STX Turboforce II "Platinum" Heavy Duty Electric Meat Grinder & Sausage Stuffer: 6 Grinding Plates, 3 S/S Blades, 3 Sausage Tubes, Kubbe, 2 Meat Claws, Burger-Slider Patty Maker - Black

I normally do not get to be the one who leaves the first review on a product, but it looks like my review is going to be the first so I am going to do my best and tell you all about my 1st month's experience with this STX grinder.My husband and I have been wanting a new meat grinder for about a year and been searching for one that was, what you might consider, a Full Kit with everything needed for meat grinding and sausage stuffing, but all we could find was grinders that only had 3 different sizes of grinding plates, 1 cutting blade, no stuffing tubes, etc. We were also looking for a grinder that had a larger diameter of meat stuffing tunnel (the place where you stuff the meat into) and a larger diameter of where the meat comes out, but most all of them we looked at were (as we found out) what is considered a smaller size #8 kitchen grinder and not the larger size #12 grinder. When we saw that this new Turbo II show up on the market, we saw it was a larger size #12 grinder, came with 5 different sizes of grinding plates, 1 beaner plate, 3 sizes of sausage tubes with a kubbe attachment and "get this" - a foot pedal control you can use if you want for two hands free while grinding or stuffing sausage!Here's my Pros - kind of redundant, but what the heck:1) The price - Can't Be Beat for all you get with this package2) This is a very nice looking grinder (we bought the black one) and the chrome accents make it look very nice on my kitchen counter3) It's a Size #12 Grinder and not a size #84) It includes a total of 5 Grinding Plate with sizes of holes ranging from 4mm up to 12 mm and also what they call a Wagon Wheel Plate for those large sausage grinds5) It also includes 1 Beaner Plate - this is used for stuffing sausage only and not for grinding, but it allows for the sausage to be stuffed into the casing faster and smoother - it worked Great when we made some Italian Sausage last weekend6) Of course, the 3 stuffing tubes and kubbe attachment are a nice addition7) Best of all, the added foot pedal is nothing short of fantastic as one person can do most any job with this grinder - especially when you are stuffing sausage with it8) Instructions - Well written with many photos on how to assemble the parts for different purposes. Also includes hints on grinding correctly, sausage stuffing and how to clean all of the partsMy Cons:1) The only thing I was a little disappointed with was, at first with this unit, that is was somewhat loud, but I had not read a special note that came with the grinder. They had a note that states that the grinder would be somewhat loud when you first started using it, but after 5 to 10 hours of use, it would start getting quieter. We have used this unit for around 15 hours so far and it has quieted down to a normal sound (where you can talk) much to our satisfaction.2) This is really not a Con, but I had to put this in with my review someplace. When we first got the grinder, we read the instructions on how to clean all of the parts (do NOT use your dishwasher) and cleaned them for our first use properly. We then reassembled the grinder and had 2 lbs of a chuck roast all cut up and ready to grind. We started grinding and the meat that came out of the front of the grinder was coming out very slowly and it looked like "MUSH" and we were quite disappointed. My husband (I don't read instructions) looked in the instructions and found where the company had states clearly, "Make sure that the Cutting Blade is Inserted Correctly" as otherwise your grinder would not work properly. Well, of course, we checked our cutting blade and yes we had installed it backwards:)!!! We took the cutting blade out, turned it the other (correct) way and the result was "Grinding Perfection". So the moral to this story is make sure and install your cutting blade correctly and/or read the instructions before using this product.No other cons at this time, but if I run into anything, I will edit my review and let you all know.I might mention that as far as what this company states about their Quad Air Cooling making the unit last longer, I cannot comment on this as we have only had it for a month, but their statement about this new cooling system keeping the grinder cool while using it - this "Does" work. Two weeks ago, we ran this grinder for over 3 hours in one sitting and it was as cool after the 3 hours of use as when we first started.Signed,One Very Happy Customer

