Braun MR5550CA Multiquick Professional Hand Blender, White

This is a non paid response to a product purchased from the Amazon.com site. NOTE: Another review by me follows this review... I purchased this replacement Braun, six weeks ago. The replacement Braun hand blender is 400 watt opposed to the replaced one, which was a 200 watt version. The 200 watt version replaced a less powered version too. I owned the 200 watt model two years. I blend 4 times a week, omelets and fruits. the two earlier versions were GREAT kitchen tools. Both earlier models were under powered. I fried the motor in the first one, via over usage. The second I ground the rubber to metal joining connector, within the hand/motor to blend/washable/removable head, from bad usage or from over usage. This new Braun MR5550CA Multiquick Professional Hand Blender has a stronger rubber to metal joining connector and has an improved motor rating. The new unit stays cool. This new unit has a dual speed push button, where one is full power, the other is variable sped interdependent upon the top speed dial. For my dollar and usage this is one fantastic tool. For the power, the price was very good. BUT: for my needs, the a mini chopper/blender included was a waste. I paid for this and had no choice to say NO. The packaging was extensive and elaborate, a lot of unnecessary plastic and virgin beautiful ornate cardboard. I would have liked to receive the unit in brown recycled paper, and no mini chopper (with or without receiving credit for refusal of this addition, as this chopper is not bad quality, its just that a cook usually has a full sized chopper, and with over dependence/usage of oil....). Would I buy this unit again? In all measures except those stated: Unnecessary attachments,and overkill of packaging. For my usage, I conclude this Braun MR5550CA @ $64.67 delivered to be the best choice I could find, as I spent four hours researching on-line, with personal experience and past similar kitchen tool usage for my reference. I would buy this unit again. Great tool. I hope it lasts. Sincerely, ChangeItOrDrownIt ************************************************************************ 6-25-09 ChangeItOrDrownIt...Braun MR5550CA Multi Quick: I rated this item on 8-16-08. I had just purchased the unit. I was impressed both the change in the blending blade end as food did not clog the holes, and the increase in power. I disliked the inability of the purchaser to refuse the attachment array. Most cooks will not use the attachment blender as I believe most of us have a full size blender. I might have abused the unit, as I added some dried cranberries to my fruit juice blend drink. This questionable overuse ground the rubber to metal joint where the motor meets the blade attachment, in other words the blade would not spin with the motor. I accomplished this feat within the first couple of months of ownership/usage. As this was my third Braun: 1st @ 100W, 2nd @ 200W, I feel the connection might be improved for the increase in power to 400W MR5550CA. I immediately purchased a ROCCO Model ROHB300MU @ 330Watts. The joint (described above) is slightly superior in the ROCCO and I do not grind dried fruit anymore, although the slight power loss of 17.5%, the ROCCO blends as effectively as the Braun. Unfortunately this ROCCO came with even more "wonderful accessories" which I will never use. Great virginal plastic, packaging and increased shipping for the weight and volume. The costs were almost exact to the Braun 5550. I would choose the ROCCO over the Braun now that I have experienced both. I would like the ability to refuse the accessories whether I receive much price discount or not! Sincerely, ChangeItOrDrownIt.

I originally had ordered a Kitchen Aid handmixer but sadly the company does not know at this point when they will ship those out, if ever. So I searched some more and came across this one. The reason I bought this one over the $29.99 model is that it has not just one power strength but is adjustable. It really is powerful and works quickly. But in reality, the attachements are double of what you have in your kitche most likely. I find myself preferring my own chopper and whisker over the attachements. Basically I use the mixer stick and it is nice that I can adjust the powerlevel. THe rest is not that impressive. But it is a strong little machinery and if you have to hold it for a long time while in use your hand/arm/end up with some kind of cramp or pain. Strong vibration going on while in use. If you have joint problems or such issues you will find yourself wishing for a different model. After a while. Not right away. Of course if you don't use it often and use it only for little tasks that don't last long then you have a very excellent product. So basically it works but it is overpriced like this .

