# 20 lb manual meat mixers?  any difference between brands?



## gearloose (Jun 26, 2017)

Or are they all the same mixer sold by different companies?  The ones from Cabelas, LEM, TSM, Northern Tool, etc. all look identical, but the price varies quite a bit between $149.00 to $69.00.

The Kitchener from Northern Tool is advertised as a 17 lb. capacity mixer and is currently $69.99.  Product photos look identical to the 20 lb. mixers.  Size specs are measured differently, so it is not possible to do a direct A-B comparison.

Yeah, everyone says they are a pain to clean, but so is everything involved with sausage making.  I have elbow length insulated gloves, so the cold from hand mixing is not an issue.  The muscle cramps and joint aches are.


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## tallbm (Jun 26, 2017)

gearloose said:


> Or are they all the same mixer sold by different companies? The ones from Cabelas, LEM, TSM, Northern Tool, etc. all look identical, but the price varies quite a bit between $149.00 to $69.00.
> 
> The Kitchener from Northern Tool is advertised as a 17 lb. capacity mixer and is currently $69.99. Product photos look identical to the 20 lb. mixers. Size specs are measured differently, so it is not possible to do a direct A-B comparison.
> 
> Yeah, everyone says they are a pain to clean, but so is everything involved with sausage making. I have elbow length insulated gloves, so the cold from hand mixing is not an issue. The muscle cramps and joint aches are.


I've only ever owned a Northern Tool version but I looked at a few and they all look the same.

Cleaning was my #1 complaint.  The #2 complaint was the fact that you will only be able to fit about 3 pounds less than what the capacity is.  So if you are making 20 pounds of sausage you won't be mixing 20 pounds you will be mixing 17 max.  I did not like that.

I sold my mixer and now use a different solution.

I bought a chorded drill, a stainless steel or aluminum sheet rock mud mixer, and a 7 gallon food grade bucket.  

I throw the ground meat/fat into the bucket, poor in the seasoning, and use the drill with the mud mixer paddle like a giant egg beater to mix it all.  I hold the bucket with my feet from spinning.  MUCH easier to clean and gets the job done super well!

Imagine this thing in a 9 amp chorded drill mixing sausage and seasoning in a large bucket :)













35EM39_AS01?$zmmain$



__ tallbm
__ Jun 5, 2017


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## gearloose (Jun 26, 2017)

Looks like you found a solution that works for you!  For the foreseeable future, I'll be limiting myself to 10-15 lb. batches, and mostly 10 lb.  The 5 lb. batches I can hand mix easily enough.  I only have a 5 lb stuffer and do not have a separate cooler/refrigerator.  There's only so much meat I can put in the refrigerator before SWMBO starts to object.

Other than cleanup, did you have any issues with the Northern Tool mixer?  It's on sale for $69.99 right now.


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## tallbm (Jun 26, 2017)

gearloose said:


> Looks like you found a solution that works for you!  For the foreseeable future, I'll be limiting myself to 10-15 lb. batches, and mostly 10 lb.  The 5 lb. batches I can hand mix easily enough.  I only have a 5 lb stuffer and do not have a separate cooler/refrigerator.  There's only so much meat I can put in the refrigerator before SWMBO starts to object.
> 
> Other than cleanup, did you have any issues with the Northern Tool mixer?  It's on sale for $69.99 right now.


Do issues other than inability to reach max capacity and cleaning.  Well a minor issue is that it may have some rough edges but hit it with sand paper or a file and you can work those out so you don't cut your hands lugging it around.  Also don't lose any of the small pieces that make up the handle spinning mechanism.


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## gearloose (Jun 28, 2017)

Got it ordered this morning for the $69.99 sale price, but ended up spending $90.78 total after adding shipping and sales tax. (NH store in Wichita)  Still, considerably better price than the other guys.


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## tallbm (Jun 28, 2017)

Word to the wise, it is not dishwasher "safe".  It will get some scummy gray film if you try to wash any of the parts in the dishwasher.  Best method is to get a bucket for all the stuff that comes apart and use a water hose to clean out in the yard.


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## gearloose (Jun 28, 2017)

TallBM said:


> Word to the wise, it is not dishwasher "safe".  It will get some scummy gray film if you try to wash any of the parts in the dishwasher.  Best method is to get a bucket for all the stuff that comes apart and use a water hose to clean out in the yard.


Thanks for the tip!  I never try to wash any of my sausage making equipment in the dishwasher.  the cranky old worn out POS barely does dishes.


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## hank2000 (Dec 28, 2017)

How did it work


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## gearloose (Dec 30, 2017)

hank2000 said:


> How did it work


If you are asking me, it works great & I have used it several times.  It is sturdy & stable.  It does a good job of mixing.  I keep a large spatula at hand to scrape down the sides and keep the stuff from building up in the corners.  A few cranks in reverse every little bit helps also.  Cleanup is no big deal at all.  I just toss it all in the kitchen sink and grab a stainless steel scrub pad and the dish soap.  It only takes a few minutes.  Unfortunately, Northern has switched brands and the bargain price is gone.  Different brand, but appears to be the same mixer.  I suspect that all of these 20 lb. hand-crank mixers, regardless of brand label, come from the same factory.


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