Choosing between electric grinders

[TJ Buffalo]

As time passes, I find myself making more sausage at one time, I'm usually making 10 lb or so with occasional batches up to 20 lb. I normally use a Kitchenaid with a food grinder attachment, but it tends to not like to grind semi-frozen meat too well, and it takes a long time to grind so much. I'm looking at upgrading to a more powerful grinder (either a 1 hp or 1.5 hp model over at westonsupply.com) and I wanted to hear some thoughts on how much power is enough.
Does anyone own a 1 hp grinder or larger, and is the 0.5 hp difference between these grinders noticeable?
Is the extra power of the 1.5 hp model worth the money, or should I just go with 1 hp?
Also, has anyone bought a refurbished model before, and did it work out OK?

[Oddley]

You have been watching the forum for a while so you probably know that I use a Kenwood chef for small amounts of meat(similar to Kitchen aide). For large amounts I use a 1.5 hp reber mincer.

The difference is marked. if you are doing large amounts there is nothing like using a machine built for the job.

The bottom line is you only get what you pay for.

[TJ Buffalo]

Yes, I remember you saying that the Kenwood was easier for small batches when you want to check out a recipe, and the Reber was better for large heavy grinds. That makes good sense.

[fatnhappy]

Well I guess you asked at the right place. I bought the exact grinder you're asking about!

I picked up the #22 1HP SS grinder from weston supply, ($288 to the door BTW and it only took 2 days to get here) because my Kitchen aid grinder was woefully underpowered for large amounts of semi-frozen venison. That's with the big 525 watt 6 quart professional, I might add. It's manufactured by tre-spade and sold under the cabela's banner. Matter of fact, my refurb has "Cabela's" cast into the side of the SS grinder head.

Meat flies through the new machine. So far I've ground 150 lbs of venison and fat with it. The first 40 lbs was still frozen enough for me to feed solid cubes into it, and it flew through like #### through a goose. I added 10 lbs of fat that was frozen hard and it didn't even hiccup.
After that I got together with 2 coworkers, we annually make sausage together. We made and smoked 100 lbs of venison and all went well. I couldn't be happier with this grinders performance.

I would like to tender a bit of advice if you do decide to buy this grinder from weston. First, they offer the #22 with a choice of 3/4 or 1 HP motors. The 1 HP is only $10 more for a 30% improvement in power. Seems prudent to me to lay out 4% more money for 30% more power in what should be a once in a lifetime investment. Second, pick up a spare grinder plate in 1/8" if you want to make emulsified sausages. You won't incur any more cost for the shipping so it's wise to buy plates when you get the grinder. The grinder comes with 4mm and 10mm plates. The 10mm plate is too coarse for my personal preferences, excepting Kielbasa. The 4mm is about right for me.
Lastly, the refurb only carries a 30 warranty. It'll probably take either 3 or 4 days to make it to you from Cleveland. Plan your order on your expected use. If you receive a problem machine you want to find out while it's still under warranty. The best way is to put it into immediate production when you receive it.

I can't testify to the advantages of the 1.5 HP #32 grinder over the #22. A bit of conjecture would lead me to believe it's probably even more of a good thing. Having said that, I'd have no reservations grinding an elk or moose with my machine.

[TJ Buffalo]

Thanks for the replies, it sounds like extra power isn't a bad thing at all. If I get the one from Weston, I'll just line up some pork and go at it for a while to check out the beast.

[dbabkb]

I use a Tasin meat grinder called the TS-108 and it does an awesome job and is a 1200 watt #12 size. My deer meat doesn't even clog like it used to in my older #8 model and I have done 6 deer with it already with no trouble. I understand it will even grind soft bones as well for making pet food which tells you a lot. The price was great too as it was under those high priced ones I kept finding in the cabelas and bass pro catalogs. I got mine at http://www.onestopjerkyshop.com They had a 1HP unit that I looked at as well but now see I made the right choice for my situation.