Buy the #8 if you process one or two deer a season; buy the #12 at three or more. LEM rates the #8 at up to 7 lb a minute on 0.5 HP and the #12 at about 11 lb a minute on 0.75 HP. One catch: LEM sells the #12 direct, not on Amazon. If you want to buy through Amazon, the MEAT! #12 is the closest match.
Spec by spec
| Spec | LEM BigBite #8 | LEM BigBite #12 | MEAT! #12 (Amazon alternative) |
|---|
| Motor | 0.5 HP | 0.75 HP | .75 HP |
| Rated output | Up to 7 lb/min | About 11 lb/min | 7-10 lb/min |
| Head opening | 2 in. | 2.25 in. | Not published |
| Gears | Steel gears (LEM's BigBite line-wide spec); bearings not listed | All metal gears with roller bearings | Not published |
| Weight | 28.66 lb | 33.07 lb | 47 lb |
| Plates included | 4.5 mm, 10 mm, stuffing | 4.5 mm, 10 mm, stuffing | Coarse, fine, stuffing |
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years | Lifetime, original owner |
| Where to buy | Amazon or LEM | LEM direct only | Amazon or MEAT! |
Sources: LEM #8 page, LEM #12 page, LEM BigBite technology page, MEAT! #12 page and MEAT! warranty.
Everything that makes a BigBite a BigBite is shared: the stainless head, the extended auger LEM says grabs meat and pushes it through the plate faster than other grinders, the same three plates, and the same 5-year warranty. The #12 adds a quarter horsepower, a quarter inch of throat, roller bearings called out on the spec sheet, and about 4 lb a minute. It also adds 4.4 lb, which matters less than you'd think on a machine that already weighs nearly 30.
The season math
At the Ohio DNR average of 52.19 lb of venison per deer, here's how long each grinder spends feeding a season at LEM's rated speeds, assuming every pound goes through once:
| Deer | Venison lb | #8 at 7 lb/min | #12 at 11 lb/min | Saved per pass |
|---|
| 1 | 52 | 7 min | 5 min | 2 min |
| 2 | 104 | 15 min | 9 min | 6 min |
| 3 | 157 | 22 min | 14 min | 8 min |
| 5 | 261 | 37 min | 24 min | 13 min |
| 6 | 313 | 45 min | 28 min | 17 min |
A coarse-then-fine grind doubles every figure. These are best-case feed minutes with chilled, cubed meat; real sessions include trimming, reloading and cleanup.
Where the #8 actually runs out
On arithmetic alone, the #8 never really runs out: even a 5-deer season is about 37 minutes of feeding per pass. So why do we put the line at three deer? Because feed minutes aren't the whole session. At three to five deer you're usually grinding twice, often in one long day with a helper cubing meat as fast as you can feed it. That's when the #12's extra quarter horsepower and wider throat earn their keep: fewer pauses when a sinewy piece goes in, less meat waiting in the tray warming up, and a day that ends about 26 minutes sooner on a 5-deer, two-pass season.
Below three deer, none of that shows up. Two deer at 7 lb a minute is about 15 minutes per pass. That's the Light tier, and the #8 is the right-sized tool for it. Our sizes guide has the same math for every size number, and the setup for 1-2 deer builds a whole Light-season kit around a #8.
If you double-grind everything
Sausage makers and anyone who likes a fine burger run every pound twice, and that halves the effective rate. On LEM's figures, a standard #8 run twice finishes about 3.5 lb a minute of fine grind, and a #12 run twice about 5.5. LEM's third option, the DualGrind #8, pairs a double-edged knife with two plates to do both grinds in one pass, and LEM rates it at 4.5 lb a minute. That slots it neatly between the two:
| Fine grind for 3 deer (157 lb) | Effective rate | Feed time |
|---|
| BigBite #8, two passes | About 3.5 lb/min | About 45 min |
| DualGrind #8, one pass | 4.5 lb/min | About 35 min |
| BigBite #12, two passes | About 5.5 lb/min | About 29 min |
If you know you'll double-grind and your season sits at two or three deer, the DualGrind #8 is worth a look before you jump a size. It carries the same 5-year warranty, per LEM.
Living with each
LEM lists the #8 at 18.5 x 9.13 x 15.59 inches and 28.66 lb, and the #12 at 20.24 x 9.13 x 15.98 inches and 33.07 lb: the same width, about 1.7 inches longer and a few pounds heavier. If one fits your cabinet, the other probably does too. Both ship with a 6-foot cord, and LEM says not to use an extension cord with either, so plan your grinding spot around an outlet. LEM's #12 page also calls out a storage drawer under the head for plates and the knife.
What LEM doesn't publish for either is worth knowing as well: no duty cycle, and no reverse on either spec page. So the choice really does come down to rated output, motor size and the bearings called out on the #12's spec sheet.
Buying a #12 when LEM's isn't on Amazon
LEM sells the BigBite #12 through its own site. Its card above shows a plain link to LEM rather than a price, because there's no Amazon listing to price and we don't earn a commission there. If you'd rather buy on Amazon, two #12s stand in:
- MEAT! #12 (.75 HP, 7-10 lb a minute, lifetime warranty for the original owner). Heavier at 47 lb, but the warranty is the longest in the category.
- Weston Pro Series #12 (1 HP, 750 W, 6-9 lb a minute, hardened steel gears, 5-year warranty per Weston's manual). More motor, lower rated output, and no reverse at this size.
The live price in each button above shows the gap between the #8 and the Amazon #12s better than we can in text, since prices move. Compare it with LEM's own page for the #12.
Choose the #8 if... choose the #12 if...
Choose the #8 if
- You process one or two deer a season, or mostly grind store-bought meat.
- The grinder lives in a kitchen cabinet and comes out a few times a year.
- You usually grind once, coarse, for burger.
Choose the #12 if
- You take three to five deer, or you grind for a second household.
- You double-grind most of your meat for sausage.
- You're buying one grinder for the next decade and your season is more likely to grow than shrink.
If your season is already past five deer, skip both and read LEM Big Bite #12 vs #22. For the full field beyond LEM, see our best meat grinders for deer.
