I'm about to buy my first grinder. I'm in the 1-2 deer a year crowd. A LEM #8 is what I was looking at getting for about $279. If I could get the #12 for that price, then I would do that.
Who has the lowest price for these grinders?
You'll probably have to bump up your budget a touch if you want a #12.
LEM has refurbs on their site (see my link above), and they are constantly having sales. Sign up for their emails. I bought my #12 from Gander Mountain. They were on sale, and Gander also had additional discounts so I got it for around $300 shipped. I've been happy with the Gander grinder.