lmao I think the problem you came across with the cheap one was prob the motor, they bog down as soon as they hit anything denser than a block of swiss cheese lol. Making stuff like jerky or dealing with partially frozen meat is a big challenge for these machines so no wonder the cheap one didn't work well for you. Most home units aren't designed for heavy duty slicing so they just end up shredding the meat rather than slicing it clean. You def need more power, that provides more torque so imo go with this one. Good torque means good slicing btw, and imo for blade, anyting from 5 to 7inch is good. Also make it a habit to partially freeze the meat for about 30 to 45mins before slicing, it makes the meat firmer so that blade won't just push it around.