wyu's Full Review: Braun MR 430 HC MultiQuick Single-Speed Handheld B...
**NOTE: This review is a comparison review. It does not purport to solely discuss the MR 430 HC (which other reviewers have done many times over already). Instead, it seeks to illuminate the MR 430 CA's qualities and limitations by comparing it to similar models made by Braun. This is intended to save you time in comparison shopping -- I've done the comparison for you! If you just want a pure discussion of the MR 430 HC's merits, please read someone else's opinion. When you comment on or rate my review, please keep this in mind.**
If you are surfing Epinions for a review of the Braun Multiquick MR 430 HC Stick Blender, I suspect that you are considering the other stick blenders made by Braun. I did the same thing before I settled on this model. Let me tell you why, and save you some time by comparing the different Braun models for you.
THE BRAUN BRAND NAME
I'm a Braun devotee. My mom had one of their food processors and one of their first models of this stick blender. They lasted for years. Nothing like German engineering! If you like to know about a company before buying its products, check out Braun's history here: http://www.braun.com/na/company/history.html
PARADE OF BRAUN STICK BLENDERS
Over the years, Braun has perfected the stick blender. They currently offer three different series in North America: the MR 5000s, the MR 400s, and the MR 300s. Depending on the different kinds of attachments that are included with the blender, the model names will have additional letters after it, such as HC or AC. The MR 300 is only available in Canada, so my review will concentrate on the other two models that are on sale in the US.
WHICH ONE IS BEST FOR YOU?
All of Braun's stick blenders have several things in common. They all have a detachable "stalk" (i.e. the bottom half of the stick blender, or the non-motor portion), which makes for easy cleaning. They all have a motor encased in plastic. None of them are cordless (as yet!). Most of them comes with a plastic holder that can be mounted to the wall (nails included!) so that you can store your blender within easy reach and save counter space. Most of them also comes with a beaker with lid in which you can do your mixing. The MR 400HC and MR 405 comes with neither the wall mount nor the beaker. Personally, I don't think the beaker and the wall mount are the least essential. You can save a few bucks if you can live without them.
How these models differ are as follows:
(1) Price
The difference in price between the MR430HC and the next best model, the MR5550CA Multiquick Professional Handblender is about $30. Depending on what you want a stick blender for, this extra $30 may not be worth it. If you just need a stick blender for whisking eggs, mixing cake batter, pureeing food, blending milkshakes, then the MR430HC is completely adequate for your needs. The MR5550CA Multiquick Professional Handblender (and the top-of-the-line MR5550MHC BC which costs about $90) differ in that they are twice as powerful (400 watts instead of 200 watts), have adjustable speeds, and fancier attachments.
(2) Materials
All of these stick blenders are made of hard plastic (except for the blade, of course). I have been completely happy with this, and have not found the plastic to be lacking in durability. If you are really concerned about this though, and are willing to pay (gasp!) about $60 more ... then look to the most expensive model, the MR5550MHC BC which has a stainless steel stalk.
(3) Power
As I mentioned before the 5000 series has 400 watts of power, while the 400 series has 200 watts. I have found 200 watts to be more than enough for my needs. 200 watts is enough to make you cake batter in less than 5 minutes and smoothie drinks (with frozen strawberries!) in about the same amount of time. However, 200 watts is limited in some ways. This baby can't crush ice or chop meat for you -- or it can, but you'd probably shorten its lifespan. For that, you'd need to go back to your traditional blender or food processor (and I highly recommend the Cuisinart DLC-5 if you are in the market for a food processor -- see my review here: http://www.epinions.com/content_55880027780).
Alternatively, you can opt for the pricier models in the 5000 series. The MR5550MHC BC actually comes with an ice crusher attachment; MR5550CA does not. When choosing between the different models, I really debated this issue -- more power? less power? In the end, I'm glad I chose the MR 430 HC -- 200 watts is just right!
Note that with 400 watts, the motor portion of the blender is much heavier. The 200 watts is no lightweight already, and I actually found the 400 watts model to be too tiring to hold upright for more than a minute. You also need to have a bigger hand to comfortably and firmly grasp the 400 watts models. So if you are a petite person like I am, I again recommend the lighter models. Go to a department store and try it out - you'll see!
(4) Features
There's nothing much to how these stick blenders function. You press the button at the top and the blade at the bottom whirls around and processes your food. You can remove the stalk, and stab the motor portion into whatever attachments that came in the box (i.e. chopper), and voila! -- your stick blender turns into a mini food processor or a whisk.
There are three things worth noting, however: One is that with the 5000 series, the business end of the blender is shaped differently. It has almost a scalloped edge, like a blunt claw, specially designed to prevent splashing when you blend. Now, since I didn't buy that model, I cannot vouch for how well that works, but I can say that with the MR 430 HC splashing is not a big problem. You just have to be a bit careful when blending liquids (thick liquids are OK), i.e. be sure to have the whole head submerged before you press "go"!
The second thing of note is that with the 5000 series, you get adjustable speeds, which gives you greater control over the results. You also get a "turbo" button that presumably makes the blender go even faster. However, I do not miss having this feature in the MR 430 HC. Faster or slower, MR 430 HC gets the job done fast enough for me.
The final thing of note is that the blending part of the blender is too big to stick into the ordinary cup. So don't think of that infomercial and imagine that you can put this blender into any container you have and save on washing up. That's why some models come with a beaker, into which the blender will fit comfortably. The end of the MR 430 HC measures 2.5 inches in diameter. Braun can't make the end any smaller because it needs to have a protective "cup" over the blade for obvious reasons.
(5) Attachments
There are different permutations within the 400 series and the 5000 series, with different combinations of attachments -- usually a chopper of various sizes; a whisk; or in the special case, an ice crusher. I won't list the different versions here, but Braun has made a nice little chart summarizing the attachment combos:
For the 400 series:
http://www.braun.com/na/products/fooddrink/foodpreparation/handblenders/mr400/models.html
For the 5000 series:
http://www.braun.com/na/products/fooddrink/foodpreparation/handblenders/mr5000/models.html
Well, that just about exhausts all I know about these stick blenders made by Braun. I still love my food processor, the Cuisinart DLC-5 (review at http://www.epinions.com/content_55880027780), but I confess that I now reach for the MR 430 HC more often than not.
I hope you have found this review helpful in making a decision between the different Braun stick blenders!
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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