Hand Mixer Comparison Page

Back to the Hand Mixer Page

This superb page is from magazine's comparison page. The URL is http://www.cuisinemagazine.com/wares/mixers2.html. I am preserving it here as a service to you. It is the best and only one I could locate to compare the brands and their characteristics. Read on.

HOME · STORE · RECIPES · TIPS · FORUM · SUBSCRIBE · WEEKLY EMAIL RECIPES

HAND MIXERS Part of the beauty of these mixers is that after all these years, there’s still not a lot to them--there’s just a few features to look at, plus options. But believe me, that’s all you need to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Motor Size: Motor size isn’t nearly as important as motor efficiency. I learned through some vigorous testing that you can’t base your decision just on how many watts the motor uses. Some of the mixers with high wattage motors were outperformed! But I figured you’d want wattage numbers anyway (I would!), so they’re in the chart. Just take it with a grain of salt--performance is what counts. By the way, I don’t have the wattage for the KitchenAid, see chart. When I called them up to get it, they told me they use a DC motor that’s a lot more efficient than the AC motors in the other mixers. They wouldn’t give me a wattage figure for comparison. The motor worked well, but not noticeably better than the others. Beaters: Beater design has really changed in the last few years...for the better. The newer wire type beaters outperformed the old flat style in most ways. They aerated batters, egg whites, and cream better, and also worked through heavy doughs easier. And they didn’t clog up as much. They’re also much easier to clean. But l have to say one thing. The old beaters are still the best for my favorite--mashed potatoes.

Speeds: I’m gonna sing a little bit of the same tune on speeds as I did on motor size: You can’t base your decision just on how many speeds a mixer has. All I wanna know is: How good are the speeds that it does have? I’ll explain. If the low speed is low enough to get through the tough jobs without bogging down or splattering, and the high speed is high enough to whip cream and egg whites, I’m happy. Give me one or more speeds in-between and that’s all I need. Anything else is unnecessary. Braun and KitchenAid do the best job here, even though the Braun only has three speeds and the KitchenAid has a whopping seven. Vents: A lot of these mixers have vents right up front where all the mixin’s going on. What I saw time after time in my testing was a bunch of flour disappearing into these vent holes. How good can that be for the guts of these things? And the vents also seem to be magnets for goopy batter--a nightmare to clean!

Options: I’ll make this short: Braun gave me the only options that were worth anything. Braun gives you a hand blender for high-speed blending. You also get a chopper (basically a mini food processor). These things really work well. And this is a very inexpensive way to get these tools into your kitchen. General Comments: When I first looked at these mixers, I wondered how I’d ever make a choice. Once I started testing, it was obvious. The Braun was the only mixer that did everything I asked of it--and more. It was powerful, but with a good low speed. And its three speeds are all you need to get the job done. The price would be reasonable even if you only got the mixer and no attachments. Throw in the handblender and chopper (which work great, by the way!) and this is a no-brainer. Clean-up is the best of any mixer I’ve seen--there’s no vents to clog. One last thing. This is the only mixer that can handle dough hooks--they worked great!

	We Paid	Size of Motor	Beaters/ Options	Speeds	Options Included	Noise	Vents	Comments
Cuisinart SmartPower HTM-5	$39.99	220 watts	Wire type, extra long (my favorite beaters!)	5, with automatic feedback	Plastic Spatula	Loudest	So much power, front vent sucks in a ton of flour	I really loved the feel of this mixer - solid! And it's got the best beaters. But it also has a huge problem: the lowest speed wasn't nearly slow enough. At times, this mixer is uncontrollable.
Sunbeam Mixmaster #2372	$34.99	200 watts	Flat metal type, dough hooks	6, with power boost	Stand and mixer bowl included, but worthless	Very loud	Bad location in front, but better than Cuisinart	This mixer is a marginal performer, and a bad value. You're paying $34.99 for a flimsy stand and dough hooks that are worthless. Alone, the mixer's not worth that price.
Black & Decker Smart Mixer M175	$19.99	175 watts	Flat metal type	5, with power boost	Spatula attach- ment	Loud	Front vent sucks in flour	This is the bare minimum performance anyone (regardless of skill level) can get by with. I guess for $20 that's not bad. But you deserve better -- spend a little more for a real mixer.
KitchenAid Ultra Power Plus 7	$49.99	Not available	Wire type	7	None	Quiet	Bad front placement, but didn't suck much flour in	Performed well except for one big thing -- its digital speed button. The motor reacted too slowly to it, and it was a pain to find the right speed. The only mixer that was frustrating to use.
Krups Power Mix #606	$49.99	220 watts	Wire type, dough hooks	3, with pulse and power boost	None	Quietest	Good vent location in back on side	I was really disappointed in the Krups. It did such a great job on other tests that I was shocked when the motor bogged down on cookie dough. Unacceptable! Bad power switch too.
Braun Multimix M880	$49.99	220 watts	Wire type, dough hooks	3, with pulse	Hand Blender, chopper	Very quiet	No vents!	The only drawback is that it's pretty wobbly when sitting on its base. So if you're a bit of a bumbler, this might not be the mixer for you. Otherwise, this baby's head and shoulders above the rest!

More Wares

Email This Page To A Friend!
Appetizers | Salads | Entrees |  Sauces | Soups | Side Dishes Breads | Desserts | Main Recipes Page
	Subscribe to Cuisine at home.
Home | Contact Us © August Home Publishing Co.   All Rights Reserved.