Sunbeam Cafe Series LC8900

Great product and terrific warranty result – This machine always performed well, handled every food process easily, unlike some changing of blades was simple and adjustable slice thickness is brilliant. I could not fault the machine. Unfortunately the motor burnt out after 8 years but fortunately the 10 year motor warranty was honoured without question and a new one is on its' way. One issue… Read more ·  2

was sometimes we avoided using it for small amounts, the updated LC9000 addresses this with a smaller insertable processing jug and its' own dedicated S blade.

Sunbeam really gone downhill – Never had worked well but soldiered on even buying a new bowl for some ridiculous amount. Now lid needs replacing. No longer available. I should have chucked it out years ago. Now I will and won’t be getting a sunbeam again. The new one doesn’t look much different after all these years so why would I buy it?  Show details

Poor design! – I just can't understand how this product design. This is so hard to clean. I process meat and the meat stuck inside the blade hole. I have to use cotton bud to remove all residue! I only use 2 minutes but to clean will meed at least 14 mins hour to clean! I hate to use the machine. Super heavy! It is powerful though. I always think 2x to use the machine.  Show details

Fantastic machine - not dissapointed – My husband surprised me by buying this for me on the recommendation of a sales assisstant but I was very concerned because I hadn't researched any yet so after the sale I saw these reviews and wondered if we'd made a huge mistake. Several months on and I honestly couldn't be happier. I have not had problems with parts, or it chopping food or… Read more

the 'vortex' problem some have mentioned. It's powerful and amazing and I love it.

It is heavy so lugging it in and out of the cupboards is hard but that means its incredibly sturdy on the bench and secure. The attachments and lid go on stiff and are hard to pull apart but this has loosened a little with use and you soon learn the 'tricks' to pulling apart though it can be a little dangerous to start yanking the blade off the attachment to clean so go slow and it does get easier.

Easy to wipe down the unit and clean.

Also glad I got extended warranty beyond just the motor for replacement NOT to get it fixed I feel this is the type of product you need it for because bad things happen to every brand.

Love the capacity. Powerful, effective and does what it says it will do Parts are hard to remove at first, making it difficult and a little dangerous to disassemble.

Do not buy this food processor!!! Major design flaw – The cafe series food processor is not suitable for frequent use unless you want an expensive ornament!! In fact the company warranty people have told me it is not suitable for frequent home use (~5 times week)!! We used this machine 5 times/week for a couple of months and quickly found it contains a design flaw. Then were told by the company… Read more

we were using it too much that it was not designed for such frequent use that we were using it at an industrial level!

As with most processors there is a safety switch to stop the blades turning with lid off (see other reviewer about spontaneous blade spin - very dangerous). On this food process the safety is activated by a small plastic pin that is pushed down into the machine when the lid is placed on the processing jug.

However if you place the lid on the jug before putting the jug on the machine the pin is depressed and gets broken off when clipping in the jug to the machine. The pin is the size of a toothpick so is broken off without offering any resistance. This then requires a replacement jug - not covered under warranty unless you argue with them. We went through 3 jugs in as many months.

The second problem is when washing the jug in the dishwasher (I know you are not supposed to). Most plastic kitchen items can safely be washed on the top shelf of a dishwasher where it is cooler even when the manufacturer says not to. When the jug is washed in the dishwasher the handle fills with water. This water is trapped until the jug is placed on the machine and the lid attached. This released the plastic pin which is holding all the water in the handle which flows down trough the safety switch directly into the motor workings.

We have since bought a kitchen aid food processor which suffers from none of these problems.

In conclusion the cafe series food processor is "not suitable for frequent home use (5 times week)", suffers a fatal design flaw on the safety switch which will require you to endlessly buy new jugs and if you ever wash the jug in the dishwasher you risk shorting out your machine.

We have since spent the extra money and bought a kitchen aid food processor and are happy with it for frequent use. If you can't afford the extra expense (the kitchen aid is expensive!) choose another brand rather than the Sunbeam Cafe Series Food Processor. It definitely is not worth buying at any price!!

