How To Choose a Meat Grinder | SCHEELS

0:27 Overview of meat grinders
0:48 Grinding with the 5 LB Grinder
6:08 Grinding with the #12 LEM Grinder
LEM Big Bite #12 Meat Grinder: bit.ly/3iAXcsp
Shop Food Processing: bit.ly/3iw5zm3
SCHEELS Expert Shane talks through the differences between meat grinders.
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#SCHEELS #meatgrinder

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

The goal of this video is to test 2 different models of grinders and to show the difference in efficiency between each grinder. For best results we suggest freezing the grinder head and using half frozen meat when grinding. This will help increase the speed of grinding for both models.

[@highlandermachineworks5795]

The one on the left is for the average person. It'll get used maybe 3 times a year. And last maybe 2 years. Designed to last just longer than the warranty. Its the gamble by the store to sell them. It's typical super mass produced chinese junk unit with a unique brand shell. Most homeowners can't even change an outlet or replace a toilet. So they're just going to risk the failure and buy the cheap one. Even the "pro" brands sell these products all clones and as cheap inside as possible. Been there with one that cost over $200 back in 2013. Used it 6 times since new and it self destructed yesterday. I was regrinding class 3 pork with chipped ice mixed in. So it was mostly fat and some sinew. My next machine is a pro model. I dont want another throw away model. My other grinder was a 70 year old beast. Almost didn't want to sell it. But it was huge and heavy. It's still working in a butcher shop in Cuntnecticut. Back to the comparison, yup left one had the easy job. Scummy comparison, left POS barely did the job and was deafening. Right one had meat. And was quiet. The right one will be either passed down in family or be a big ticket item in an estate sale. The left one will be in the trash can next year. Buy quality once pay once. Buy junk once. Buy it again and again and again... Waste your money as you see fit. Im sure you can get one for $15 on temu or wish. You'll wish you didn't buy it later.

[@corneliamalies9681]

You made several mistakes. You started out with not properly fastening the blade and collar on the left one. Your meat was way too warm, not cleaned as it should have been. Seems to be quite obvious you're just trying to sell the more expensive one.

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

Thank you for your input. We will keep those variable in mind for future videos.

[@joevantonder9776]

This is redundant. It’s like asking what plane to buy between Boeing737 or Airbus A380

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

Different people have different needs, and our goal is to be an additional source of information to aid in the decision making process.

[@Murray_the_golden]

I call bs on how he used the small grinder and prepared the meat. This was not a fair test. Shame on Scheels.

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

We appreciate your input and will keep this in mind for future videos.

[@TR0UBLE-SH00TER]

Different meat for sure. Hid it in fact.

[@justinlewis8889]

100%. Total bs. Hey see how slow this is when we use warm pig fat? Now watch how fast the other one does cold meat! I will not be buying from SCHEELS.

[@paultribbett7765]

you didn't tighten the 1st grinder and you got it plugged inexperience ain't you

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

We will keep your input in mind for future videos.

[@mikeplatts2603]

Wonder how much LEM paid you to make that video ???

[@dorinmoldovanu4565]

it's like you don't know what you're doing....Unfair comparasion

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

The goal of this video is to show what a smaller grinder can do compared to a larger one to give people an idea of what to expect when deciding to get a grinder.

[@tri-forceblades3123]

The grinding plate was a more corse grind on the LEM, of course it is gonna grind faster. You have just insulted the quality of the LEM by being a sham !!!!

[@chuckychuck]

This should tell everyone something, fat clogs arteries

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

You're not wrong.

[@highlandermachineworks5795]

You might want to research that again.

[@stevenjohnson2162]

by comparison I know the LEM is a better machine but you used a smaller plate on el cheapo and didn't put it together right, so yeah misrepresentation of el cheapo.

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

We will keep your input in mind for future videos.

[@bugsdad3625]

Not a fair comparison at all, the smaller one you ground, or tried to grind all fat. The LEM your meat was more lean. I get what your saying about going bigger. But show a apples to apples comparison!!

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

We will keep that in mind for future comparison videos. Thank you for watching!

[@akhtarali6026]

Unfair comparison!

[@davidrussell8918]

Meat should be semi frozen before grinding.

