Anyone have any thoughts on this sausage stuffer?

VIVO Sausage Stuffer Vertical Stainless Steel 3L/7LB 5-7 Pound Meat Filler ~ (VIVO model STUFR-V003)

Seems to good to be true. Metal gears and other parts. More than 5 lb capacity. Tilting cylinder. Output on the bottom rather than side of the cylinder. Around $100 plus shipping. Looks like it does not have to be screwed down to use. Seemed to good to be true. Is apparently a new product.

Thoughts?

Looks good to me Rob. The air bleed-off valve means some thought was put into its design. Now you all you need is a recipe. Can't wait to see your results. I'll put an order in for 10 pounds(make it spicy).

I've been debating the LEM 5lb stuffer, but for the price this looks like a winner. All metal gears is a must, and the bottom vs side output is nice. The other complaints that I have seen in the stuffers in this price range are that the frame can twist from the force of the plunger. Keep us updated if you pull the trigger, I'd be interested to know your opinion.

adding moister will help the meat slide thru the tube if you are doing this in a garage try to keep it warm cold weather can stiffen the meat up

Thanks for the thoughts. Price and design combination seems mighty good. I might wait until a few more reviews get posted by actual users. On the other hand, I am somewhat concerned that the price may go up to closer to the list price. Very tempting.

The LEM 5 lb model does seem to be well-liked, in part because of the metal gears. I had not been able to justify in my mind the additional cost over the Kitchner (sp?), which Northern Tools has for $89.95 with an e-mail coupon, but they do charge shipping.

It is interesting to me that this VIVO model does not seem to provide for bolting down. Seems to imply no need to do that.

I will certainly report back if I pull the trigger. Seems like a luxury to have one. I do not know how often I would use it, but it sure has to beat the Kitchen Aide stuffer I have now.

The VIVO is 15 pounds. If that isn't enough for it to be stable you could use a clamp.

I have access to a 20lb Cabelas one that I borrow from a friend that I just clamp to the edge of the table, works fine no need to bolt it down. I actually picked up the stuffer last night, plan on making 30lbs of snack sticks and summer sausage tomorrow.

I did not mean I would literally bolt it down! I just meant that this VIVO model did not seem to provide for bolting down as do other models by other makers, or even clamping down, which seemed to imply it might be more stable than some other models, which I assume would be a plus. No big deal in clamping something down, of course.

Those VIVO look great!
I have an old Griswold that would love to try but it is missing the funnel-like piece that actually stuffs and have not found a replacement.
Anyone has comments on those?

lloydrm said:

Those VIVO look great!
I have an old Griswold that would love to try but it is missing the funnel-like piece that actually stuffs and have not found a replacement.
Anyone has comments on those?

Click to expand...

Is the Griswold a meat grinder that takes a funnel attachment for stuffing sausage? I did not have much luck with my Kitchen Aide attachment to my mixer that had that kind of configuration. There seem to be various sized and branded funnels for grinders and stuffers available online, such as EBay.

If it is a meat grinder, I am sure it is a good one. The old hand cranked meat grinders have good reputations and were built to last.

Osborn Cox said:

I have access to a 20lb Cabelas one that I borrow from a friend that I just clamp to the edge of the table, works fine no need to bolt it down. I actually picked up the stuffer last night, plan on making 30lbs of snack sticks and summer sausage tomorrow.

Click to expand...

I'm in! Oh wait... did I jump the gun?

I pulled the trigger. I will report when I have some experience with it. If this is as good as it looks, it is a category killer!

The Knize said:

I pulled the trigger. I will report when I have some experience with it. If this is as good as it looks, it is a category killer!

Click to expand...

Please do! Even though I have one I can use whenever I want, it would be nice to have my own. At that price I can justify it (at least to myself). The one I borrow is very nice, but it's a 20lb'er and for my purposes is overkill, plus it's difficult to clean because of its size, doesn't fit into sink well and won't go into the dishwasher.

The Knize said:

I pulled the trigger. I will report when I have some experience with it. If this is as good as it looks, it is a category killer!

Click to expand...

Great Rob, glad we could help Now you need a recipe and a source for casings.

Good luck with that Rob, get some lard on hand to lubricate the gears and the threaded parts with, keeps everything clean & sealed up as well!

Good tip re the lard. I already have casings from trying to use the KitchenAide.

There's no lack of recipes out there!

Okay, this machine was delivered today. Well ahead of the projected November 4 expected delivery date. Seems fairly well-made, etc. I guess I have not actually seen in person the other brands' approx. 5 lb models. This a sizable piece of machinery.

I will post further after I get the chance to put this to use.

The Knize said:

Is the Griswold a meat grinder that takes a funnel attachment for stuffing sausage? I did not have much luck with my Kitchen Aide attachment to my mixer that had that kind of configuration. There seem to be various sized and branded funnels for grinders and stuffers available online, such as EBay.

If it is a meat grinder, I am sure it is a good one. The old hand cranked meat grinders have good reputations and were built to last.

Click to expand...

http://www.rubylane.com/item/522414-cg002843/Vintage-Griswold-x234-Meat-Grinder
This is the meat grinder I was talking about. I was told those came with "stuffer" that is basically a funnel that you attach at the end. I've seen pictures of those grinders with the funnel but have no idea if a) they came with the grinder and b) how they work.

lloydrm said:

http://www.rubylane.com/item/522414-cg002843/Vintage-Griswold-x234-Meat-Grinder
This is the meat grinder I was talking about. I was told those came with "stuffer" that is basically a funnel that you attach at the end. I've seen pictures of those grinders with the funnel but have no idea if a) they came with the grinder and b) how they work.

Click to expand...

It should be a great meat grinder, and I bet you could come up with a link stuffer, on, say, EBay, that would fit it and work as well as the original funnel accessory worked.

I do not have any experience with using a hand-powered spiral meat grinder like the Griswold as a sausage stuffer. Based on my experience with the Kitchen Aide mixer attachment of similar design, I am guessing it has its draw backs. That is, that the spiral type piece that does a reasonable job of pushing chunks of meat against the cutter/grinder piece, does not do so well at pushing a mixture of smaller pieces of meat and other ingredients into sausage casings, but I could be wrong.

The Knize said:

It should be a great meat grinder, and I bet you could come up with a link stuffer, on, say, EBay, that would fit it and work as well as the original funnel accessory worked.

I do not have any experience with using a hand-powered spiral meat grinder like the Griswold as a sausage stuffer. Based on my experience with the Kitchen Aide mixer attachment of similar design, I am guessing it has its draw backs. That is, that the spiral type piece that does a reasonable job of pushing chunks of meat against the cutter/grinder piece, does not do so well at pushing a mixture of smaller pieces of meat and other ingredients into sausage casings, but I could be wrong.

Click to expand...

Thanks. Actually that makes sense to me. Will look for the part and share results.
Is the weekend your testing/playing time?