Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Every one of my countertop appliances is a KA, and normally I'm very happy with the performance. However when my wonderful old Braun Multi-Mix hand mixer bit the dust a year ago, I had to go with another brand b/c they weren't made any longer. After reading a lot of reviews on Amazon, I couldn't decide between brands. The KA had a high proportion of one-star reviews because of failure after a short time. But there were plenty of good reviews and when I posted the question on TOBB I got mostly positive comments from people that had one.

So I bought a 9-speed model, and sure enough, just 2 weeks after the warranty expired, it was dead. Doesn't even turn on. It's exactly what the other reviews were complaining about, so clearly it's an issue with this model. I sent an email to KA Customer Service and of course just got the party line about the warranty being expired and how I could purchase a new one from them at a "discounted" price, la de da... Fortunately I bought it with my AMX so the extended warranty applies. If it were a bigger ticket item, I'd make a stink with KA about it just out of principle, but I really don't have time for that right now.

So... I'm asking yet again if anyone has any recommendations as far as a durable hand mixer (although the irony is that I probably use it once every week or two at most, for small, very light tasks like whipping cream). And also, if any of you guys are thinking about buying the current KA model, it might be wise to think again!

Thanks.

Emilie

Can I have your beaters please? One of my beaters broke, and I keep using that one. It is not fun. I know I could buy a new set, but I just haven't...

I'm sorry to hear about the mixer. Good thing you used your AMX card.

I have a fairly cheap Hamilton Beach, around $20 at Walmart. For the dozen or so times a year I use it it has held up for about 3 years.

I also have a cheap Hamilton Beach, 6 speed, 175 watts. Had it for 12-15 years. Lots of abuse and it still keeps running.

I have a Sunbeam. They're cute and come with a little stand. It's seen light duty (mostly stirring up natural peanut butter) for 5+ years now and it's still going strong.

I have a 15 year old Cuisinart and it's still going strong, and I used the dickens out of it for the first 10 years. About 5 years in, it it developed a screech so I took it apart, squeezed food grade grease into the "no serviceable parts" inside, and the screeching stopped.

However, I am nearly convinced that in the ensuing 15 years the quality on small appliances has declined. So I don't know, but kinda doubt, that the current Cuisinarts are as good or durable. But I do like the beaters and whisk attachment! I find that the post-style beaters in the cheaper models take longer to do the same job (and are more difficult to clean) than the open-type beaters in KAs and Cuisinarts.

But I would probably get another Cuisinart if I had to replace my old one.

I have a really old 3-speed Black and Decker cheapo that's still going just fine. It's at least 20 years old, although I don't use it much.

CI's 2009 recommendations in the Highly Recommended Catagory were:

Cuisinart Power Advantage 7-Speed Hand Mixer $49.95
KitchenAid Professional 9-Speed Hand Mixer $79.95 <-- this is the one you had, right?

While toying with getting a stand mixer, I was considering something like this: