When purchasing a new meat slicer there are many different things to consider but one of the main differences is that some are gear driven and others are belt driven. This is to say that the spinning motor transmits its energy to the blade via a gear or a belt causing the blade to spin. Globe slicers and older Hobart slicers use gears and Berkel slicers almost all use belts. I won't even mention the Chinese brands as the belt and gear driven models are all equally garbage.
At a glance almost anyone would choose gear-driven over a flimsy little belt. And yes the gear will absolutely last longer then that little belt but what people don't consider is the cost to replace both items. The gear / bearing hub in the picture top left cost about $300 compared to $30 for the belt. And labor to install the hub will usually add another hundred or 2 to the repair bill while replacing that belt is something most people can do themselves if they're up for it. So it's a trade-off, a belt will break more often but repair and replacement of a belt costs a fraction of the gear and bearing hub replacement. So if you are planning to buy a used gear driven machine make sure to have a listen before you purchase it. If it's loud then it likely has worn out gears or bad bearings and repairs are not far off.
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