The STX Turboforce 3500-TFHD is STX’s heavy-duty #12 grinder: a two-speed machine with reverse, a foot pedal, four grinding plates and a full sausage and burger kit. STX sold it for $269.80 on its own store in October 2026. The Amazon listing showed it as currently unavailable when we checked.
Short answer: owners who keep their meat cold say it’s fast, and some say they can barely keep up with it. But its Amazon rating is a mixed 3.5 out of 5 from 52 ratings, and the complaints are about the breaker tripping and parts rusting. For most buyers, STX’s own Turboforce 3000 is the safer pick at a lower price.
We haven’t run this grinder ourselves. This review is built from STX’s published specifications and from verified owner reviews on Amazon, and it says which is which.
Check the price at STX International · Check Amazon availability
STX Turboforce 3500 Specifications
| Motor | 3500 watts locked motor wattage |
| Speeds | High, low and reverse, plus an on/off foot pedal |
| Grinding rate | 175 to 225 lbs per hour on high |
| Head size | #12, with a 2-1/8 inch feed opening and a 3 lb meat tray |
| Gears | Two hardened steel reduction gears; the main drive gear is POM plastic |
| Head, auger and tray | Uncoated polished cast aluminum, hand wash only |
| Blades | Three 304 stainless steel blades, dishwasher safe |
| Plates | Tempered steel: 4 mm, 7 mm, 10 mm and a wagon wheel plate, plus a stuffing plate. Hand wash only |
| Sausage kit | Three tubes (1/2, 5/8 and 3/4 inch) with adapter |
| Extras | Kubbe attachment, two meat claws, burger and slider press, palm-press pusher that stores the tubes |
| Safety | Circuit breaker with a reset button on the bottom |
| Power | 110/120 volt only |
| Shipping weight | 18 lbs |
| Warranty | The 3500’s Amazon listing doesn’t state one. STX’s other listings promise either a 3-year warranty or a 1-year fix-or-replace guarantee, so check the card in the box |
Two things in that table are worth reading twice. The 3500 watt figure is locked motor wattage, the draw when the motor is stalled. It isn’t what the grinder uses while it’s running, and STX doesn’t publish a running figure for this model. And the plates are tempered steel, not stainless, so they rust if they’re put away wet.
What Owners Report
The 3500-TFHD averaged 3.5 out of 5 on Amazon from 52 ratings when we checked in October 2026. The reviews split into two camps.
The Good
- It’s fast. One owner processing a deer could barely keep up and says it never bogged down. Another ground two deer and a hog and made links in half the time their old grinder took.
- Cold meat matters. One owner ran 15 pounds and then 25 pounds without trouble, keeping the meat at the 34°F the manual recommends: very cold, but not frozen.
- The foot pedal. One owner calls it a bonus because it keeps both hands free.
The Bad
- The breaker trips. This is the complaint that comes up most in the reviews we read. One owner says it trips on anything other than fully thawed meat. Another, grinding brisket and cooked chicken for dog food, found it tripped after about three minutes of use and that reverse later stopped working. Even a happy owner had it throw the breaker several times on beef fat.
- Rust. One owner reports the plates and auger rusting after two uses, despite drying and oiling them.
- No bones. A cat-food maker found it couldn’t handle the pre-crushed chicken bones their old grinder managed, and replaced it with a 750 watt Weston.
- Noise. Owners who mention it agree it’s loud.
Getting the Best From It
- Chill, don’t freeze. STX’s manual targets about 34°F. Owners report trouble at both extremes: one says it stalls on anything partly frozen, another that it only grinds semi-frozen meat.
- Cut meat into strips or cubes. STX says the auger pulls properly prepared meat down on its own, so you shouldn’t need to force it.
- Know where the reset button is. It’s on the bottom. If the breaker trips, clear whatever is caught, wait 30 seconds and press it.
- Hand wash and dry everything except the blades. The aluminum head and the tempered steel plates aren’t dishwasher safe. Dry the plates straight away and give them a light coat of food-grade oil before storing.
How It Compares
Prices were checked in October 2026 and change often.
| Grinder | Price | Rated speed | Warranty | Amazon rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STX Turboforce 3500-TFHD | $269.80 (STX) | 175 to 225 lbs/hr | Not stated | 3.5 (52) |
| STX Turboforce 3000 | $179.75 | 180 to 240 lbs/hr | 3 years | 4.5 (about 4,700) |
| LEM Big Bite #12 (.75 HP) | $579.99 | Up to 11 lbs/min | 5 years | 4.7 (about 3,100, shared across sizes) |
| Weston Butcher Series #22 (1 HP) | $499.99 | Up to 14 lbs/min | 5 years | 4.2 (66) |
The Turboforce 3000 is the obvious comparison. It has the same #12 head size and a similar rated speed, plus a stated 3-year warranty, for about $90 less and with a far stronger owner rating. The 3500 package adds a foot pedal and a meat tray bracket. If you need a grinder that handles bones or heavy weekly use, the LEM and Weston cost about twice as much but come with 5-year warranties, and owners of both report grinding chicken bones.
Who Should Buy It
- Consider it if you want a #12 grinder with a foot pedal and a full accessory kit for under $300, you grind boneless meat, and you’re willing to keep it at the right temperature.
- Skip it if you grind bones for pet food, you want something that forgives soft fat or partly frozen meat, or you’d rather buy the better-reviewed Turboforce 3000.
Our Verdict
The Turboforce 3500 is fast and well equipped, and when owners get the meat temperature right they’re happy with it. But a 3.5 average, repeated breaker complaints and a plastic main drive gear make it a harder recommendation than STX’s cheaper Turboforce 3000. If the foot pedal and extra plates matter to you, buy it from a seller with an easy return policy and test it on a full batch straight away.
Check the price at STX International · Check Amazon availability
STX Turboforce 3500 FAQ
Can the STX Turboforce 3500 grind bones?
Treat it as a boneless grinder. One owner found it couldn’t handle pre-crushed chicken bones that their old grinder managed, and the main drive gear is plastic.
Why does my STX 3500 keep stopping?
The circuit breaker trips when the motor overheats or something jams the head. Clear the jam, wait 30 seconds and press the red reset button on the bottom. Keeping meat at about 34°F and cutting it into strips or cubes reduces trips.
Are the STX 3500 parts dishwasher safe?
Only the stainless steel blades. The aluminum head, auger and tray and the tempered steel plates should be hand washed, dried straight away and stored dry.
How fast is the STX Turboforce 3500?
STX rates it at 175 to 225 pounds of meat per hour on high speed.
What is the difference between the STX 3000 and 3500?
Both have a #12 head. The 3500 adds a foot pedal and a meat tray bracket, but it costs about $90 more and has a much weaker owner rating: 3.5 against the 3000’s 4.5.
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