Design flaw in jug attachment, shorts if you wash bowl in dishwasher

This is truly a whizz of a machine! I can't really fault it! – First thing I tried making was the mayo. Came out beautifully and was so easy to make. Second thing I made was fish paste. Amazingly quick to process with s-blade Third and fourth were the peanut and chocolate biscuit recipes. I got 80 delicious biscuits Fifth thing I did was using the slicing attachment - pasta prep was over in a jiffy!! … Read more

Sixth thing I did was make bread an it is rising beautifully now

Everything is so easy to clean/rinse and there is no spillage

I love how sturdy the machine is and I actually appreciate how sharp the blades are!

In previous machines I have had jams and motor overheats. No such here. Also I love the large bowl size

For those of you having problem with removing the s blade - all you new to so is sit it on top of your mortar, secure with a tea towel and hit on the head with the pestle. No cuts - no sweat!!! Perfect!! Quick to perform everything I have thrown at it. Love the s-blade performance and pulse function to manage coarse/fineness of chop Pretty heavy to get home from Myer by public transport!!

Great product – I have had this food processor for about 3 yrs and it is brilliant.. Has never missed a beat. Gets lots of use. I make my orange almond cake once a week just throw all the ingredients into and and Bob's you uncle. Honestly, I wonder if I am the only one who loves this machine?

not bad – I have had this product for the past few years and it has worked well. No issues at all with the blades or the motor (knock on wood). It is going on 4 years now and it has been a helpful tool around the kitchen. The only thing I can fault it on is that the chute is too small for some of the bigger items like apples or potatoes. Also it came… Read more

with only one blade for slicing and the slices are a bit thin. I would have liked for the processor to have a thicker blade and I have looked all over the internet and shops to no avail. The grater blades work well but the one I use the most is the slicing blade. All the negative reviews make me feel a bit wary of buying Sunbeam in the future as I still have many more kitchen appliances I need to purchase in the near future - I wonder if their quality is on the decline.

Excellent value and performance - I would buy this again – I bought this brand over a year ago to use at the shack- and it get's lots of use every second weekend and on holidays- It's very quiet and easy to use , and compares extremely well to the more expensive French brand that I use at home. Highly recommend it ! It's very quiet, easy to use and robust - can tilt it on its side during processing with no problem It's difficult to clean- lots of little recesses-

Unhappy – I have persevered with this machine for a few years, because of the cost outlay, but I will never purchase a Sunbeam product again. I've experienced.. 1- uneven processing of bowl contents.. 2 - mould inside the handle.. and 3 - despite taking great care that the shredding blade is pushed down onto the spindle, it's too close to the top lid and shaves chunks of plastic into the food. I hate using it.

Hard to fit lid – Have been buying your products for some time now. While this performs very well, the taking the lid off and on is a major issue. I even went so far today as to look at buying another food processor. Was told by The Good Guys that such a major issue I need to contact yourselves. Interesting the the whole bowl and lid were completely changed in… Read more

design.

So what to do now, spent a lot of money already and hardly use this due to a major issue with the badly designed lid and bowl. If it is not in just perfectly the food processor will not operate. Can I buy another lid or will I need the newly designed lid and bowl?

Please help me Sunbeam, thank you Sally

Mouldy handle – Very dissapointed as handle has moulded. It doesn't come apart for washing. I was advised sunbeam don't do any thing And to stick in bleach to wash. The machine has screw. Don't know what for when it doe sent come apart. Have only used it a few times. Wot a waste of money. Next time I'll only purchase German made products.

Sunbeam LC8900 cafe series blender – I have had mine for over five years and have not used it every day but now need a new bowl. I have just discovered that I cannot replace it not happy. Sunbeam stop upgrading your machines and keep what is a good product so that your customers can continue getting parts. I was told that sunbeam would give me a considerable discount for another… Read more

one. Perhaps I will go to another company where I would be guaranteed replacement parts for the life the machine. All I need is a bowl the rest of the machine is in good working order.