[@niwachien]

The one on the left is the same generic version of what harbor freight sells and all the head parts other than the auger shaft, blade and plate are aluminum. Even the auger on the stainless shaft is aluminum and this makes them very hard to clean. It's like the meat bonds to the aluminum inside the rifled head and pan and will not come off. Being aluminum you cant put the parts in a dishwasher either because the detergent for dishwashers is alkaline and will corrode the parts. All parts that touch meat on the LEM are stainless but will still get a little surface rust from the iron content unless you soak the parts in a stainless pacifying solution to remove the trace surface iron or keep the parts oiled with salad oil or food safe silicone. The LEM costs 10X more than the generic grinder but it's a million times better in my opinion. I own the harbor freight version and the LEM. Any 120v foot switch will work and can be purchased for less than half the cost of the LEM brand. I recommend WEN brand since they're all steel, rated for 15 amps at 120v and cost about $14 shipped. Cleanup for all stainless parts can be done with an alkaline cleaner like Green Gator brand. Soak the stainless parts in a solution of Green Gator and hot water and they will come out looking brand new as will anything else made of stainless.

[@Cien_Swiatla]

THX :-)

[@tutututu395]

Unfair comparison

[@gaber1885]

Look at the two piles, I feel like the smaller grinder ground up 40% fat the other one is like 15- 20%. The grind quality on the bigger one does look way better though.

[@michaelpawelski8444]

You said it a lot of fat on the cheaper grinder. Bad review.

[@troywilburn9147]

I have a grinder similar to the one on the left I’ve been using for the last 3-4 years on venison. I age it in the ice chest for a week to 10 days, de-bone, cube, and throw it in the grinder without a problem. Clean the trash off the meat and keep the cap tight and it’ll feed out clog-free and efficient every time. The one on the right is nice and all, but I’m definitely satisfied with the one I have. The only thing I don’t like is the noise level, but for the difference in price I can just turn up the Pink Floyd and roll on about my business. Just finished grinding up 30#. Ground, packaged, sealed, and in the freezer in less than 45 minutes.

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

A little bit of preparation goes a long way in having a smooth process. Rock on with that Pink Floyd!

[@DrInk-pl2ns]

The collar was way too loose causing the “oozing” and jamming of the plate.

[@nomad90125]

Let me tell you how to judge a grinder 🤔 After 50 years using them. It's all about engineering. Some countries have no understanding of engineering. Some countries are brilliant. Avoid cheap nasty low wattage junk, as you have displayed here. You need hearing protection also. Recommended for dust bin 👍 Quality mincers are made in Italy, Sweden, Germany, USA, UK etc. The machine power ratios depend on how much work the machine will endure every week. Also know your different meats in conjunction with your different sizes of mincer plates, and most importantly the temperature of the meat your grinding. With some knowledge of these factors you should become a fairly confident meat grinder. 👍

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

We appreciate the insight, but have nothing but good things to say about the LEM line of grinders.

[@RckyMtneer]

I have LEM’s #22 grinder. What a machine. I’ve put 400 pounds of beef through it at a time with no problem.

[@michaelpawelski8444]

B.S I have meat grinder and paid less than $60.00 from tractor supply and in works great. You can tell the first part of meat was mostly fat, second half looks great on the cheaper grinder. The meat looks warm and grinder parts also.

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

We will keep your comments in mind when making future videos, thank you for your input.

[@doubledip3181]

I have a 50 dollar one that works beautifully. It looks like the blade is in backwards. This is a sales pitch for the other grinder

[@dougroberts3643]

​@@doubledip3181 💯

[@jcprior7569]

I have owned the generic mincer on the left for 5 years from Aldi, hasn’t missed a beat although I do have to wear earmuffs due the the level of decibel performance. A tip on mincing after a 17year career in butchering in another life. Ice water will assist the meat sliding into the throat of the mincer and you need to maintain a constant supply of meat to the Auger, also the head of the mincer needs to be tight not like this demonstration at the beginning hence the meat was chewed instead of being cut cleanly. I have never heard of freezing mincer parts and I can’t see how this would assist it could only make the steel contract! When you run minced meat through a second time is when the larger opening would be of enormous assistance eg running sausage mince through a second time after mixing the meal into the meat. Again small amounts of ICE water is the go to help the meat slide though the auger. Warning don’t put aluminium mincer parts in dishwasher they end up with black oxide on them and become difficult to clean. Beardog.

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

Thank you for the insight!

[@novah589]

Freezing the mincer parts helps prevent the meat from heating up in the grinder which helps prevent the fat from smearing which you would know as a butcher makes for a pretty bad sausage or burger.

[@wahwalker]

your just making a bigger mess

[@YTusercomment]

An unfair comparison, and poor example.....not an "apples to apples" comparison, and dummy did not nearly freeze the meat before conducting the demonstration.

[@jasonkuhns9487]

Like comparing a chicken and a Buffalo.

[@joestreiff9401]

the blade is loose on the auger on the #5, that's why it's messing up.... been there, done that..... snug that sucker up.

