the Kitchener sausag stuffer (aggravator)

[halfcocked]

Just got done struggling with 15# of sausage in the Kitchener. It is a pure piece of chit-chat. The plastic gears were never any good and now have given up the ghost entirely. I remember discussions on the site about the steel replacement gears. Has anyone gotten them and if so what's the verdict. I don't know if I would be better off just getting a different stuffer, the parts being some $26.

 

[jham0077]

I have a Dakota water stuffer. I think it's 10lb. It works great. The water to it and away can cause a problem. But I do all my stuff outside anyway.

 

[sudsandswine]

You won’t be able to come close to another stuffer for $26, I guess it just depends if that’s its only shortcoming. Most of the 5lb vertical stuffers all seem to operate on the same general structure. If the gears are strong and turn smoothly and the piston has a good seal in the cylinder, I can’t imagine much area for improvement for what they are.

I have a LEM 5lb stuffer and have probably put several hundred pounds through it at this point, and have no complaints with it for what it is. I can definitely see how plastic gears could be a problem. I’m not familiar with your specific model but doing some quick searching, it looks like the plastic gears are even exposed open-air on one of their models?

Is this the one you have? If so, it does look a bit on the flimsy side.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0046AOFKG/

 

[JRDINCC]

Thumbs up on the 5# Lem. Just ran 15# through it in no time without a hitch.

 

[halfcocked]

You won’t be able to come close to another stuffer for $26, I guess it just depends if that’s its only shortcoming. Most of the 5lb vertical stuffers all seem to operate on the same general structure. If the gears are strong and turn smoothly and the piston has a good seal in the cylinder, I can’t imagine much area for improvement for what they are.

I have a LEM 5lb stuffer and have probably put several hundred pounds through it at this point, and have no complaints with it for what it is. I can definitely see how plastic gears could be a problem. I’m not familiar with your specific model but doing some quick searching, it looks like the plastic gears are even exposed open-air on one of their models?

Is this the one you have? If so, it does look a bit on the flimsy side.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0046AOFKG/

Yep, that's it. The other annoying problem is that it is made to be anchored on to a surface. The kitchen counter is stone. So it takes two hands just to crank it and then it moves around.

 

[sudsandswine]

My LEM stuffer came with two "C" clamps that I use to attach it to the surface....I can't imagine how hard it'd be to use if it were not secured down.

 

[Smoke Dawg]

I have a Weston 11 lb stuffer that works great. It is very similar to LEM but usually a little less expensive.

 

[IamMadMan]

I'm not familiar with your model, but I also have a Weston sausage stuffer I love.


Keep in mind that when you are mixing your spice blend you should immediately begin stuffing. The longer the mixture sits, the more the proteins bond to each other and form a sticky clump that's hard to move through the stuffing horn. If this is your problem add a few tablespoons of ice water to make the slurry more viscous and manageable for stuffing.