I was in the same boat as you guys untill somebody recommend this Meat Grinder from Norther Tools.

Pay particular attention to the user reviews, as they are what swayed it for me...

Other than grinding up a couple of pounds of beef, I've not really used it in anger yet, but I am more than happy with the unit up to now..It is noisy, and the on'off switch on the British version is a momentary job (ie dead mans type switch) so you have to hold it down while you grind, but thats no big deal..

I search high and low for a grinder, and did a lot of research, but I thingk you'd have to pay 3 times the money to find a better unit...