Not as good as my old one – I have had the same issues with the food in the handle. Unable to clean it. Now the bowl has broken. I have also had the lid broken and after that being replaced it is now broken. This was a very expensive machine but does not live up to the reputation it used to have. I have one from 1977 and it worked like a Trojan. It died sadly approx 5… Read more

years ago so I went only to sunbeam. Unfortunately they do not make them like they used to. However they charge like their a superior item. Very disappointed but I don't think sunbeam care. I am now debating on whether to buy a whole new one (different brand) or replace the bowls again. Maybe someone could recommend a good brand

Never buy sunbeam again, bought sunbeam for a lot of years but never again – Had it repaired, haven't used till I was wanting to grate vegetables for soup, won't even start. It doesn't seem to want to click in properly. It also is making a noise when you push the start button.

Very disappointing!! – I have had this food processor for a few years and had nothing but problems. The lugs on the bottom of the bowl that click in to allow the motor to run cracked and chipped off after a few weeks. The lid broke where the spindle inserts at the top. The top of the spindle also broke so now I can't slice or shred. I have replaced the bowl, the lid and now need a new spindle! Absolute waste of money!

mould – I have rang and emailed sunbeam re; mould forming in the handle. Put bleach in it was their reply. I find this a real problem. My daughter, a chef said it needs looking into by the food and health authorities as it does seem a health issue. Has anyone else had this problem? Sunbeam don't care

Don't buy!! – I have had this food processor for less than a year and the blade is already blunt! I can't even dice coriander - it only cuts the stalk in half now. I have mainly used this blender to make bread crumbs and for cake dough. I called sunbeam complaining of this and the service was terrible. The first person said that they would replace it for me… Read more

and would call me in a week after he located a part and the second person who i had to call because i never heard back, said that i needed to purchase another blade from another store and sunbeam don't stock them! Looks great Blade goes blunt very quickly

I'm Appalled...! – After receiving this as a gift shortly after my son was born, it admittedly got no use. I found it too heavy to use, therefore kept using the trusty old stick blender when making baby food. Pulled it out of the cupboard today, to process some chickpeas and peanut butter, and NOTHING...! Power for about 2 seconds, then NADA...! I am FURIOUS! The… Read more

machine has only been used ONCE (and the blade broke when grating room temperature chocolate) in 12 months and now I have a very expensive and completely useless food processor. A paperweight, and nothing more.

Is less than one star a possible rating?

I will never purchase Sunbeam again and would not recommend my friends or family do either. I am so very disappointed in this product. Nothing. Expensive, heavy, does not work.

No power after limited use, just out of warranty too – I purchased this food processor a couple of years ago, I generally don't use food processors all that much. I'd say I had used this item less than 10 times. One day I wanted to make banana cake and went to use this food processor, wouldn't work, no power. Tried different power points in my kitchen thinking surely it couldn't be the motor already.… Read more

After reading other reviews it seems that motor burn out is a common issue with this series. It was just out of warranty from the store that I bought it from and I was so annoyed that I couldn't be bothered wasting my time taking it back. I went to Target and bought a different food processor for under $100, won't be paying over $300 again for a food processor and I am very reluctant to buy another sunbeam product. Nice design Hard to clean, Problem with Motor

Started well, but ended in tears – To start with, it worked perfectly. But after 2 years, it lost all it's power to the point where it wouldn't even mix hummus. It had a 10 year motor warranty, so we returned it, but Sunbeam told us that it wasn;t covered by warranty because it wasn't "the motor"... it was the connection between the motor and the blade axle that had "worn out". … Read more

This is terrible for a "cafe series" expensive blender that cost over $350 and was used infrequently in a domestic environment. And it is a bit rich to say that the connection to the motor isn't "the motor".... Dodgy. Stong motor (for a while) Terrible quality. Dodgy warranty.

Will not be buying Sunbeam again! – I got mine as a birthday present. But like other reviewers, the motor gave out on mine after a couple of years and I had to pay $50 to have it looked at. Luckily I did have the receipt and Sunbeam replaced the motor. This involved a 2 hour round trip to Campbelltown to the nearest service provider to the Southern Highlands (twice). It has now… Read more

stopped working altogether again. Can I be bothered taking it to be repaired again and spend more money and more time driving up and down the motorway? Probably not. Very disappointing for the price. We also have the blender - useless. Blends everything at the bottom but not at the top. Hard to clean. I also have the toaster and the coffee machine (coffee machine is great) - toaster - so far so good. They have lost a good customer. Will not be replacing these items with Sunbeam in the future.