[@xwayesknbent]

I have a weston commercial no22. needs repairs. can't find a place to repair it. anyhow im looking into a new grinder. been looking at either the cabelas 1¾hp carnivore or the LEM no22. are you able to do a video on some large grinders?

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

We do not have anything in the archives for large grinder comparisons, but will definitely keep it in mind for future videos! In the meantime you can reach out to any of our SCHEELS stores and ask for one of our hunting shop experts and they will gladly answer any questions you may have. www.scheels.com/stores

[@haroldconner6265]

I have a #22 Weston Pro series we love it and for a back up I bought this LEM #22 good product but the 1hp motor doesn't quite cut it for my needs. I just bought a new Weston #22 pro series from the Weston website.

[@TomCreasy]

@@haroldconner6265 I just ordered a weston pro series #22 (1.5hp) but have found waaaay more information on the LEM and seems that LEM sells way more, hoping I made the right choice. How does the LEM Big Bite 22 & Weston Pro Series 22 compare??

[@haroldconner6265]

@@TomCreasy they are both good... but the 1hp motor on the LEM is slow. The new Weston is very disappointing! They messed up a great design! the motor rocks 1.5 hp really fast grinding. the problem is they made the funnel from the hopper to the auger very skinny forcing you to cut the meat very small, awful design. fortunately for us the old funnel and auger fit perfectly on the new machine. yay! but if you had to choose just one at this point it is a toss-up.

[@TomCreasy]

@@haroldconner6265 thanks so much for answering, this is the only help I've been able to get from actual first hand experience, and I've searched relentlessly on the forums/Google/etc. Wonder if I can find a way to buy the older weston auger & funnel/throat... sounds like a perfect combo with the newer 1.5 if it's even possible to get the parts. Hoping the build quality is as good as I have heard the LEM is too

[@tazblink]

Does it have reverse? Is the small grinder the Lem brand also?

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

Hi, taz man. No the grinder does not have reverse because of LEM's big bit technology. Yes, both are LEM.

[@brokeunemployed5208]

Fill the hopper

[@kentcostello5286]

Over kill is always better in the long run.

[@donotlike4anonymus594]

Cheap or expensive.... meat should always be cleaned before getting it into the grinder... any silver skin and other connective tissues and.... If the meat is clean even half frozen it'll would be a lot easier for the cheap grinder Relative to warm meat with lots of junk

[@gooberdooberwunderb]

I will only be doing probably one deer … Or one elk per year… Will this grinder be sufficient for me? And can I use the dual grind adapter on this?

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

Yes either model will work just fine, but the #12 will take care of it faster. Dual grind adapters are available for the #12 but not the 5.

[@JulietMoore-x6n]

Thank you

[@jasonjohnson2432]

Right one obviously has a much more coarse plate

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

We will make not of this comment for future videos to make sure variables like the plate are identical for a more precise comparison.

[@rburk22]

I’d be willing to bet that the first grind with the cheaper grinder, You had the knife in backwards….

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

That's definitely something you want to keep an eye on when using a grinder.

[@donotlike4anonymus594]

That does not look safe... and by "safe" i mean secure not dangerous or anything like that.... you have to fasten the oger fitting well and correctly to the motor chasis.... Some have a simple button others you have to screw it in and so on... But the point is...... it looks from the video like it's about the fall apart...

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

You bring up a good point that safety is the #1 concern when using equipment such as these grinders. Make sure everything is properly connected and in good operating condition.

[@davekemerer2566]

For the LEM, if I’m a hunter and gonna process deer, Turkey etc and also raise ducks, chicken and geese and probably have 1-2 large harvests a year of about 35-50 birds will the #8 be sufficient or should I up it to the #12? Is the difference just speed?

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

Horse power is going to be the big thing between the two. The #8 will handle it but the #12 is going to make his process time faster because it will grind the meat quicker. - Mike

[@BuzzJones]

Is that LEM a #12 ?

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

Sure is! You can find it at the below link. www.scheels.com/p/lem-big-bite-%2312-stainless-steel-meat-grinder/73449401780.html

[@wahwalker]

one was in the freezer but not the other one, I'll bet one was cold meat and one wasn't cold meat

[@kurtauerbach5883]

saw that too.

[@Cien_Swiatla]

what metal are they made of?

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

These are made out of stainless steel for durability and rust prevention.

[@Cien_Swiatla]

@@ScheelsOutdoors THX :-)

[@niwachien]

NO, the one on the left is the same generic version of what harbor freight sells and all the head parts other than the auger shaft, blade and plate are aluminum. Even the auger on the stainless shaft is aluminum and this makes them very hard to clean.

[@dean4125]

after watching this I realized I need to spend a little more lol

[@ScheelsOutdoors]

If you have any questions let us know and we would be happy to help you out!