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I have the Kitchen Aid stand mixer, mincer/food grinder and the sausage stuffing attachment. (I needed Toulouse sausages for something & it was only by making them myself that I'd get them!). The mincer is fantastic (and gets regularly used to make my own mince). The sausage stuffing attachment, easy to use, works well. But I've only had the one experience with it! All up it was around AUD $115 for the mincer, and another $50 for the sausage stuffer. Really easy to clean, unlike the previous Kenwood mincer I'd had. SO if you're keen to make your own saussages go for it!

I've had mine a long time.  Only used the grinder once to make my own hamburger.  Not sure why I haven't used it more but I haven't.  Maybe the hamburger wasn't worth the clean up.  Now that I read this, maybe I'll try using it for something again!

I've had the grinder for over fifty years and love it. Originally I used it with a Kitchenaid 4C model, which was less powerful than the Classic model you have, and it worked just fine. When my trusty 4C model turned 49, I donated it to our local kitchen tool library, where it is still in use, so it's clear that using the grinder didn't strain the motor. I upgraded to an Artisan model because I wanted to be able to knead bread, which was beyond the 4C's capability. I'm still using the grinder. I also have the sausage stuffer which works well, but I don't use it very often, because I'm happy with making bulk sausage that I can form into patties or crumble as needed.

I have a 475 watt "Professional HD" that I bought about 15 years ago at Costco. It has the raised bowl, not the tilt head. I stripped the gearbox grinding and stuffing sausages. I ordered a new gear set and replaced them myself - a greasy but not difficult job. I haven't had any trouble since then. It's fun, take it easy, and have a helper to twist off the links and feed the meat. My advice is that it's fine for occasional, small batches of sausage but I wouldn't use it heavily.