Why should a meat grinder be tested with a real sample before purchase?

Catalog figures for particle size and output mean little until your own raw material runs through the machine. Bring the cuts, fat ratio and temperature you normally process, and have the supplier run a sustained trial at rated load. Watch for smearing, sinew wrap, uneven grind, and how throughput and barrel temperature behave with the specific screw, blade and plate fitted. Log rpm, plate hole size, blade condition and feed method; once the trial passes, freeze that configuration in the purchase order and re-check delivered units under the same continuous conditions, so nobody quietly swaps the auger or blade spec.