#12 Grinder, LEM or Cabela's?

[BGKYSmoker]

Both the LEM and Cabelas grinders are good. When or if my Cabelas decides to crapout im going with the LEM.

 

[boykjo]

If you look close at that video the pieces of meat he was putting thru the Cabela's seemed 2 times bigger than what he was using for the LEM. If he would of used the same size meat you would see a good comparison

I agree brian......... Looking at the auger the angle of the screw on the lem  you would loose the forward bite unless they are letting it grab the meat and move it forward to where the screw is closer together like the cabelas......

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I've read the reviews.

That's why it's so difficult to make a decision.

Honestly, I'm a bit down on LEM because of a few bad experiences recently.

They've had some essential products on back order for months, without proper notice on their website.
That caused me some un-necessary problems.

I bought a LEM #10//#12 stainless steel manual grinder for camp recently and that was nothing but a total piece of junk.
The collar would not screw on far enough to bring the the knife up tight against the the plate, making the grinder totally worthless.
That got sent back.

I bought a 1/4" grinding plate from them a few months ago and a flake of metal came off the face of the plate the first time I used it!!!
I've never seen anything like that happen before.

So, I'm not currently overly impressed with their commitment to quality and customer service.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Welp... It sounds like ya just need to go ahead and order the best one then... Cabelas... as mentioned above there are MANY attachments you can get as well for any of the commercial grade Cabelas grinders...

 

[couger78]

Both make fine grinders. I don't think you'll be disappointed with either one you choose.

I was in the same boat you are (narrowed it down to the LEM bigbite vs cabela).

What tipped the scale in favor of cabela's was the price discount on a like-new refurbed unit.($429 > $279); The NEW units are now on sale!

Kevin

 

[boykjo]

 

[pops6927]

My next one will probably be a Hobart 2-3 hp table top rebuilt with a refurb head.  I ran several of those in smaller meat shops and they were fast and dependable; you could stuff sausage as fast as you could shove it down the throat!  And, grind half boneless necks and half shanks at a time too.

 

[lbv1983]

Hi Martin,

This is a review I wrote of the LEM #12 Meat Grinder.  I absolutely love this grinder and I am very hard to please! I'm sure Cabela's grinder is excellent as well, but I personally can't ask for anything else out of a #12 electric meat grinder.

I hope it is okay for me to repost this here - the words are my own.

LEM Products .75 HP Stainless Steel Electric Meat Grinder: This is a beast of a grinder! It has so much power that it doesn't even finish stretching when I run 20 lbs of pork butt or 15 lbs of beef chuck through it, let alone get a workout. The entire unit is beautiful, strong, and sanitary stainless steel. It feels overbuilt in every way. I can't imagine anything breaking on it.

It is a heavy unit, but not so heavy that it can not be moved. Bear in mind, however that I am a 200 lbs 28 year old guy.

I purchased several extra grinding plates and stainless steel knives and they are all of the highest quality - in line with the quality of the grinder. I also purchased the LEM meat lug with lid and it is also great, just a bit too tall to fit under the grinding plate.

The Big Bite technology is great. It sucks down the meat so fast that there is little to no need to pre-freeze your meat or use the tamper.

I only have one issue with the grinder: It's made in China. That said, I can not imagine finding a grinder of this quality manufactured in the West, believe me, I've looked. I purchased a TSM 5 lbs deluxe sausage stuffer specifically because it was made in the U.S.A. and the quality of the LEM grinder far exceeds the quality of the TSM stuffer. The TSM stuffer is a wonderful product, and I recommend it to anyone, but I feel the comparison helps show just how spectacular this LEM grinder is. Even my Grandfather, who was a butcher for 50 years loves this grinder - and he never likes anything...

I purchased the Meat Grinder attachment for my Swedish built Electrolux Assistent mixer - a fabulous product in its own right - but it is a toy compared to this grinder. I wish I purchased the LEM grinder first and saved myself $200.

If you want a meat grinder of the highest quality at a great price, purchase the LEM #12 Stainless Steel Grinder; you will never look back.

Don't worry about the noise. This machine is not much louder than my grandmother's 1980 Kitchenaid (Hobart) Standmixer.

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Thanks!
I sure sure appreciate it!

I've decided that the LEM is probably the best and that's what I intend to go with when I cough up the extra money.


~Martin

 

[lbv1983]

I honestly can't imagine it will disappoint you.   I cringed a bit when I saw the $397 price tag on Amazon, but now that I own it, I believe it is an exceptional deal.  If the grinder were run over by a bus (one of the only things I imagine could break it), I would replace it in a heartbeat.

Pleasanthillgrain had the best price around on stainless steel grinder plates and knives, but it looks like they recently increased their prices by several dollars.  You might want to consider them for accessories when the time comes to replace knives and plates.  Their customer services is beyond belief and they have free shipping on orders over $99. 

Let us know how your thoughts when the grinder arrives.
 

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I watch eBay closely for deals on plates and such.
About 4 months ago, we got 4 brand new #12 SS plates for a total of $24 shipped!

I'll probably spring for the grinder soon.

~Martin

 

[lbv1983]

Wow that's a great deal!  I paid $15.99 each for a #12 - 1/2" and a 1/4" Stainless Steel Grinding Plate and $10.99 each for 4 Stainless Steel knives and I thought that was a steal...
 

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Yeah, I was surprised!

The guy had bought the wrong size and apparently nobody else noticed the auction.

I've bought #12 knives for $9.95 off eBay with free shipping.


~Martin

 

[bamafan]

Glad I saw this thread. I'm in the same boat. It looks like the cabala's #22 467.49 plus 30 dollars shipping. Lem"s # 22 at Bass Pro 549.99.with free site to store. I have a bass Pro 25 miles away and get 10 % military discount. Can't decide either. Do I reall need the 22 or would the 12 work for casual use??????????????? Decisions, decisions. Academy Sports has the LEM #12 for 399 plus free shipping?

 

[mrh]

I have the 3/4 horse Cabelas and my Brother has the 3/4 horse LEM... I wouldn't be be afraid of either of them, very comparable in performance.  I guess it would depend on price and what is easiest for you to get.

Mark

 

[JckDanls 07]

Glad I saw this thread. I'm in the same boat. It looks like the cabala's #22 467.49 plus 30 dollars shipping. Lem"s # 22 at Bass Pro 549.99.with free site to store. I have a bass Pro 25 miles away and get 10 % military discount. Can't decide either. Do I reall need the 22 or would the 12 work for casual use??????????????? Decisions, decisions. Academy Sports has the LEM #12 for 399 plus free shipping?

Tim.. I have the 1/2 hp Cabelas Commercial Grade.. it's more than enough for what we do...

 

[markf]

I've got a 1HP Cabelas and it's an absolute beast of a grinder. It'll eat fist sized chunks of meat all day long and never stress one bit.

 

[gomez93]

Hmmmm...interesting.
Here's a video that compares the Cabela's auger to the LEM Big Bite auger.




 

How do you think the test would have went if he had used the same size strips of meat on both?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Hmmmm...interesting.

Here's a video that compares the Cabela's auger to the LEM Big Bite auger.





 

How do you think the test would have went if he had used the same size strips of meat on both?

The pieces are cut to fit the throat....the LEM has a smaller throat than the Cabela's.
I've used both grinders....I prefer the LEM.


~Martin

 

[woodcutter]

My family is getting together to make sausage early in Feb. We will have 2- #22 grinders, Cabelas's and the LEM Big Bite there. We can see which one gets through 20 lbs of meat first.