>.. I have been reviewing Raw Diets for my dogs. The butcher usually supplied me with ground trimmings as pet food, but announced that they would not be grinding again until Summer. So I was forced to evaluate my desire to feed them the 'right way" for me, or go back to the food they really wouldn't eat, which is what got me looking at real dog food, in the first place. Since my butcher wasn't going to be grinding, I would have to or pay out serious money for prepared frozen B.A.R.F. food elsewhere.>.. This machine seemed to have the power and all the pieces needed, six plates, 3 blades, foot pedal, and some serious power. I read all the reviews, I watched YouTube, and I bought it. Hard to find recipes as Dr. Becker's book is out of print, and is offered here for $188.99 from a reseller [used]. So more research. Decided on a recipe.>.. 20 pounds of meat, organs, vegetables, supplements, and eggs with shells later, I was delighted with my machine. It plainly states with BIG pictures how to place the blades against the cutting plate, and I did. And it worked the first time. I changed plates to regrind, and found that I needed to clean deeper into the exit chute than I expected, but once I did, it all worked perfectly again for the second finer grind. [I used the two largest plates with holes, not the wagon wheel or the beaner plates, they have other uses.] I have not ground bones yet, that will happen with chicken or rabbit (we have a pet supplier here in my town), but not with turkey or bigger bones. The directions are very clear: chicken, duck, or rabbit bones are OK, Turkey, lamb, goat, or bigger are too big for the machine, and voids the warranty.>.. Now to the cleaning: Hot soapy water cleaned everything easily and spotlessly EXCEPT the cutting plates. They stained, possibly from acids from the meat. The stains resisted brushing, and scrubbing, so I accepted that they were discolored like a knife that has been etched to reveal grain, but it was not that pretty. They are fully functional, and when I called my Brother-in-law who uses his machine every year to make venison sausage, he said his plates were stained too and not to worry as long as they were CLEAN, which they are. I used coconut oil to coat the metal parts, including the carefully washed threads. and packed it away.>.. One thing I wanted to know, and no review here said was: how long did it take to make roughly 3 weeks of food for the dogs? Well, the meat was cut up and frozen before, it took about 2 hours to thaw. So I started at 2:30 in the afternoon, and with mixing in supplements grinding the vegetables, adding in the eggs, shells, jellied bone broth with turmeric and ginger, adding the other supplements and mixing it all up to even out the distribution of all that extra, then regrinding, and packaging in one pound bags, it took me 2 and 1/2 hours. Could it have gone faster? Oh, yes. I was looking for things, I had to grind in stages as I didn't have a big enough container for all the meat at once. Now, I have a much better idea of the process, I expect to be be faster in the future.>.. Next time Chicken! Easter is coming, maybe lamb. And turkey is cheap in the off season. I wonder how many turkeys come in a case? And I know where to buy a goat! The dogs will eat well!>.. 3/20/17 Update: I found a way to reduce the time before I got into it again. I ordered a 2 inch sausage tube, and some meat bags. These come in 1 pound, and 2 pound sizes, and I am told can be forced to hold more, so 1/2 kilo in a 1 pound bag or 1 kilo in a 2 pound bag seems reasonable. How does this save time? The horn can be mounted after the size plate is placed over the cutting blade, and all secured by the locking ring. So the second grind goes out of the machine into the premeasured bags directly instead of into the pan to be weighed and bagged later. Depending on the bags you get you can close them with a tape dispenser or smaller hog rings [need pliers or dispensing pliers for these]. The heavier bags, like I bought, need the hog rings to close like most 1 pound ground meat chubs in the store have. I think I could cut easily 30 minutes off my time with these bags, horn, and closure device. I found all of these on Amazon by searching for the meat bags.>.. Update 4/11/17: there is no #12 match for this machine. The grinding plates and locking head are called #12, and they are close, but not the same, a bit smaller. I found this out when I ordered the #12 2 inch horn from a different supplier, it did not fit, and STX does not make such a horn. THE ANSWER: I just used the largest stuffing tube to fill the meat bags, instead and it worked fine. I did not try to send the dog food through the grinder a third time, I just put the tube on the machine for the second grind, and let the force of the grinding fill the tube and the meat bag at it's own pace. Keep everything COLD and all went well. It certainly did speed up the processing and eased the storage as well. Dropped 25 1.25 pound bags into the freezer, in orderly rows cross stacked for the upper rows, and it stores as nice as one could ask.

I purchased the STX turbo a couple days ago and I've gotta say im impressed.I work as a butcher and for the price point this is one of the better tabletop grinders I've used.It sets-up easy, breaks down quickly and for smaller batches of ground meat and sausage preparation it hits the mark in just about every category.The first thing i made was kielbasa. The attachments that came with the grinder made it very easy. I def recommend pre chilling your protein before you grind. The smaller size of the hopper vs industrial sized grinders means it can get warm and could slow the grind. That being said the grinder didn't bog down once. The grind was consistent and clean up was minimal.I also made burgers from scratch and they came out just as good. Again pre chilling your protein is a must. Though i didn't chill the grind the second time through and still had no problems.The only minor complaint i could have is the feeding tray is a little on the small size so making sausage was a bit harder than with larger models. But given the smaller size of the grinder it was to be expected.All and all i would def recommend the STX turboforce to anyone looking for a small grinder to use at home. Compared to other grinders or attachments,specifically ones that attach to stand mixers(which I'd advise you to avoid given their tendency to wear out the mother) at its price point i can't speak more highly of it.