Braun MultiMix 3 HM 3135

Great little 'Workhorse' – I have found this machine to be the best little workhorse. I've had 2 over 25 years and considering it's size, choice of functions and price I am very happy with it and would highly recommend it. I also like the powerful motor whichnoutdoes many other brands of this size and type. Susan

Awesome strong mixer! – My mother gave this unit to me as a gift as my old mixer broke down. She had had a Braun hand mixer for 20 years and it's still serving her well, so she bought this newer version for me. The motor is strong, came with a hand blender, mini food processor, whisks and dough hooks. Thought it was very smart that the mixer can tell what attachment… Read more

you're using so when you're using the food processor and blender the on button is on pulse mode, and when you're using the whisks and dough hooks, the on button stays on when switched and you can change the speed as required with ease.

Hazardous and poorly made! – The first time I used it I made a dip. The attachments clicked into place and they worked ok. I tested out the speed gradually from 1 to turbo. Then when I detached the lid from the chopper bowl I found black metal specks and bit of plastic from the rotating component in the dip. I was utterly disappointed that the dip was ruined and inedible. The… Read more

company offered a replacement part but I just had no faith in the product and got a refund instead. Not worth the risk.

Great small mixer – I was unsure of buying this mixer due mainly to the bad reviews complaining of the on / off button having to be held down. This is not correct. The previous reviewer complains of a bad design where having to hold your finger on the on button obscures the speed adjustment, so before actually using the mixer he repacked it and gave it to… Read more

charity. Ooops, a bit hasty. Once you plug in the beaters, the on switch changes to being press 1 for on, press 0 for off. You do NOT have to hold your finger on the button. You CAN adjust the speed while mixing, easily. There must be a little mechanism inside which senses the beaters plugged in and adjusts the switch to suit. It is explained in the user manual, though admittedly it isn't very clear. It is just a diagram showing a finger pressing 1 to switch on pressing 0 to switch off. This works for both the wire beaters and the dough hooks.

If you connect either of the extra attachments, the small food processor or the stick blender, it changes to pulse operation, where you hold your finger on 1 to operate, and just release your finger to stop. This is because both the food processor (chopper) and the stick mixer (hand blender) should be used in short bursts. Using short bursts creates a more even chopping, and prevents the motor from overheating. A few seconds at a time works best, up to 30 seconds maximum. This is not just the Braun, all similar machines work best with short pulses of processing.

Any way, the Braun mixer is powerful, and importantly, the mixer turns quite slowly on the lowest setting. This is important when combining dry ingredients to stop it throwing dry flour around your kitchen. Many (most?) cheap hand mixers don't go slow enough on low setting, this one does. (Though not as slow as my Kenwood Chef stand mixer, a classic from the 1970s.) This is the reason I bought the Braun - I also had an old Philips hand mixer which was still in perfect condition despite 20 years of regular use, but it only had 3 speeds and the lowest speed was still too fast for combining dry ingredients without making a mess.

Another thoughtful feature of the Braun is that it doesn't have any air vents for the motor, so there are no little crevices for dirt and food particles to get stuck in. It is very quick and easy to clean. Also not having vents means flour and other fine powders won't get sucked into the motor over time. (I occasionally repair appliances and mixers can get quite gross inside.) This should help give a good long life. It is also fairly quiet for a hand mixer, it could be quieter still but it is OK.

I haven't used the stick blender accessory yet, and may not as I have a good stainless steel Kenwood one and the Braun is a fairly basic plastic one. But the mixer with beaters and the food chopper work really well.

The price seems to have come down heaps recently, when Choice tested them they were $150, they are currently $59 at the Good Guys and were $39 on special for a couple of days before Christmas. (Back up to $59 for the boxing day sales...) I think at that price they are a bargain.

They are made in Romania, time will tell if that is better than made in China...

Poor controls – I bought this mixer online locally, having seen a favourable rating by a consumer testing organisation. It was heavily discounted. The impressive kit included beaters, dough hooks, a blending shaft and a chopper bowl with blades. On unwrapping it I discovered the controls to be quite impractical: 1. The 'on' button has to be held down… Read more

continuously with your thumb to keep the motor running.

2. The 'on' button is placed towards the front of the top so your hand has to be placed uncomfortably forward on the handle for your thumb to reach the button.

3. The speed control knob is then under your hand so you have to release the 'on' button (thus stopping the motor) and reposition your grip to change speed. You cannot adjust the speed while running except by using your other hand as well.

I repacked the whole mixer kit and donated it unused to a local op shop.