Mdboatbum--you will find the binders more important in smoked than in fresh. I said before that not everyone uses binders in sausage. I agree it's personal preference. The number one rule in sausage and most important factor in making is being happy with what your making. When i was working as a butcher early on i cant remember what was used for binders. It looked more like bread crumbs that were very fine. Man, that was 42 years ago now. Been retired since 2007. They used that stuff for everything and everything sold well. That was a smaller meat market when i started out and binder was used as a profit booster and that's still true to this day.
As years went on i never seen binders not used. Keep in mind that was sausage made for sale not like us that make it at home because we enjoy everything that comes with it. If someone feels that there is something missing in the sausage they make i would say try a binder. Start out with 1 cup per 5 pounds. Make a small batch of sausage like 5 pounds or 10 and see it makes a difference for you. It is all about personal preference in the end. Reinhard