Hamilton Beach® Eclectrics™ Stand Mixer

[ellidew]

Does anyone have one of these or know someone that does? I checked eopinions but there aren't any reviews yet. It must still be a fairly new product. Compared to the Kitchenaid Artisian Stand Mixer:


Differences:
Price: Eclectric is about $80 - $100 cheaper.
Mixing bowl is 4.5 quarts vs. 5
Motor is 400 watt vs. 325
Speed: 12 vs. 10
No attachments vs. Goo Gobs of Attachments (i'd presonally probably never use most of them)
7 color choices vs. roughly 20 color choices

Similarities:
Both come with a wire whip, flat beater and dough hook.
Both come with a 2 piece Pouring Shield/Splash guard
Retro Styling
Metal Construction
Tilt Head
Locking Bowl

http://a583.g.akamai.net/7/583/175/2005102212/cache4.jcpenney.com/images/large/0900631b80d10246L.jpg
400-watt electronic motor is powerful enough to mix tough jobs without bogging down
Professional 2-way rotating mixing action
4-1/2-quart stainless steel mixing bowl with locking base and handle
No longer do you have to settle for plain small appliances. Choose from 6 colors that complement your kitchen and accessories. All metal construction for style and durability. Warranted by manufacturer. Imported from China.

Hamilton Beach Eclectric Website (http://www.counterscaping.com/)

[mgrace]

The mixer looks cool! Love the "retro" look. I don't have a Hamilton Beach; I have a KitchenAid. I think there was an article in Consumer Reports a month or so ago about stand mixers. I'll see if I can find it.

[looch]

never say never about the attachments. i use the meat grinder religiously. once you grind your own beef, you won't go back to the packaged stuff!!!

[ellidew]

looch: Funny about the meat grinder... i'm a vegetarian! ha ha. I'm sure i would use some of the attachments if i had them but i probably wouldn't miss them if i didn't. Does that make sense?

mgrace: Let me know if you find the article... i'd love to hear what it has to say about the stand mixers. I am not dead set on a retro look so any info you have or find would be great!

I did a search for consumer reports on stand mixers and haven't found anything on the ecelctric itself but did find this tid bit of info:

Among stand mixers, KitchenAid controls about half of the market, and this manufacturer also makes some of the most expensive countertop models. According to experts, KitchenAid not only sells the most mixers, but they also make the best performers. KitchenAid stand mixers are different from most mixers in that the beaters are mounted on a rotating disc, which allows the beaters to reach the sides of the bowl. Editors at Cook's Illustrated call this "planetary action," and in testing, this proved the most effective way of blending ingredients, since the beater reaches the sides as well as the center of the bowl and gathers ingredients quickly. As a result, there is little need to stop the machine and scrape the sides of the bowl.

Found this on the hamilton beach website:

Mixing head orbits around the bowl as beater rotates in the opposite direction for thorough hands-free mixing of ingredients

Which sounds like the same type of thing. The bowl stays stationary, the head moves the beater and the beater rotates. So that in itself sounds similar to the KitchenAid. I wonder if its as good?

Also found this on the KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer.

Experts agreed that this 8-cup, 4.5-quart, tilt-head KitchenAid is the best kitchen mixer, with the power and durability to mix heavy batches, whether it be three loaves of bread, six dozen cookies, or six pounds of mashed potatoes. Available in white only, the 10-speed glide control ranges from a very fast whip to a very slow stir. Made of all-metal, it comes with a flat mixing paddle, wire whip and "C" dough hook to knead yeast dough for bread and pizza recipes. At 22-pounds, it's best parked on your counter. If you prefer a lighter model, which can more easily be stored in a cabinet, the Sunbeam is an option, but does not perform as well

Eclectric vs. KitchenAid Classic:
400 watt motor vs. 250
Comes with 2 piece Pouring Shield/Splash guard vs. comes without
Both have 4.5 qt bowl

All other similarities and differences are the same as the artisian. The "experts" reference the power of the KitchenAid as well but the HB Ecelectric has a higher watt motor.

I still haven't found a review on the hamilton beach.

[ellidew]

Okay, i found 2 reviews: and neither is good :(

Hamilton Beach (http://www.epinions.com/pr-Hamilton_Beach_63222_Stand_Mixer/display_~reviews)

They are on eopinions. I originally searched for eclectric and realized that was probably too specific. Guess i'll put the KitchenAid on my list. I wonder if you can buy the splash guard seperate? Off to look!

[emmjay]

I have a KitchenAid stand mixer, but not the Artisan one - mine is the Classic that you mentioned above.

Like the review says, it only comes in White and is 4.5 quarts (instead of 5 like the Artisan), and it's about $75 - $100 cheaper than the Artisan mixer. Right now it's $170 on Amazon.com. If you don't mind that it only comes in white, I think it's a good deal.

I got mine at Foley's during a sale after Christmas and with a coupon, and I think I paid around $160.

[looch]

oh, then there is the vegetable slicer and the grain mill! and a citrus juicer!

i am big on multiuse appliances...if i can have one thing that subs for a juicer, a food processor and a grain mill, then i buy it!

my mother has has her kitchenaid since 1973, and she bakes a lot! that thing was used weekly since i can remember, and it has never had to be repaired or anything.

[ellidew]

I put the kitchenaid classic on my giftgang.com list along with the 2 piece pouring shield that they sell seperately for about $20. Other than that, the bowl being .5 qts smaller and not having tons of color choices (which i couldn't choose between anyway! Believe me, i tried! lol.) i don't think there were any other major differences differences. The motor may have been slightly lower wattage but it received the highest consumer rating so... good enough for me!

Thanks for all the feedback. I really appreciate it. I have a feeling i will be collecting accessories for many many many years! ha ha. I told you i probably wouldn't miss them if they weren't an option but since they are... :D

[ellidew]

Okay, so i lied. I just changed my list to the artisian. The motor is bigger, the bowl is bigger and has a handle, and it comes with the pouring shield. I still can't choose a color though. I hate to pick something that will clash in my kitchen i 30 years. I put almond and caviar on my list but i am going to try to get out to see some of them in person to choose. I might go with red. Heck, i don't know! I hate having options!

[emmjay]

Hey, if you're asking for it as a gift, go for it! :D I actually registered for the Artisan but I didn't get it so I had to buy my own (which is why I went with the Classic).

Almond is pretty neutral. They don't just have white?

[ellidew]

emmjay- They have white. But then whites just white, ya know. I hate to have color options and not choose a color!

btw. Your journal title caught my attention b/c my sister lives in Morocco. I perused your pictures... they are amazing! What a WONDERFUL experience. Most people will never see 1/10th of what you have.

[emmjay]

Yeah, I see what you mean about having the color options - I'd probably go with red myself. :)

Your sister is lucky! I'd live in Morocco in a second. Thanks for the comments about my journal! My husband took most of the pictures.