Every electric meat grinder gets a score from 0 to 100% built from five factors, which maps onto the 5-point rating shown on the site (a 0% score would be 1.5 stars; a perfect score, 5). Each factor is scored against fixed reference points, not against the other products in the list, so adding a new model never moves another model’s rating. Grinders are grouped by head size, #5 and #8, and #12 and up, and use the same scale in both groups.
| Factor | Measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Value | price per 100 W of rated motor power | 25% |
| Motor | rated motor power, never a max or locked-motor figure | 20% |
| Output | maker's claimed pounds of meat per minute | 20% |
| Build | stainless steel body, metal gears, reverse and circuit breaker | 20% |
| Warranty | warranty length | 15% |
Where the numbers come from
Head size, motor rating, output, build features and warranty come from the maker’s manual or product copy, including the maker’s own copy on a retail listing, and from specialist retailers’ spec listings where the maker’s copy leaves a figure out. Prices are checked at Amazon, and the lowest price at a store the page links to is used.
The factors
Value is the current price divided by the rated motor power, in dollars per 100 W, on a log scale, so halving the price always counts the same. $150 per 100 W scores zero and $20 per 100 W full marks. A motor rated only in horsepower is converted at 746 W per hp.
Motor is the rated running power: 250 W scores zero and 1,500 W full marks. Some makers print only a “max” or “locked motor” wattage, which is what the motor draws when it stalls and runs far higher than a running rating. Those figures are shown on the product page but never scored. A grinder with no running rating gets zero for this factor, marked estimated, so a large unrated wattage claim can’t outrank a published rating.
Output is the maker’s claimed pounds of meat per minute, using the top of any published range and converting pounds per hour where that is how it is given: 3 lb per minute scores zero and 20 lb per minute full marks. These are maker claims, not measurements, and real output depends on the plate, the meat and how well it is chilled and cut.
Build is 30% for a stainless steel body or housing, 25% for metal gears, 25% for a reverse setting and 20% for a circuit breaker, reset button or overload cutout.
Warranty is the maker’s warranty: 1 year scores zero and 5 years full marks.
What isn’t scored
Head size, max or locked-motor wattage, whether the maker rates it for soft bones, an included foot pedal, safety and sanitation listings, weight and release date are listed but not scored.
Missing data
If the claimed output or the price isn’t published, that factor gets the neutral middle score (50) and the product page marks it as estimated. Build features score neutral only when none of them is published; a feature the maker doesn’t mention otherwise counts as absent. Motor power and warranty are the exceptions. A grinder with no published running rating scores zero for motor and neutral for value, and a maker that doesn’t publish a warranty gets no warranty counted, so that factor scores zero, the same as a one-year warranty. Both are marked estimated.
Ties and discontinued models
Products are ranked by score within each group. Discontinued models stay listed but rank below every current model and can be hidden with the “Hide discontinued” filter.