Upon assembly, I wasn't so sure about the quality of this crusher. The hopper is made of thin metal and the legs are a bit wobbly. Then I installed the handle and saw how well made the crushing gears are even though they are plastic. The handle is beefy, heavy and we'll balanced. The teeth/gears are super smooth and clean up well with just a hose when you are done for the day. Once I started throwing chopped apples into the hopper and started to turn the handle, all of my quality concerns went out the windows because the legs and hopper are more than adequate for their purpose. I tried tossing some whole apples in and you can crush them without the need to cut them up first, but I still halved or quartered most of my apples because it allowed me to put more in the hopper at one time and it gives the teeth more to grab onto. The result was a wattery "Apple mash" that was perfect for use in the cider press. This thing crushed all 4 coolers of apples pictured and 2 other coolers worth the week before without a problem. Just buy it!