Dead duck – Purchased this food processor just over two years ago because I thought that it would be very good quality.......wrong. I went to use it yesterday and nothing, the motor would not work. I rung a Sunbeam service provider and they said it was a all too common problem and not to bother getting it even looked at as the cost to repair would be worth… Read more

close to the cost of a new machine. In the bin it goes after just two years...what a waste of a few hundred dollars, "Breville" here I come. Looks good Short life.

Did not even start – Despite following all the instructions regarding the correct fitment of the components, (to ensure the motor would not lock out), the product did not work. After locking in the processing bowel a lot of force was required to undo it and I was concerned it was actually going to break, also once the universal S blade was fitted to the spindle it was… Read more

very difficult to separate as for some reason it has a locking ring. The storage drawer did not open and close easily and generally required several attempts to shut it, even the shop assistant took over a minute to do it with the demo model.

Did not work, difficult to assemble

Don't waste your money – I purchased a Sunbeam LC8900 which has a 10 year warranty on the motor. It stopped spinning when food was put in less than 2 years after purchase. I replaced the cutter and the bowl at $100 and it still didn't work so I took it to a Sunbeam recommended repairer. It cost $50 just for him to check it and tell me it was something that could not be… Read more

repaired. Sunbeam would not budge with the warranty because I didn't have a receipt. Fair enough but the processor had a 10 year warranty on the motor and it wasn't manufactured 10 years ago so it was pretty obvious that it should have still been under warranty. The service department people were extremely rude. Biggest waste of money !! I will NEVER by another Sunbeam appliance again!

Everything - useless waste of money, non repairable, poor service support.

Flawed design, environmental disgrace – This product does not do what it says ie. process food. There is no vortex action when the blade is turning even with the wettest of ingredients. Consequently the blades spin and a layer at the base of the bowl is pulverised and the layer on top is completely untouched. I have used many other food processors and have never experienced such an… Read more

inadequate food processing action. I am dissatisfied every time I use the machine. As the action is not adequate the machine needs to operate for a much longer time-using more power. The machine needs to be stopped many times during processing and the food hand mixed so that it can ultimately be machine processed. For such an expensive item it is totally unacceptable. I have emailed Sunbeam a number of times and they ignored my complaint.

Not fit for the purpose, machine does not process food

Really poor performance. Don't buy – Do not buy this machine. As another reviewer has already pointed out this product does not do what it says it does. The food doesn't mix up properly and you end up with a layer at the base of the bowl that is pulverised and a layer on top that is completely untouched. Really a huge disappointment as it looks like a heavy duty solid reliable… Read more

machine. When I used it to process breadcrumbs after using for about 5 mins( 3x bowls) it shut off because it was overheated. We had to wait 20 mins until we could use it again. Now the bowl has cracked and in looking for a replacement (as it was expensive) I found this site. Most of my other appliances are Kitchen Aid and I have decided after seeing that others have exactly the same problems instead to replace it with a Kitchen Aid. Completely reliable. It looked good and seemed like it would be reliable. It's all show, a really poor machine. Don't buy. Everything. Does not process food.

It's a must in every kitchen – Its a commercial cafe brought straight in to your kitchen.Very stylish with heavy duty performance. Includes the first 10 year motor guarantee, reduces interuption to the processing cycle by using the continuous flow accessory. Its also perfect for processing large amounts of food without emptying the processing bowl (accessories can be purchased separately). Powerful, reliable yet stylish.

