# Is this stuffer any good?



## alelover (Oct 24, 2014)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-VIVO-Sa...el-3L-7LB-5-7-Pound-Meat-Filler-/361076648664

It has steel gears and looks like a pretty good deal.


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## timberjet (Oct 24, 2014)

Looks exactly like my weston. The only thing about those stuffers is the way the horn at the bottom is, you end up with about a pound of meat left in there when it is all said and done. No big deal though. Mine has worked it's way through some 100 pounds of sausage so far and has performed fine. You would have to get a smaller size tube than what comes with it for snack sticks. Once again no big deal.


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## tjohnson (Oct 24, 2014)

I got mine at Gander for $79 during a Black Friday Deal

Looks the same


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## ssbaldy (Apr 28, 2015)

Just got mine delivered yesterday. My boss gave out 'end of tax season' bonuses; mine was an Amazon gift card. I did offer the card to my wife to see if there was anything she wanted with it. She said no and that I could order what I wanted.  I have been looking at both this one and a LEM for a couple of months now and ended up ordering this one because of all the positive reviews. When it came and I unpacked it, my wife asked if we were going pro now. It looks as if it is built like a tank; strong, heavy, and the gears look pretty heavy duty. We were playing around cranking it up and down, and realized that it took a lot of cranking to get it back up from all the way down. Wife said, "why don't you just hook a drill to it". Light bulb! I obviously won't use it for the downward press, but I did hook a cordless drill to it, and it works. I know, I know, I will have to go slow and be really careful not to strip the gears, but it did seem as if it is something to ponder. I am hoping  to put some meat through it this weekend. I have only just started this journey into sausage making with a Kitchen Aid grinder, and stuffing has not been a pleasant experience. This should make it a lot better.


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## timberjet (Apr 28, 2015)

Ssbaldy said:


> Just got mine delivered yesterday. My boss gave out 'end of tax season' bonuses; mine was an Amazon gift card. I did offer the card to my wife to see if there was anything she wanted with it. She said no and that I could order what I wanted.  I have been looking at both this one and a LEM for a couple of months now and ended up ordering this one because of all the positive reviews. When it came and I unpacked it, my wife asked if we were going pro now. It looks as if it is built like a tank; strong, heavy, and the gears look pretty heavy duty. We were playing around cranking it up and down, and realized that it took a lot of cranking to get it back up from all the way down. Wife said, "why don't you just hook a drill to it". Light bulb! I obviously won't use it for the downward press, but I did hook a cordless drill to it, and it works. I know, I know, I will have to go slow and be really careful not to strip the gears, but it did seem as if it is something to ponder. I am hoping  to put some meat through it this weekend. I have only just started this journey into sausage making with a Kitchen Aid grinder, and stuffing has not been a pleasant experience. This should make it a lot better.


Nice! Hey before you use it make sure the gasket on the piston is right way around. I had to turn mine around as it came backwards when it was shipped. Just thought I would share. the groove should be facing down. Also lube everything up good with crisco or food grade grease.


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## ssbaldy (Apr 28, 2015)

Thanks for the tip....hadn't even thought of looking at that.


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## ssbaldy (May 5, 2015)

First use this weekend













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Boning out chicken thighs













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Chicken Thighs for italian breakfast and beef (pork also used) in German sausage













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German sausage stuffing













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Used a cordless drill to retract the piston. I can understand why they make 2 speed stuffers













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German Sausage in both sizes. I stuffed everything a little too tight...made it hard to twist with out blowing them out













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Finished German sausage after coming out of smoker (5 hour smoke)













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Sorry..no photos of finished chicken sausage. First time using chicken; overstuffed and had blow out on the breakfast links during poaching. Some came out ok, with good flavor, but I think I got everything a little too wet. 

Stuffer review: Wow, why did I wait so long to get a dedicated stuffer. This one did a great job, but cranking the piston all the way back up is a pain. The cordless drill worked really well, but I am going to have to be careful when using it. It's a simple matter to change between the drill and the handle. There was some meat left in the barrel, but there is plenty of room to get in and clean it out and make patties with it. The casings went on the plastic tubes really easily (however, I am just using collagen casings until I get the basics down, but I don't see that naturals would be a problem). All in all, a great machine. It sure made it a lot more fun than struggling with a KA grinder/stuffer.


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## timberjet (May 6, 2015)

Ssbaldy said:


> First use this weekend
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hog casings are easy to work with, in fact if you soak them well enough I like them better than collagen.


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 6, 2015)

timberjet said:


> Hog casings are easy to work with, in fact if you soak them well enough I like them better than collagen.



I'll second that. If you have good quality hog casings, and as mentioned soak them properly I have found that I get less blow outs. They are easier to link than collagen. Better end product. I do use the collagen though for the chicken as my wife freaks out about the hog casings...


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## pc farmer (May 6, 2015)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> I'll second that. If you have good quality hog casings, and as mentioned soak them properly I have found that I get less blow outs. They are easier to link than collagen. Better end product. I do use the collagen though for the chicken as my wife freaks out about the hog casings...



My wife is very picky about the casings.  I stuff then in the fridge overnight uncovered.  They get a great snap to them.


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