model.


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## old sarge

I did look long and hard at the Guide Gear as they, like the LEM, have a 5 year warranty.   Youtube is a great place to get an idea of how well something works in actual use - shake and shimmy, noise, etc. but nothing there for the GG. Lot's else though.  But I am very pleased with the  LEM MaxVac I bought and at the sale price for the BigBite#8, I just could not resist.


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## old sarge

The #8 arrived today.  While it will be a while before I put it to use, I am impressed with it's fit and finish and rather glad that I did not get the #12.  This model is more than large enough to fit my needs.


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## johnh12

In my younger years I went with quantity but now I go with quality. To me that means getting a machine that will do much more than planned. That way it isn't working as hard so will last much longer. In the rare event you want to max it out it'll handle things just fine.
Make your first grinder (substitute any item here) your last.
I got the Cabela's Carnivore 1.5 HP (#32) for my personal use. It will handle anything I want to throw in it and not even breath hard. The thing is a beast and will be around way past my lifetime!


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## bdskelly

You’re going to love it. Lots of LEM 8 owners here. Never really heard of a complaint.
I was also going to suggest you buy the LEM cleaning brush kit and a can of the LEM spray lube.  The brushes are just the right size for easy cleanup.


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## old sarge

That and the 1/4 inch plate are the next purchases.  Also, the new models have a bushing rather than the washers for the auger.  I asked about that and Ty at LEM told me folks were losing them so they went to putting a bushing in the auger head.  Seems thoughtful.


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## old sarge

Paid a quick on line visit to Pleasant Hill Grains and ordered the cleaning kit, 2 more knives (1 for each plate) and the 1/4 inch plate.  Free shipping.


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## bdskelly

Let me know how that 1/4 plate works Sarge.  What do you plan to use it for my friend?


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## old sarge

The grinder came with  3/8" and  3/16" plates which I suppose are just great for rough or fine grind.  The 1/4" plate will be for burgers. I hope.  I used a kitchenmaid grinder for several years but never satisfied.  Very slow and I cracked the plastic housing around the metal auger head twice.  Went to the cuisinart for grinding meat with great success for the last few years.  Then I got the itch and just had to get a proper grinder.  So it will be for burgers.  The fine plate for meats used in lumpia, wontons, and eventually sausage making.  For now though, just need the ability to prep and vac seal ground meat and freeze for future use.


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## James Coburn

My wife bought me a turboforce for Christmas about 5 years ago. I've been very pleased with it. I've ground about 20 deer through that thing. It takes meat faster than you can feed it.


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## old sarge

I did look at the grinders from STX as well as a few others of similar style.  Seem to have a good reputation.


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## fullsmoke

I have a lem #8 have used it a lot works good ran about 2300# through it but it’s time for a upgrade doing a lot of custom Meat orders so I going with a cabelas 1.75 hp can’t wait to get it and grind away!


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## old sarge

That ought to do the job.


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## old sarge

Today I ran meat through the grinder.  Not a large load.  We had a roast in the freezer and it became hamburger (sliders tonight). The machine ran quiet and produced a very nice grind.  Cleaned the parts and next ground up a pork shoulder that will be used for making lumpia.  Very impressed with the machine.


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## Easeful Kitchen

fullsmoke said:


> I have a lem #8 have used it a lot works good ran about 2300# through it but it’s time for a upgrade doing a lot of custom Meat orders so I going with a cabelas 1.75 hp can’t wait to get it and grind away!



Yes, It's really good.


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