my family does anywhere from 500 - 2000lbs of sausage a year (depends on # of deer and if we get pigs or a cow or 2) and we use nearly all LEM stuff... grinder is a 1hp and we have a 30lb hand crank stuffer, and a 50lb mixer... the mixer is a glorious machine (no more frozen hands)... we also have a commercial grade stuffer, it holds 50lbs at a crack and can shoot 50lbs of pepper sticks out in under 10 min, it's fantastic but also comes with a fantastic price tag... we have used the cabelas electric stuffer in the past and I think it only lasted 2 years before we broke it, the LEM hand crank stuffer has lasted 10ish, the current LEM grinder is 3 years old and seems like it will last a lot longer than the 1/2 hp that was done in 3 years. we used to do it all by hand years ago, and if you want equipment that won't break get the hand crank stuff but for speed and ease of use the electric is worth the money... if you are only doing 1 deer a year a small unit and mixing by hand wouldn't be bad but if you do 9 deer in a weekend and mix it 50/50 with pork then you need some ease in your life