help with 5 lb verical sausage stuffer

I've been looking to get a dedicated stuffer since stuffing with my grinder is a PITA. I've done some research and it looks like anything well built is going to be a serious investment, as there seems to be a big jump in price from the entry level stuff to the larger capacity, better built stuff. I can't justify spending 2 to 300 bucks on a stuffer, but throwing a 100 at a piece of junk doesn't work for me either.

I noticed that LEM sells the 5 lb vertical unit that just about everybody gets from china and slaps their brand on, but on some sites its noted that it has all metal gearing, despite the picture showing plastic gears. Even amazon shows what looks like plastic gears, but the review consistently rave about metal gears.

Today I stopped by the sausage maker's showroom to see what they had. I got talking to the guy there and he said some curious things.

1) he claimed that their 5 lb stuffer comes from china, but its made to their specifications and they send them back if they don't meet them.

2) he claims that the "plastic/fiber composite" gears are more expensive and work better than the metal gears. The metal gears are prone to binding up unlike the plastic gears.

So I'm no closer to figuring out this mess. There's several brands of 5 lb stuffers that look exactly the same, but range widely in price. Some have white gears, some black, and some list metal gears but only saw metal gears in one pic.

Has anybody else tried to figure this out?

Jeff,

The mention of the 5 lb stuffer coming from China is news to me, but I wouldn't doubt it. As far as the claim that the metal gears are prone to binding up unlike plastic, I have to disagree with that. I have their 5 lb stuffer with the resin gears and it's worked well for me. I also have the Northern Tool 15 lb stuffer(200 bucks) and it has metal gears which have worked fine for me too. I keep them well lubed and have seen no wear on the gears.

I would recommend thinking about a larger model if you really want to get into the sausage making hobby .. Reloading the 5 lb'er is a PITA

Bill

The mention of the 5 lb stuffer coming from China is news to me, but I wouldn't doubt it. As far as the claim that the metal gears are prone to binding up unlike plastic, I have to disagree with that. I have their 5 lb stuffer with the resin gears and it's worked well for me. I also have the Northern Tool 15 lb stuffer(200 bucks) and it has metal gears which have worked fine for me too. I keep them well lubed and have seen no wear on the gears.

I would recommend thinking about a larger model if you really want to get into the sausage making hobby .. Reloading the 5 lb'er is a PITA Wink

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I just read through 50 reviews on the Northern Tool site and I'm still undecided about the gears. There seems to be a question whether they can be replaced, which seems highly unlikely. Also it seems that people have issues with the gears right out of the box, either they work or they don't.

I wish I could get the bigger stuffer...oh and a dehydrator...and a vacuum sealer. That place is like a candy store.

I bought my 5 lb vertical stuffer from the Sausagemaker for around $200 about 5 years ago. Not long after I saw the one in Northern Tool for around $50. They look exactly the same, even the gears (back then). Whichever way you go, the stuffer will make your life much easier. In fact, working single-handed, it will stuff the casing almost faster than you can feed it off the horn.

I have the 5 lb. vertical with the plastic gears. Worked fine for what I do with it.

Does anyone know if spare tubes can be purchased for it. Mine "disappeared".

j, I have an old Enterprise in near mint condition, with all the attachments. I got mine on ebay several years ago. You can find some nice ones on ebay.

Originally posted by John Mason:
Does anyone know if spare tubes can be purchased for it. Mine "disappeared".

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John, the Sausagemaker has them .. Kinda pricey though. There's a nice SS set on page 2..

Bill

This one works for me. Got it a few years ago for ~$55 from Grizzly via Amazon. (I would not recommend the H651 model.)

Posted November 22, 2009 12:01 PM Hide Post
This one works for me. Got it a few years ago for ~$55 from Grizzly via Amazon. (I would not recommend the H651 model.)

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sweet, that beats northern tool by 10 bucks.

Originally posted by Bill Hays:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John Mason:
Does anyone know if spare tubes can be purchased for it. Mine "disappeared".

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John, the Sausagemaker has them .. Kinda pricey though. There's a nice SS set on page 2..
Bill </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Bill! I could almost buy a new stuffer for that price, but then I would have plastic tubes not SS...hmmm, I'll have to think about it.

Originally posted by John Mason:
...Does anyone know if spare tubes can be purchased for it. Mine "disappeared".

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John, checkout Allied Kenco for all of your meat processing needs including sausage making equipment.