What is the advantage of having the five speeds of this blender versus the three speeds of KitchenAid's less expensive blender?
767217
Probably nothing. On the les expensive blender are there other differences? Attachments? Motor capacity? The difference between the extra two speeds is not significant but there may be other things that account for the price.
767218
I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the speeds. If I were you, I'd just look at the power capacity and decide based on that. It's a great kitchen tool, for sure.
767219
Whit the 5 speed blender you can obtain better results on cream soups, sauces, and I think the 5 speed blender comes with more accessories.
1373674
This mixer is not especially quiet, but not terribly noisy either. The thing that disappointed me about it was the lack of several different speeds. It is limited in that respect, not having a really slow speed.
1199369
The 800BLXL is in no way comparable to any VitaMix because this Breville only has two pre-set speeds. That's the major drawback to this model. The Breville BBL605XL Hemisphere Control Blender, on the other hand, has five speeds, so that model stands a chance of doing some of the things that a VM can do. The 605 is also the model that Cooks Illustrated chose as a best buy a while back.
2150442
I returned mine quickly. It is a glorified blender. The sugar allows it to stay "slushy" longer...
1097512
My neighbors have a pretty new Vitamix (not sure which model) so when I bought the Oster Versa I invited them over for a "blender challenge". We spent an afternoon making identical recipes in both blenders. The results were identical except that the Versa heated the soup recipe faster than the Vitamix. The only other difference I noticed is the Vitamix's lowest speed is much slower.
497854
The components of the blender are essentially the same, the only difference is the exterior (brushed Stainless) and the recipe book has gourmet recipes endorsed by the CIA ( Culinary Institute of America ). I recently upgraded my kitchen with granite And opted to spend a little more $$$. My brother has the black 5200 and the blenders perform the same.
1161465
It really depends on which pasta your making. Each one runs your Kitchenaid at a different speed and when you first get started you will most likely be a little slower because you will need to get used to making pasta with this attachment. This is a great investment if you like making all sorts of pasta. With time you'll get better and faster. I would say from mixing the ingredients all the way through making the pasta takes about 20 minutes for each batch. ( approximately 2 1/2 pounds)
941769
The one thing that has stood out to me about this hand mixer was the slower speeds. It is still able to mix anything I have thrown at it, but at slower speeds then previous ones I have owned.
1535011
Farmer-Al, wish I could tell you the loudness compared to the two items you listed in your question but I haven't heard either of those before. I don't if it helps or not, but I will tell you all I know for the loudness.... it's similar in 'noise' to my blender but not quite as loud. I use a KitchenAid blender. :-)
1091199
Both speeds are pretty fast, it might depend on just how small you want your salad pieces. I think it might still work, I love mine.
1068030
Both are very good mixers. The Cuisinart has a more powerful motor, but that is hardly an issue since the Kitchen Aid's motor is more than powerful enough. We returned our Cuisinart for the Kitchen Aid due to poor customer service. See my review here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R250HLS1S4GLDK/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm/?ie=UTF8&ASIN;=B000ON4B3U
500654
The lowest speed is quite powerful so it does the trick for most mixing. I guess it could be nice to have one more setting that was a little slower but I haven't found that to be the case in my last two hand mixers. This is a great mixer and I am happy with my purchase!
989486
I make a smoothie almost every morning with plenty of ice. I have had to replace the blade one time ($15, Amazon) just because it wore out. The Cusinart motor is always consistent. The face is easy to clean. The blade assembly has a nice grip so it is easy to assemble/disassemble. The glass part cleans well in the dishwasher. The push buttons are sealed so nothing gets inside. If you want something with more variable speeds or a bunch of different blades, look at other food processors. If you want something simple and dependable with a few speeds and a pulse feature, go ahead and give it a go. It does a great job on drinks and sauces. I make a smoothie almost every morning with plenty of ice. I have had to replace the blade one time ($15, Amazon) just because it wore out. The Cusinart motor is always consistent. The face is easy to clean. The blade assembly has a nice grip so it is easy to assemble/disassemble. The glass part cleans well in the dishwasher. The push buttons are sealed so nothing gets inside. If you want something with more variable speeds or a bunch of different blades, look at other food processors. If you want something simple and dependable with a few speeds and a pulse feature, go ahead and give it a... » Read More I make a smoothie almost every morning with plenty of ice. I have had to replace the blade one time ($15, Amazon) just because it wore out. The Cusinart motor is always consistent. The face is easy to clean. The blade assembly has a nice grip so it is easy to assemble/disassemble. The glass part cleans well in the dishwasher. The push buttons are sealed so nothing gets inside. If you want something with more variable speeds or a bunch of different blades, look at other food processors. If you want something simple and dependable with a few speeds and a pulse feature, go ahead and give it a go. It does a great job on drinks and sauces. « Show Less
1844348
I have used my Oster mixer at the slowest speed many times and have never had any problems with it throwing ingredients out. One reason I picked this Oster mixer was due to the good reviews for the slowest speed (unlike reviews for similarly priced, equipped mixers). The only somewhat negative comment I can make about this mixer is that it takes a little getting used to moving the speed button sideways. And, as you change speeds, there's a pause for just a nanosecond before the new speed takes over. I'm generally very pleased with this mixer at all speeds!
1444891
I have both a 5000 (the predecessor to the 5200) and a Pro 750 (like the 300, but with the addition of 5 presets). The 300 is a Next Generation Vitamix as are the 7500 and the Pro 750. These machines come equipped with a low profile, wide bottom, 64 oz. container with a 4 inch blade, which is far more efficient than the standard tall and narrow 64 oz. container with a 3 inch blade that's used with earlier models. The wider bottom makes it much easier to remove heavy and/or sticky contents from the container, and the 4 inch blade makes quick work of everything. It's not really that the newer models don't handle small quantities well, it that the new container with the wider bottom requires more volume to cover the blades. Therefore, batches under two cups are best processed in a smaller container. I have a 32 ounce container that I originally bought to use with my 5000 when I needed to make a small batch of something, like salad dressing for example. I find it's also the perfect container to use for making small batches with my Pro 750. In my opinion, the Next Generation series of machines are far superior to previous models.
346702
I haven't personally done it, but I believe so. I used it when I was in a hurry once and made mashed/whipped potatoes. It was actually faster than using the regular beaters.
203418
The 1000 is MUCH better for two reasons. 1) The 500 only allows you to auto-mix a "three portion" drink. The 1000 lets you pick 1, 2 or 3.2) The other big thing is that with the 500, the ice comes forward and down out of the little chute. This tends to make the ice pile up on the side of the blender and not mix as well as the 1000 which drops its shaved ice straight down into the center.