I started out with a KA stuffer. Plastic auger and makes mush out of your ground meat. Someone else mentioned that you get what you pay for. I wholeheartedly agree. I did a lot of research and ended up with a LEM products small meat grinder and a 5lb. vertical stuffer. What took an hour of stuffing with the KA has turned into a 20 stuff. Have read many comments on different boards about the KA and most all have finally given up and purchased a vertical stuffer from different sources. What a difference. I also was informed of a source for natural casings. It seems that most of the casings sold in this country are first shipped off to China for processing and then returned to this country for sale. With all of the concerns for food products from China, I wouldn't be comfortable buying any food products from there. Before purchasing any casings, ask the country of origin. I was told of a company in the states that is probably the last that processes casings here. Syracuse Casings. All sizes from snack stick lamb casings to larger ones for sausage and for bologna. Reasonably priced and excellent quality. I have a Brinkman offset cast iron smoker with a Rock stocker kit. Great for large items and ribs. Not so easy to control temps for sausage. Just ordered a Cookshack small electric smoker. After reading so many posts about problems with cheaper electric smokers, I bit the bullet and ordered a Cookshack. Cannot find a single negative post about the Cookshack brand. Although this is a hobby, I take it seriously and want a finished product that I can be proud of serving to friends and family without any reservations. Unfortunately quality comes with a price, but with the cost of good meat and looking at years of service, for me, I have found that going for better is worth it. I will get off my soap box now, but if I have saved some others from purchasing cheap I have done what I intended.