Author Topic: Kitchener 4.2-Gallon Meat Mixer and Walton's 2-Speed 11lb Sausage Stuffer  (Read 4722 times)

NDKoze

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  • Gregg - Fargo, ND
First, I am sorry for the lengthy post, but I started typing and couldn't stop. Can you tell that I am somewhat passionate about this stuff? ;)

For 10+ years I have pretty much been making all of my snack sticks at my parent's house with equipment that has been purchased together with my Dad, Brother, and Brother-in-Law. But, they are kind of stuck in their ways of making the same things all the time and don't really want to try new things.

So, last week I purchased a relatively small but big enough for what I will need Kitchener 4.2-Gallon Stainless Steel Meat Mixer that was on sale for $90.99. I see that it is back up to $129.99 again now though :(. It is interesting that the Kitchener says that it is a 17lb stuffer, but the same versions from LEM, Cabelas, and others state that their 4.2-Gallon stuffers will hold 20lbs. They can say what they want I guess. But, I am pretty sure that this is just marketing speak, though. Because they are ALL 4.2-Gallon mixers. I used my mixer to make two 7.5lb batches last week and am pretty confident that it will be able to hold double that (15lbs) at a time. But, I don't think that I would push it to 20lbs. I think 15lbs is the most I would try to mix in a 4.2-Gallon mixer. Technically the mixer tank may hold that much meat, but to get it to mix thoroughly is another thing. At my parent's house, we have a 50lb mixer and we tried doing 50lbs "one" time, and it did not work well, to say the least. The most I would do in the 50lb mixer would be 35-40lbs. We typically do 25lb batches because that is what a lot of the seasoning packs come in.

And then yesterday (after much deliberation), the election had me feeling so good that I finally pulled the trigger on a Walton's 2-Speed 11 lb (5L) Sausage Stuffer. I had also looked at the LEM and Westin stuffers as well as several knock-off brands (available on Amazon) that look exactly like the Walton's/LEM/Westin stuffer. There are a lot of stuffers (LEM/Westin included) that look exactly like the Walton's Stuffer that have small differences in quality of materials, plastic vs stainless steel stuffing tubes, tank size, and most importantly the quality of the gear system. Actually, the Westin appeared to be the closest when comparing size and quality of components. But, the gear system in the Walton's stuffer is a little more stout.

With Walton's Inc being a family owned business that I have been purchasing from since 2012, and knowing that the level of customer service and quality of products that they provide were on par with Smokin-It, this pushed me over the edge to get the Walton's stuffer. Many of the questions I have asked were directly answered by Austin Walton who is a third generation member of the Walton's Inc family. They actually have their own forum community that is available to post/answer questions and have a bragging section to show off your projects as well. If that was not enough, I already had a bunch of other supplies that I needed to purchase in preparation for this year's deer/meat processing, so I was able to order enough to get free shipping. Finally, another cool thing was that after a couple of days of having 20 items sitting in my shopping cart, Walton's sent me a 5% coupon code to try to push me over the edge. Well, it worked. Nice job from the Walton's marketing department! ;) 

Let it be known that I am not a paid sponsor for Walton's Inc, nor do I have any direct affiliation with them. I originally started purchasing from Walton's Inc because they were one of the main suppliers of the Excalibur Seasoning mixes that I had come to love and had been purchasing locally from my local butchers. But, as my family and I continued to expand on the amount of meat we were processing, we started looking for more affordable prices and larger quality selection. In came Walton's Inc. I am just a customer has been purchasing from them since 2012 or so and have been very pleased with them as a company.

For those of you who know me (and by the length of this post), you know I am very analytical and research stuff to death prior to purchasing. So, if you are contemplating the purchase of a mixer or a sausage stuffer and have any questions, please let me know.

Here is a description of the two units that I have purchased:

Kitchener 4.2-Gallon Stainless Steel Meat Mixer

The Kitchener and Cabelas mixers are very comparable to the LEM version from what I can tell. The main things to look for are the quality and thickness of the steel on the tub and mixer paddle. If I wouldn't have found the Kitchener for $40 off or the Cabelas version for $30 off, I would have purchased the LEM version that is comparably priced to the regular price of the Kitchener and Cabelas models.

Walton's 2-Speed 11 lb (5L) Sausage Stuffer

Description from the Walton's Inc website:
Quote
Walton's #1 selling hand crank sausage stuffer. High-quality stainless steel sausage stuffer with 4 sizes of stuffing tubes. High and low speeds for quick filling and easy stuffing. A full stainless steel construction allows for easy cleaning and years of service. Perfect for home meat processors and sausage and jerky makers, but also a great machine for small batch production in restaurants and commercial test kitchens.

