This is a great mixer, and I'm not sure why someone said that the high speed wasn't enough to make meringues. It is. I have made several with it, and I've only had this mixer for about six weeks. It also does a great job with mashed potatoes, and has mixed cookie dough as well. I really like the various speeds on it, and many thanks to the reviewer who put it to the tachometer test -- that was the review that made me go ahead and order this Kitchenaid. The mixer is much quieter than other hand mixers I have had in the past, and I do think that that could make someone think the mixer didn't have enough power, if going by the sound. It's hard to tell your brain to ignore that, but you should, because this mixer has plenty of quiet power. I should also say that I am not a novice cook by any means, having raised eight kids in the past 35 years, and fed not only them, but crowds of their friends (and I do mean crowds). I wasn't sure that I would like the beaters, and they were actually one of my biggest hesitations in ordering this. I have always had the square, heavy duty ones, and these looked flimsy in the picture. After using this mixer a number of times, though, I have changed my mind on the blades. The wire blades seem to do a great job, and the dough, potatoes, cake batter, etc. doesn't cling to them as it does to the large square ones. Saves me a minute or two on scraping all the extra stuff off the blades and into the bowl at the end, and these beaters wash up much faster, without any residue clinging to the insides of the blades to gross out the next person who uses them. Hmmm . . . what else? Oh, the color. I bought the yellow, and I really like it. It is NOT exactly as pictured. The picture is honestly a cuter shade, and that was a small disappointment, but only a small one. I don't primarily buy a mixer for the color anyway (although I could if I weren't such a frugal person, because the colors are really cute). And the actual yellow color of the mixer that arrived reminded me of the yellow hand mixer my mother used when I was a little girl, so I can't complain. :)

Updated Review (April 2022):

What I initially saw as 3-star, underpowered appliance was incorrect. This is one of the few hand mixers that has a low speed which is essential in baking, especially if you do not want the powdered sugar blowing out at you. It has decent torque for handling thicker doughs.

Highly recommend the (expensive) kitchen aid whisk attachment because it adds massive versatility to what is a far more functionally useful device than kitchenaid’s own stand mixer.

I will not turn this update into a review on the stand mixer but in regular people’s real life use, the hand mixer is more convenient to clean, has a smaller footprint, and has adequate power for 95% of homemaker needs (hand kneading almost all basic bread doughs is just as fast and much cleaner than a the pretty stand mixer in all the YouTube videos).

Five stars. Also worth noting with kitchenaids small appliances is that their service while slow is responsive to problems so in the event this fails I trust they would be ready to offer support.

Initial Review:

Seems underpowered and too slow. Feels solid.

KitchenAid is known for its great quality and dependability. When my cheap hand mixer burned up on me, I knew I needed a KitchenAid but I didnt want to pay a ton. I turned to Amazon and found this gem. I loved that it came in a variety of colors to match whatever mood I had, when i ordered I wanted the pastel yellow. It has a nice vintage feel to it in the best way.

I prefer hand mixers over large stand mixers because I feel I have more control. This is extremely light weight so even when using it for extended periods, I do not feel too tired or have issues holding it still. It hasnt let me down yet and manages to mix anything I have needed it to.

I have gone through 4 hand mixers in 5 years - I run these things to the GROUND with how often I use them. For the first time in 5 years, I honestly think the mixer will last longer than a year. This thing is a little power house and hasn't caused me a single problem in the months that I've had it! The speed settings actually change the speed, the beaters click in super tight, and it can handle a lot of dough with ease. I was recently gifted a stand mixer from the same company and honestly, I think I'm going to stick to the hand mixer for day to day baking. It's THAT good!

ten stars for this. i don't have much storage or counter space so i knew that i didn't want a stand mixer, but i love the kitchen aid ones! this is a great substitute and takes much less room. works great, i use it mostly for cookie dough so it's tough and easy to clean. matches my yellow kitchen perfectly! fully recommend for anyone who needs a good hand mixer.

Very nice and quiet. Beautiful shade of yellow. All speeds work well. If only the cord were to come out on top of the back instead of underneath; it keeps getting caught in the edge of deep bowls.

This is a great little mixer. I've used it on egg whites and batter. It works like a champ. I worried at first that the wire beaters might be a little bit light weight for a heavy batter--but not an issue. They are sturdier than they look in the picture. Easy release works great, and not easily confused with the power sliding switch. Control is easy to reach with the thumb from the grip and comfortable in either left or right hand (I switch hands sometimes and it is easy to accomplish without spattering the batter--roomy handle opening!)

So far my mixer is doing a great job with mixing, but it has always had a burning plastic smell to it when I’m using it & I'm not sure if anyone else has that problem or if it’s just me? The color is great!

I have no complaints with this handmixer that I've had for several years. I do see the quality in KA vs other brands.

What can I say...it's a hand mixer, not the most powerful but will get the job done for most home baking needs. I regularly bake cookies, cakes, whole grain muffins etc and this mixer has no trouble keeping up. I mix and knead dough for the occasional bread and buns by hand. So if your baking habits are anything like mine, save your money and get this hand mixer (or upgrade a bit and get the 7 speed) The several hundred dollar stand mixer from kitchrenaid is more a decor item and total overkill if you're only baking cookies and cakes and useless for heavy doughs. For heavy-duty baking needs invest in a bosch! My mother's bosch has been churning out large batches of bread dough regualrly for over 8 years now.

I fell in love with the vintage butter yellow hue of this hand mixer. (It comes in other colours, too.) But the mixer has other fine attributes. It is very light yet powerful, with five effective speeds. On the downside, one of the beaters resists insertion unless the slots are aligned, so sometimes I have to peer at it. Also, I would love to have a built-in timer.

This is a great little hand mixer. I got mine in yellow and it matches my vintage sugar and flour tins so I'm really happy. It mixes well and it doesn't take too long to whip up egg whites. I like the swivel cord and the lack of center stem in the beaters.

Exactly what you see is what you get in an excellent way! The colour is brilliant and the different speed settings are easy and management.