Huntrite Stainless Steel 5-Lb. Capacity Sausage Stuffer

After making whole muscle jerky for a while, I had a hankerin' for snack sticks. I haven't made them in forever because all I had was a jerky gun. I bought this locally from Northern Tool for $79.99. I'm glad I did. :)I wish I could give 4.5 stars. The minor issues don't warrant a full star knock off, but the issues keep it from me giving a full five. Minor issues - the packing of this thing seemed to be packed in more grease than a Chinese AK-47. The plunger was disgusting out of the box. This icky sticky stuff that did not come off easy. I had to take the O-ring off and disassemble the air bleed valve and scrub the holy heck out of it. The scuzzy stuff was all over. I eventually got it all cleaned off. Clean up after first batch was eeeeeasy, compared to getting it ready for first use. Other slight issues...the metal gears had some rust on them and the handle seems a tiny bit prone to come off unintentionally. Also, the frame is no work of art, but, it's sturdy, and it works.So the good. I don't know how I lived without this thing to make jerky sticks or homemade brats. This thing just plain works great. I churned out 3# of snack sticks lightning quick. I couldn't believe how fast or how well this thing worked. No air bubbles. No vacuum lock. Very little "wasted" meat at the bottom of the hopper. When I loaded the hopper, I put a double layer of foil on the top and a few pieces of bread before putting the plunger in. When done, I had enough meat left in the bottom to make a small patty to fry up.If converting from a jerky gun or other stuffer, the 2 1/8" diameter stuffer tubes will be too big. This machine takes a 1 1/2" (might be 1 7/16") diameter interface. I found no issues with the plastic stuffer tubes that are included. I'll probably end up buying a thinner tube as the smallest included tube makes a sticks about as thick as a breakfast sausage. No hit on the product. Just my preference for the size of snack stick.So, in the end, I'm thrilled with the product and can't wait to run my next batch through it.UPDATE: Ran second batch of stix through. Yeah. Love this thing. Seems there might have been some burrs on the plunger rod that wore down. Mechanism smoother than on first batch. Clamped baby down on the counter today and cranked out another two pounds of stix. This machine is a gateway "drug". Time to try my hand at making to Red Hots and using more meat. My hobby may now become somewhat obsessive. lol.