Why buy a Walton's Sausage Stuffer? Walton's has years of use and real world experience not only selling but also using our hand crank sausage stuffers. At this price point, the Walton's Sausage Stuffers are simply the best available on the market. Whether it is the reliability, durability, clean stainless steel look and construction, ease of use, or the one year warranty backed by Walton's, there is nothing that our customers do not love about our sausage stuffers. Walton's has sold thousands of our sausage stuffers and nearly every single customer loves our products. Sausage making is also much easier when using a Walton's Sausage Stuffer, especially if you were previously stuffing from a meat grinder. A sausage stuffer not only makes it quicker and easier, but also produces a better looking stuffed sausage. A sausage stuffer can help reduce air pockets in your sausage that with a meat grinder is harder to avoid. If you do not yet have a sausage stuffer or you are simply looking to upgrade, a Walton's Sausage Stuffer is one of the easiest and best investments to make to improve your sausage making process.

Features:
  • Stainless steel construction, frame, stuffing tubes and cylinder
  • Heavy duty construction frame that will not bend or warp even when stuffing small diameter snack sticks
  • Aluminum gear box with zinc plated steel gears for years of use without the worry of stripping
  • Aluminum piston with a durable rubber gasket keeps meat from leaking around the canister
  • 11 lb meat capacity and 5-liter total capacity
  • Air release valve built into piston to help avoid air pockets in your casings
  • 2-speed gearbox - high speed for raising and lowering the piston and normal speed for stuffing
  • Tilting and removable canister for quick filling and easy cleaning
  • 4 Sizes of stuffing tubes: 12mm, 16mm, 22mm, 38mm
  • Compact size that is easy to use and store

Specifications:
  • Cylinder Diameter: 141mm (5.5in)
  • Cylinder Length: 320mm (12.6in)
  • 4 Sizes of stuffing tubes: 12mm, 16mm, 22mm, 38mm
  • Machine size: 65cm x 34cm x 30cm (25.6in x 13.4in x 11.8in)
  • Gross Weight/Net Weight:13kg (28.6lb) / 12kg (26.5lb)
  • One Year Limited Warranty
Gregg - Fargo, ND
Smokin-It #3 (purchased in 2014) that replaced a Masterbuilt XL (ugh) and a 10+ Year-Old Big Chief (still used for fish), and few others over the years, along with variety of Weber Gas/Charcoal Grills, Anova Sous Vide, etc. devices.

old sarge

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Re: Kitchener 4.2-Gallon Meat Mixer and Walton's 2-Speed 11lb Sausage Stuffer
« Reply #1 on: November 09, 2016, 09:54:06 PM »
Sounds like you are all set up. Enjoy.
David from Arizona
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DivotMaker

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Re: Kitchener 4.2-Gallon Meat Mixer and Walton's 2-Speed 11lb Sausage Stuffer
« Reply #2 on: November 09, 2016, 10:01:38 PM »
Nice review, Gregg!  Very informative!
Tony from NW Arkansas
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SconnieQ

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Re: Kitchener 4.2-Gallon Meat Mixer and Walton's 2-Speed 11lb Sausage Stuffer
« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2016, 10:05:53 PM »
Maybe you should get into the "artisan" sausage and snack stix business.
Kari from Madison WI "77 Square Miles Surrounded by Reality"
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NDKoze

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Re: Kitchener 4.2-Gallon Meat Mixer and Walton's 2-Speed 11lb Sausage Stuffer
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2016, 03:59:10 AM »
Maybe you should get into the "artisan" sausage and snack stix business.

I might do some for some friends. But don't want to do to much and take the fun out of it.

Next up is a meat grinders. I am only going to be grinding 5-15 pounds at a time or so, so will probably just get something like this Kitchener brand:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200451267_200451267

I'd love to get a LEM, but for the amount of grinding that I am going to be doing I can't justify the 3-4 times the money price. I think I have a $20.00 off if a $100 order coupon from Northern Tool. So, for $80.00, I can barely get a manual grinders.
Gregg - Fargo, ND
Smokin-It #3 (purchased in 2014) that replaced a Masterbuilt XL (ugh) and a 10+ Year-Old Big Chief (still used for fish), and few others over the years, along with variety of Weber Gas/Charcoal Grills, Anova Sous Vide, etc. devices.

TexasSMK

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Great post Greg
Dale from NE Texas--USMC Retired--Living in Havre de Grace, Maryland.  SE#2 with Auber