Review on 🔪 LEM Products 1224 #8 Countertop Grinder: Efficient Grinding Power for Home and Kitchen Use by Joy Bell

Let me start this review with the engineers ranting about material choices and design. People in the coffee grinder market worry too much about metal and plastic gears. First of all, not all plastics and metals are the same. For example, the quality of nylon, polycarbonate or whatever is far superior to the mysterious Chinese cast metal in many cases. Second, if the design and dimensions match the chosen material, even a weak material will do the trick. I have been using my coffee grinder for several years now. He processed over 20 large game animals, most of them poorly trimmed with stringy meat and in temperatures well above freezing (the worst case scenario for a meat grinder). The performance is perfect and the rest of our production line can't even come close. Looking at this device, it's pretty clear that it was made by a designer who makes a living from professional meat grinders, who was tasked with creating a more affordable device that would only grind a thousand pounds of meat per season instead of a thousand pounds of meat produced per day in a professional locker. It uses nylon gears, cheap die-cast aluminum for the housing and propeller, and only high-quality stainless steel where it really matters: blade and plate. The motor is an old 20th century brushed motor that stinks of ozone when started. Everything is ridiculously rebuilt and nothing breaks on a properly made and assembled device. It's big and chunky, very noisy and the parts, which are very easy to hand clean, aren't dishwasher safe, but for seasonal use, I think the savings compared to a professional unit are worth it. One final note: the most common problem with any coffee grinder is clogging due to tendon buildup around the blade. This can be due to misalignment of the blade and platen or because they are dull, but even with a quality piece of equipment with sharp edges, it quickly becomes a problem if not assembled properly. The grinder cuts by cutting through the material between the knife blade and the holes in the plate like scissors, and just like scissors, the fit between the mating surfaces must be tight. So don't hesitate when you tighten the aluminum head. There is a middle ground, but a little hard is better - practice makes perfect :)