Sausage stuffer question


 
T

T Perkins

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Looking at buying a sausage stuffer for the first time. I see some of these "low end" models that are made from cast iron and run about $40. Wondering if there is an advantage to using one made from stainless steel, even if it costs a bit more? Or if the cheaper units are just not as good or easy to use as say one of the 5lb vertical stuffers.

Im just looking to make brats and sausages a few times a year, probably in 10-20lb amounts at a time.

Or should I just bite the bullet and buy a good LEM vertical stuffer because they are that much better and easy to use.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">as say one of the 5lb vertical stuffers. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I use a 5 lb vert and they are the way to go. If you plan to do 20 lb batches, you may want to look into something bigger than the 5 lb as they are kind of a pain to repeatedly load.
 
I've got one of the 5lb Lem units sitting in a box and hope to put it to work very soon.
I'd say spend a few extra $$ and buy the right tool the first time.
My
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with most things in life.

Couple options here & here.
 
I hear a lot of complaints from people using the $40 type stuffers where you provide the lever power to directly squeeze the meat into a narrow tube. It takes a lot of effort.

Grizzly is a company that is primarily known for power tools, but they actually sell a few meat processing items, and one is a 5lb vertical stuffer for about $75. It works very well, and if you only make 10-20 pound batches a few times a year, it's not worth the expense for a bigger machine. Yes, reloading it with more meat means a little bit of work, but it's no big deal. I love the control you get with these types of units and highly recommend them.
 
"Buy quality, cry once". It's better to spend that extra money now on an item that will last you for a long time compared to buying something cheap and having to replace it within a year.
 
the cast iron lever stuffers reportedly have a problem with the seal between the "piston" and the body of the stuffer meaning that meat will squeeze back through gaps when you compress it.

Get a vertical piston stuffer with a nice clean gasket seal and you won't regret it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Martin S:
I hear a lot of complaints from people using the $40 type stuffers where you provide the lever power to directly squeeze the meat into a narrow tube. It takes a lot of effort.

Grizzly is a company that is primarily known for power tools, but they actually sell a few meat processing items, and one is a 5lb vertical stuffer for about $75.
It works very well, and if you only make 10-20 pound
batches a few times a year, it's not worth the expense
for a bigger machine. Yes, reloading it with more meat
means a little bit of work, but it's no big deal. I
love the control you get with these types of units and
highly recommend them. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I also have this stuffer & it works well
 
Is the Grizzly unit the same as the LEM unit, just without the LEM brand name on it? They look pretty darn similar as far as I can see.
 
My suspicion is that they all come out of the same plant in china and everybody rebrands them.

My wife spent a lot on one from the sausage maker (double the price of LEM/grizzly) and its not different as far as I can tell.

The sausage maker has a local showroom and the guy their actually recommends not getting the unit with metal gears. Something about they tend to bind unlike the plastic gears that give a little. If they are made in china, loose tolerances might make this believable. I considered metal gears, but after some use, I can't imagine a scenario were plastic would strip. If they ever crack or something, they're cheap to replace.
 
+1 for the vertical stuffer.

I got mine online from Northern Tool when it was on sale. Haven't had an issue and unless you are trying to stuff an extremely dry sausage or force crank when the piston is at it's bottom travel then I cannot imagine stripping the gears.

The only other thing I'll say is I have a jerky gun and it has a sausage attachment which would make quick work of 1LB of sausage, but for a larger batch would get messy with the multiple reloading. I believe LEM or somebody like them has a larger Jerky gun (like 3 LBS) which might make a "cheaper" option but I'm still recommending the vertical stuffer!
 
I used to have a cheap horn type stuffer, until I broke it trying to squeeze meat out of it. It was a PITA to use. I then received a LEM 5LB stuffer for fathers day last year. IT IS GREAT. I love the ease of using that thing. The slowest part of making sausages is twisting them as they come off of the tube.

The 5 lb is O.K. if you are making 20 lb batches at a time. I ususally do whole hogs, and find that this is o.k. to use. After 2 batches or so you have to stop and refill the casing on the tube anyways, so it doesn't slow you down much as opposed to the bigger units.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave from Denver:
the cast iron lever stuffers reportedly have a problem with the seal between the "piston" and the body of the stuffer meaning that meat will squeeze back through gaps when you compress it.

Get a vertical piston stuffer with a nice clean gasket seal and you won't regret it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes they do, that is why mt was a PITA the use
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by T Perkins:
Is the Grizzly unit the same as the LEM unit, just without the LEM brand name on it? They look pretty darn similar as far as I can see. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have no idea to be honest. These things are exceedingly simple; I don't know how much difference there could be between them.

Link to the Grizzly: http://www.grizzly.com/product...uffer-Vertical/H6252
 
You're right - my Grizzly has plastic gears; I didn't know that about the LEM.

FWIW: There's very little force needing to be exerted by that gear. I was worried about it at first, but after using it 4-5 times I've come to the conclusion that it shouldn't ever be an issue.
 
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