Don't pay big bucks for this piece of rubish – Had to return it after it failed chopping herbs now the plastic lugs are breaking away from the bottom of the bowl and lastly the bowl has locked on to the base so it can't be removed without breaking it. they make it difficult to return don't like replacing the pruduct perhaps they can't keep up with the broken ones

Poor quality – My machine was 13 months old, used about 6 times a week, motor burned out. it has been replaced but the bowl was looking grubby, it had chipped, water gets in handle, blade did not stay sharp, dark spots on body of machine. And its heavy, this is the first time I have been disappointed in a Sunbeam product. I hope the replacement lasts longer… Read more

but I doubt it, its a shame as it does the job well, just not for long enough. Chops soft and firm foods well and evenly. Poor design. Unhygienic as hard to clean, poor quality attachments.

OK – Whilst I liked this a lot when it was working properly, the intermittently working blade cutoff switch has a serious design flaw that allows food to get jammed inside and prevent it from working properly. Even though we have cleaned it now and it mostly works, the fact that you can't predict when it's going to stop working again means I wouldn't… Read more

buy another of these and feel compelled to warn others before they lose a finger. it's tough and has handled some pretty difficult things like bread dough and christmas cookie dough.

It's versatile; from smoothies to chopping nuts to slicing potatoes

It looks good and has several attachments that slide into a neat draw The switch that turns off the blades automatically when you twist the lid off has intermittently stopped working - what I mean is that you can take the lid of and the blades can just start up again out of the blue. This is caused by the little switch getting jammed (possibly from food). This is extremely scary and whilst we always turn the blades off before twisting the lid off I will no longer allow my children near the machine.

Mechanically great – A solid, reliable machine. A bit expensive. My main concern is that the aluminium/ stainless steel has black areas on it that can not be removed with cleaning or polishing. It has been stored on the bench since new so maybe that is the problem. Otherwise, I am very happy with it. reliable. Plenty of attachments and good storage for them. Expensive. Outside has "tarnished" and looks shabby.

Terrible – Very unhappy. The 1st lasted about 4 uses. Only chopping garlic and parsley. The replacement one has done exactly the same. They are possibly belt driven and the belt is slipping. They what it seems like. Always lets you down of course on a weekend when you are having guests and you really need it. I had a cheapo kmart processor before. That… Read more

fell to pieces but the motor always turned and if the chopper and the bowl hadn't died i would still be using it. Decided to buy the best this time, not the cheapest. At first, i was so impressed. Just beautiful to use when it was working. Cannot believe the 2nd machine has done the same as the first. I thought I was just unlucky. I now know these have a problem. Like i said possibly a belt slipping after being under load a few times. I just want to return this now and buy a cheap one that I know will fall apart after a few years but at least I will get a few years out of it rather than a few weeks. I tried to open it and see if i could adjust a belt if that was the case but I took the only 2 screws out i could find and couldnt get this open so I am stuck again without a processor and have to queue up to return it again and lose half a day. Not flimsy plastic. Very heavy aluminium base. Robust machine with 10 year motor warranty. I am on my 3rd one. First one lost power. Could hardly chop anything. Would stop spinning as soon as food was put in. 2nd one has done the same. Need another replacement.

Terrible – Not worth the money. Barely used and keeps breaking. Would get cheaper and one and throw out and replace. So far cost us about $500. Wonder if it will work next time I turn it on??? Looks nice I barely use my machine - probably about 5 times in 5 years. So far I have had my machine lose power, tried various power points and still the same. … Read more

Lights didn't light up and basically was just dead. Took to repair shop and it decided to start working again. The next time I take it out to use, it keeps slipping and can't mince up chicken breast. It is like the blades are blunt or belt slipping in machine. Took to repair shop again and told we needed a new cog at a cost of $65............. Then to add insult to injury we were given back someone else's bowl and lid. All scratched and chipped - obviously used A LOT. Now have to buy new bowl and lid as refuse to use this old crappy one.

Terrible – I really liked it. It was great. But 2 in a row where the on/off jammed, then the engine died on the second. I only had about 20 uses between the two of them. Was unimpressed with the 'Cafe Series' special support line. Maybe I was just unlucky. Looks great, love the draw for the attachments, feels solid First one the on/off switch jammed,… Read more

seller replaced. Second one did same, then the engine burned out (6 months in). Rang the 'cafe series' range help line and was told to take it to service centre during core business hours. Drop off and pick up = a day's pay.