Sausage stuffers

[super8mm]

I had hoped to use my wifes Kitchen Aid mixer with a grinder attachment and sausage stuffer to be able to do up sausage but found that may not be a very good way to do it soooo what are your thoughts on the following (and anything else I may have missed).

Horizontal or Vertical pros/cons

Single speed or multiple speed

Crank, Press or TNT Dakotah water-powered style (electric is cost prohibitive for me)

Most are gear driven but I think I saw one that may have been driven like a bumper jack?

Stainless would be best but has anyone had problems with the chromed ones and the spices and salts causing corrosion?

[DATsBBQ]

I have a tinned plunger style Weston (3#). Works well for me. They're about $50.00

[JamesB]

I have the 5lb vertical stuffer from Northern Tool. Can't imagine stuffing sausage with out it.

[ChileFarmer]

I have the 15# from Northern Tool I like it. It is vertical hand crank.CF

[Papa Tom]

I have a Cabela's 3lb lever/plunger type and it is Wonderful......anybody want to buy it......
Actually I've been looking for it's replacement for some time and find the water powered one interesting, 9lb. capacity and entry of about $120. I have ruled out the 5 lb verticals as way too many complaints of the plastic gears breaking. The 15 lb'r from Northern tool seems to be the best value of the metal gear vertical stuffers. Have seen no reviews on the water powered units. If a person has only 10 lb of water pressure there is the potential of about 125 lb of pressure on the plunger seems like it should work.

[super8mm]

I have a tinned plunger style Weston (3#). Works well for me. They're about $50.00

I like the kiss idea, do you ever see you wish it would hold more?

[super8mm]

I have the 5lb vertical stuffer from Northern Tool. Can't imagine stuffing sausage with out it.

I saw some with nylon gears and some with metal gears, have you had any problems with the grears?

[super8mm]

I have the 15# from Northern Tool I like it. It is vertical hand crank.CF

Do you find the extra capacity helpful?

[OSD]

Papa Tom, the 5 lb vertical sold by LEM has metal gears. I think my next one will be the 15 pound vertical from Northern, I have a small plunger one now.

[super8mm]

I have a Cabela's 3lb lever/plunger type and it is Wonderful......anybody want to buy it......
Actually I've been looking for it's replacement for some time and find the water powered one interesting, 9lb. capacity and entry of about $120. I have ruled out the 5 lb verticals as way too many complaints of the plastic gears breaking. The 15 lb'r from Northern tool seems to be the best value of the metal gear vertical stuffers. Have seen no reviews on the water powered units. If a person has only 10 lb of water pressure there is the potential of about 125 lb of pressure on the plunger seems like it should work.

I saw the water one and thought it was cool buy you have or remember you will have to have two hoses, one from either outside or washing machine and one drain hose. I did find one place where a fella said he set it up to use air instead of water

[Papa Tom]

Yeah I know there are some 5 # models out there with metal gears but the price pushes that of the Northern 15 #r so why not go for the capacity. Also I saw some bad reviews on a 5 #r ( the kind with a metal box enclosing the gears sold under several names) with metal gears where the canister tilts out under pressure.

[OSD]

Yeah I know there are some 5 # models out there with metal gears but the price pushes that of the Northern 15 #r so why not go for the capacity.

That's the reason I'm really thinking hard about the 15 lb. Northern one.

[Papa Tom]

I have a Cabela's 3lb lever/plunger type and it is Wonderful......anybody want to buy it......
Actually I've been looking for it's replacement for some time and find the water powered one interesting, 9lb. capacity and entry of about $120. I have ruled out the 5 lb verticals as way too many complaints of the plastic gears breaking. The 15 lb'r from Northern tool seems to be the best value of the metal gear vertical stuffers. Have seen no reviews on the water powered units. If a person has only 10 lb of water pressure there is the potential of about 125 lb of pressure on the plunger seems like it should work.

I saw the water one and thought it was cool buy you have or remember you will have to have two hoses, one from either outside or washing machine and one drain hose. I did find one place where a fella said he set it up to use air instead of water

Yeah I realize that two hoses are required and the possibility of a mess concerns me. might have to use it outdoors. When I was a kid and my German family got together to make sausage it was always outdoors. Of course then it was hand grinder, mixing, stuffer but they had done it so many times they were good at it and the whole family was involved.
I don't like the idea of air because it is a compressible gas and would be hard to control, ie if a casing burst it would keep feeding meat until the pressure equalized even after stopping the inlet air ( picture yourself hands covered with goo scrambling for the pressure release valve. However water or air if a person rigged foot valves it would work better.

[JamesB]

I have the 5lb vertical stuffer from Northern Tool. Can't imagine stuffing sausage with out it.

I saw some with nylon gears and some with metal gears, have you had any problems with the grears?

I've read some complaints about the nylon gears, but I've had no problem so far. I have not tried stuffing pre-cured meats, which from what I understand can set up very firm. I've had it for over a year now and it's pushed out a couple hundred pounds of sausage. My only complaint about it is that I didn't get the 15lber, I'll correct that mistake somewhere down the road.

[super8mm]

So JamesB are you saying hind sight is 20/20??

that is where this thread will help me and other newbie's make a better informed decision