The Weston 22 meat grinder seems like a beast, but is a worth the price? What exactly can it do that makes it cost almost 3 times more than a standard grinder? Will it be a complete waste of your money? I hope to provide you with the answers in this review.
To find out what’s so special about it I’m going to look at the five things that matters the most when it comes to selecting a quality meat grinder:
Cost
For us average users, buying one of these is quite a sizable investment. Halfway decent standard meat grinders generally only cost a fraction of the asking price for this one; even other Weston meat grinders cost less. With a higher asking price, is it really worth it to spend that much money on a meat grinder? My answer is yes, but only if you are looking for the following:
- More power because anything weaker won’t meet your grinding needs.
- Faster grinding times because you don’t want to, or don’t have the time to wait around for a slower meat grinder.
- Less hang ups or clogs. If saving time is important to you then you definitely want fewer clogs. Having to stop and unclog a unit wastes more time than anything else.
- Heavy use because you will be grinding a lot of meat very often and for prolonged periods of time. It must be designed for heavy use if you are planning to grind a lot of meat. Stressing the machine when it wasn’t designed for it can cause a lot of downtime– which is a total waste of time– and it often leads to premature failure of the unit itself– which is a total waste of money.
- The ability to grind small bones. Cheaper units just can’t handle this, nor was it designed to.
Also, this unit was specifically designed for the following users, so if you are one of them then this is definitely a worthwhile investment for you.
- Hunters who will be processing more than a couple game animals per year.
- People who butcher their own meat on a regular basis.
- Small restaurant owners.
- Pet owners who want to make their own pet food and need to be able to grind bones along the meat.
Yes, this is a little pricey. However, take this truth into consideration when you think about the price. If you buy the best you only have to buy it once. You won’t have to deal with upgrading, or replacing cheaper ones that have broken down. You also won’t have to deal with problems that come with cheaper units like constant clogs, overheating, and wrong textures.
This is one of those best that you only have to buy once. It’ll probably outlast maybe five of the cheaper ones anyways. By that time it will come out to being way cheaper than having bought five of the cheaper units.
Power
If it’s one thing that this unit is not lacking, it’s power. It has plenty of it. Because of the 1 HP motor, the Weston 22 electric meat grinder can handle whatever you want to throw in it. It can handle fibrous game meats like deer and elk. It can handle soft bones and small poultry bones like chicken necks. It will even grind up a whole chicken leg quarter—with bones—faster than you can feed in another one.
This thing can grind up to 725 pounds of meat in one hour. That’s 12 pounds in just one minute. The motor is also air cooled so overheating wasn’t an issue nor was it a concern. It gets even better though. My initial thought was this thing was going to be loud. But I was surprised to find how quiet it was. It makes more of a low humming noise than anything else when– even when it’s trying to chew out a chicken leg quarter with bones. I’m sure everyone else in the house will appreciate this little bonus too. I know I did.
If you don’t want the most power you can get in a meat grinder (who doesn’t?) then this one might not be right for you . However, if you want power to grind whatever your want then the Weston 22 is the right choice for you.
Ease of use
Using this is dead simple. There’s not much there to figure out what does what. You only have forward to grind, and reverse to pull meat out should it ever get stuck.
Reverse is nice to have if something gets stuck. But I don’t really think you’ll need to use it very often. With such a power motor, you shouldn’t be getting anything stuck unless your trying to grind large bones.
The feeding pan is pretty big too at 13.5” x 9.25” x 3.5”. I can just dump a bunch of pieces of meat into the pan and let the grinder do the rest.
The feeding tube is pretty wide with a diameter of about 2.5 inches. This lets the auger easily pull the meat into the pan. This really helped me to save time with preparation. I didn’t have to cut the meat into tiny little pieces. We both know how long that can take.
Clean up
Stainless steel housing, blades and auger makes cleaning way easier. Meat won’t stick to auger a such. Slides off easily with warm water and soap. Can use dish washer to make it easier. Comes part quickly and with ease for even easier cleaning.
Clean up is a little faster thanks to a stainless steel housing. You don’t have to scrub so hard because the right pieces of meats stuck to it comes off much easier.
Both the auger and the blades are also stainless steel. They’re even easier to clean because you can soak then in warm water and detergent. The bits and pieces of meat slides right off with a sponge if you let them soak a good ten minutes or so. Don’t worry about having to struggle taking them out either. It’s easy and fast.
The easy clean up makes this even more worthwhile to buy. I definitely hate having to clean up afterwards the most and I’m confident you’re not too fond of it either. Anything that makes it easier to clean up is a big plus. Being made entirely of stainless steel makes this so much easier to clean (which makes it so worth it).
Durability
The Weston 22 electric meat grinder is heavy. It weighs roughly 60 pounds. However, in this case, it’s a good thing. The weight is proof of its quality and durability. It’s heavy because of its all metal construction. Even the gears are all metal. Picking it up and a closer look assured me it was built to last. I wouldn’t be surprised if one lasted me 10 years.
A meat grinder that is built to last like this one is well worth the money if you think about it long term. Sure you can buy something cheaper at even half the price, but if you end up spending more in the long run because they just won’t last as long. If you’re going to get something, get the best that will last. Do yourself a favor and spend just once for quality that will last because you’ll end up saving more money in the long run.
Recommendation
If you won’t be needing it’s power, using it heavily, or you’re not looking for something that will last then save your money and go with a cheaper alternative like the STX 3000. Or check out the other Weston meat grinder for something lower priced, but still has the quality offered by Weston.
If you need a quality meat grinder that can handle some beatings (like small bones and heavy use) then the Weston 22 meat grinder is what you need. Buy it once and save yourself the hassle of having to replace cheaper machines. Oh, and don’t forget to look for the best prices on Amazon. After you’ve tried it a few times, come back and let us know what you think of it.
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