I have not made sausage 35 years. I bought my wife the Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas last year, which we appsalotly love. Then I started looking trough the Kitchen Aid web site and found this meat grinder on sale. It is outstanding. I have made sausage with it 3 times now and it has worked perfectly each time. It I sure so easy to set up and use. It is heavy duty and well made. When making sausage make sure to put the grinder in the freezer several hours before grinding it really helps not to over work the meat. Even though the box it comes in is cardboard it has a molded foam insert for the grinder to set in and makes it perfect for storage. If you own a Kitchen Aid mixer and you want to grind meat or make your own sausage I highly recommend getting this grinder. You’ll love it.