I just purchased the Braun 5550 hand blender and I am ecstatic with it! I could just absolutely kick myself for waiting sooooo long to make the move. I have always used a volcanic rock mortar and pestle to make my salsa, but having used my Braun, I will never use it again. It chopped my ingredients exactly like I wanted them. Also chopped my strawberries for shortcake to perfection. Made my egg salad a dream come true. The only thing you have to be careful about is overloading the chopper bowl as I did with the first set of salsa ingredients. The only thing I've found to be a negative is mashing potatoes, as they came out rather like thick paste. Changes the texture as opposed to my hand mixer. I had never purchased a food processor as I always make small amounts due to there just being my husband and myself, so this little jewel is just perfect for our needs. Clean-up is very easy. I just can't wait to use it for all the other things I have planned for it. I have had it a week today and I have used it EVERYDAY since it came and sometimes twice a day. Oh, I must not forget how fantastic the milkshakes are, the beaker included makes it so easy. My next big test I'm looking forward to trying is beating the egg whites for my lemon meringue pie. The MOST WONDERFUL thing about this product is that it can be used in any cookware or glassware due to the guard around the mixing blades. Fantastic product!!

This is a powerful, versatile, and easy to clean piece of equipment. The cord is a good length and does not seem to get in my way. It has the power to crush ice, make good hummus, and blend just about anything. However, as I note below, it is NOT invulnerable, and that is to be expected. I purchased this to replace one that I had for a few years and burnt out (my fault, not Braun's). This one has a larger chopper than the old one, which is nice. It functions well as a small food processor. I do wish the smaller, higher button were the one that went to full speed, as that one is the more intuitive to press. If I want to use the variable speed feature, I have to make a mental effort to press the small button, and that is poor design. I also wish it still came with the more slender, stainless steel blending attachment. However, I still have the one from the one I burnt out, and it still fits.

I researched these handy kitchen tools before buying my first Braun Multiquick 400 watt Pro Hand Blender. It's been perfect since day one. I use it daily for mixing breakfast smoothies each with 10 ice cubes. Other use is occasional, including pureeing vegetable soups. It's so easy to use and clean. I love the variable speeds, of which I only use 3, ample power and lighter weight. The electric cord hasn't been a problem, though a cordless losing its charge would be. The hood covering the blade is just plastic, but that's been no problem at all. What I haven't seen in product reviews, even Cook's Illustrated, is the importance of the shape and depth of the blade cover and its relation to the shape/size of the provided container in which it's used, to achieve desired texture. Of the brands I've tried, Braun provides the best proportions for blending thick and frothy, filling smoothies, rather than thinned juices. When I couldn't find another Braun to buy for use in a vacation home, I got a KitchenAid that was more expensive, heavier than my Braun, a bit awkward to hold, and 200 watts. It had a metal blade cover and still had the variable speeds. But in just 4 months it died. Very disappointing. Again I couldn't find my powerful Braun to replace it, so got a comparable Cuisinart. Another disappointment. I'm so glad to have discovered this Braun product available online.

We had this for about a year, and maybe used it once a month. Then it just stopped working while in the middle of blending something. It was a great product while it worked, but it is hard to recommend a kitchen tool this fragile.

I was very disappointed to see that crucial inner parts were made of plastic. The lower hand blender part had a broken plastic part after a year of moderate using ( I mostly use it for blending soups). The mixer bowl is still working fine. I cannot ask for replacement because the warranty year is over... Research more before you buy this one.

I've had mine for a couple of years and I use the blender a LOT mainly for making soups. I recently also started using the chopper unit a lot more for making pastry which it does fairly well. My huge disappointment is that you would except an expensive counter-top appliance such as this to be more sturdily made. I noticed that the machinery parts inside are actually made of PLASTIC and recently,while trying to blend parboiled zucchini the very flimsy spindle for the blender broke and that in turn broke the rotor in the motor which means the entire ensemble is now unusable and of course out of warranty. An appliance which has to be able to blend solid food into puree needs to be more solidly made than this.