Comparison test of four hand blenders
23.12.2019
Translation: machine translated
If you're waving your magic wand frantically, you're either Harry Potter, a porn actor or in your kitchen. I'm in my kitchen and I've tested four of the most famous hand blenders for you.
Did you know that the blender was a Swiss invention? Roger Perrinjaquet registered the patent for the "portable household appliance" in 1950. Since then, the appliance has continued to evolve, and hand blenders are now accompanied by a host of accessories such as whisks, slicers and grinders. All well and good. However, I prefer to stay true to the original patent and limit this test to the main element: the blender. The disciplines chosen for this test are soup and smoothie.
The four candidates
I've tested four appliances that differ mainly in their accessories and power. Since manufacturers insist on giving their appliances obscure names made up of letters and numbers, I've renamed them all.
Bamix DeLuxe 180: the original
Bamix was the first company to offer a hand blender on the market and is still in business. On the 'original' model, it's not possible to remove the entire front section, only the blades, gce which doesn't make cleaning any easier. On the other hand, I think the spiral cable is a great idea. Thanks to it, nothing will be able to get in your way.
Bosch MSM88190: the medium
It's right in the middle. You can remove the blending part, the appliance has 800 watts of power and it has various accessories, several speeds and a spiral cable. When it comes to price too, the 'medium' model lives up to its name.
KitchenAid 5KHB2571: the modular
KitchenAid is the only manufacturer in this test to have supplied a box with its "modular" blender: first bonus points. You can assemble the different elements in this box as you wish to lengthen or shorten your blender. An idea that other manufacturers could take inspiration from.
Braun MQ 9047X: the Millennium Falcon
Braun's black and green hand blender looks like a spaceship, which is why I've renamed it the 'Millennium Falcon' (falling under the sway of the Star Wars trend). At 1,000 watts, it's the most powerful blender in this test. Power can be infinitely adjusted at the touch of a button, a highly intuitive system. But will it be enough for our supraluminal leap into the world of soups?
Soup
Mixing chunks of cooked pumpkin with a few other vegetables for 30 seconds? Any blender can do that. At least I hope it can. This is the discipline of hand blenders, and if a blender can't do it, there's no point buying it. Even so, there are differences in the resulting mush. The original Bamix model is at a disadvantage here, as you can't remove the front part of the blender. This means you can't unclip it to put it in the dishwasher: so you'll have to put the whole appliance in the sink somehow. Not practical at all.
The next discipline is more complicated.
The smoothie
It's time to get down to business. It's much easier to turn frozen fruit, nuts and a little water into a smoothie with a powerful enough blender.
In reality, the original Bamix model and the average Bosch model struggle in this new test. After a minute of mixing, you can still clearly make out bits and pieces. Beware, risk of choking!
KitchenAid's modular blender and Braun's Millennium Falcon fare much better with crunchy nuts and frozen fruit. The Millennium Falcon also makes much less noise. With KitchenAid's modular blender, your table will turn into a crime scene at the slightest false move.
Overview
I'll repeat everything for any lazy people who'd rather skip straight to the review: I've only tested the puree function of the blenders. I have not judged the grinders, whisks or other accessories as they are all very different from each other.
In my opinion, this test revealed two winners:
KitchenAid's modular blender and Braun's "Millennium Falcon", which are particularly convincing for their power when grinding nuts and frozen fruit. The KitchenAid is supplied in a practical box where everything is neatly arranged. As for the Braun model, I liked the fact that I could adjust the power continuously by pressing the button harder or softer. These two models are also the most expensive in the test. Quality comes at a price.
The average Bosch model is really... average. There's no need to say any more. In my eyes, the original Bamix model is a failure. The Swiss company's design looks dated. The small blades are difficult to change and, personally, I lost them after a few weeks. A redesign of this product is therefore more than necessary.
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
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