The unit arrived undamaged xternally but internally there is a bronze bearing on the vertical shaft which came loose and slid down jamming the pinion gear used to lift the press which would probably strip or break the lift gear teeth if the lever was forced. Repair required that the the unit be disambled and the bearing be reseated and held in place with epoxy. In addition the set screw which causes the shaft to rotate and turn the press away from the meat cup had to be adjusted as it was to tight and set with blue loctite to keep it in place. The unit was then tested, regreased with white lithium and reassembled. Now it works like a champ and burgers are popping out just fine.The bearing coming loose was probably caused by incorrect installation or jostled loose during shipping.If you are not interested or capable of making repairs I'd skip this purchase. In reading other reviews I suspect that others have experienced failures because of the same problems.This is a good unit when it works correctly. Its easy to use, clean and solid. It can press other foods besides beef burgers as I just made pork stuffing burgers which were great on turkey sandwiches. I would definitely recommend this unit.
Johnny Mac 
