Appliance Reviews

Let me start out by saying I have a Kitchen Aide stand mixer as I do a lot of baking & candy making. The kitchen aide has been used 4 times since I have owned it (6 years) My Braun is like the energizer it just keeps going & going I use it just about every day and it has not failed me in any way. I have had other hand mixers that I have given away after using once. Rule in my house keep your hands off my Braun. This is a powerful mixer and the attatchments make it so much easier . I highly recomend this, I think you will be very happy with this mixer, it takes up no counter space and is very light weight. Can not praise it enough.

you can buy hand mixers for half this price, or others for 10 times as much, but this is probably the best value for the average family. 350 watts is great for a little mixer, and it only weighs 3 pounds! plus, it comes with dough hooks.
this is an incredible buy.

My former roommate had this mixer when we lived together, and we used it all the time, especially for making salsa and smoothies. This unit takes the place of about 5 other appliances! I was in the market for a mini food processor, but after rediscovering this now I don't need one! It is also extremely easy to clean, and you should keep the box for storage-makes it a lot easier to put away. I can't say enough about this Braun Multimix!

I had a Black & Decker hand mixer, which was underpowered and tended to splatter. I also ha a Black & Decker food processor, where cleanup was messy and food tended to stick to the sides of the bowl, resulting in a lot of waste.
The Braun M880 mixer attachments feature a unique design which eliminates or minimizes splatter. An onion did not stick to the bowl of the chopper attachment and came out very uniform and finely chopped. I was able to knead dough for a pizza with ease. The amount of power in the blender attachment surprised me at first, tending to create a suction effect and drew the blender toward the bottom of the pot when I blended some tomatoes. The tomatoes also came out very uniform and nicely pureed.
I've replaced two tools with one and have added functionality.
Overall, this is an excellent product with a very clever design.

I teach cooking classes at a local community college which has its own large food processor. But I found that by the time we got the food processor set up, chopped what we needed and then washed for the next student to use, a lot of time was wasted. So I started bringing my own Braun Multi-Mix to class. They were so imporessed that now the school owns some and we hardly ever use the large food processor anymore.

I love what this powerful little motor can do. I love cooking with nuts and chopping them is a breeze. I can even make nut flour because it chops the nuts so finely. I can enjoy making bread because of the dough hooks, I love the blender for pureeing soups - the motor is strong enough to plow through any thick dough you could mix up. But I would have to say my favorite thing about this processor is the chopper.If I chop meat into small pieces I can even have ground pork or chicken. I do a lot of Thai cooking and I am always chopping vegetables. If it wasn't for this gadget to chop my nuts and my fine Wusthof knives - I don't think I would enjoy cooking so much! This processor makes cooking fun.

The other great thing about this is that cleanup is a breeze (unlike that of a large food processor) and it stores so easily.

Some people have mentioned that they have a hard time finding it at a land based store. I bought mine (I own two) at Linens 'N Things or at look at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I believe I bought mine there for around $40 but that was many years ago and worth every cent. Look for it by the blenders and small applicances.

Faithful to Braun since the early '80s, this is probably the last Braun product--certainly the last Braun Coffeemaker--I will own.

The basket is apt to swing out during brewing (what a mess!); too often the paper filter does not stay open (due, I suspect, to how the water is dispensed in the brewing cycle), resulting in a weak brew; the charcoal-filter baskets, effective as they are, are too pricey; the cabinet and reservoir are difficult to clean; and the unit's dated-looking forms, designed for better brewing, do not live up to promise. Plus, the unit always leaks when it is moved.

It is sad that the quality of this once-great brand and its products, since bought by Gillette, has deteriorated so quickly and surely. Basic models of Krups coffeemakers reliably and consistently brew better-tasting coffee.

I've had this coffee maker for two years now and have been very pleased with it. In fact, I only have two complaints: one minor and the other a definite problem. The small complaint is with the filter. It is near impossible to find these anywhere. I know it doesn't stop you from using the machine, but my wife & I are always looking for a source for the filter. Haven't found it yet. The second complaint is with the carafe. I broke the carafe AS I WAS TAKING IT OUT OF THE BOX just after buying it. I tried to remove it from the box by the handle and it just broke off. I called Braun and the sales rep agreed to send me a replacement (kudos on Braun for that). Then, a few weeks later I was washing the carafe in the sink and it broke again!! The glass is a very fine/thin glass that I've never seen on a coffee carafe before. I called Braun again and talked to the CSR about the glass that Braun uses in these carafes. He assured me it met "industry standards", and that he had never received a complaint/comment on the glass carafes before. I found that hard to believe, but he agreed to send me one more replacement carafe (again, kudos). Fortunately, I stumbled on two exact Braun carafes ... Knowing I'd probably need another one eventually, I bought them both. Glad I did because my mother-in-law was visiting a few months after the second breakage and when she was alone one day, decided to wash the carafe in the sink. Guess what? Yes, she broke it too. She was very surprised that it took almost nothing to break the glass (she's been washing glass for MANY years and I imagine knows how to handle it). Anyway, I broke open one of the two ...carafes and have been using that for a year now with no problem. I still have one more in reserve, but if and when I go through that one, I'm buying a new coffee maker. Not that I'm unhappy with the quality of the coffee this Braun makes, but I can't afford the replacement carafes!!

What I love most about this coffee maker is the features. The KF 187 model to put it simply is like the sports car of coffee makers. It comes fully loaded with all the best features. I was stuck between getting a Bunn or getting the Braun KF 187. The thing that bothers me about Bunn coffee makers is they are on all the time, or you can turn off the heater but then you have to wait longer when you want coffee. The Braun KF 187 starts making coffee the instant you turn it on, but here is what I love about this Braun coffee maker: It makes coffee the instant I turn it on or I can set a timer to make the coffee at a certian time, I can push a button for 1-3 cups if I want or simply not push it to make more, It has a flavor setting so if I want strong or weak coffee it is up to me, It has a hot plate temperature setting so I can choose the heat level I am comfortable with, It beeps when the coffee is done being made, I can choose to use a Brita water filter inside that tank for even richer tasting coffee, and last but not least the great taste that I get from my new Braun coffee maker. It is full bodied and rich and I can grind less beans with my new Braun then with any of the Bunn coffee makers. Braun thought of everything a coffee drinker would want for a perfect cup of coffee when they made the KF 187 model. I used to swear by Bunn, but I am a convert to Braun KF 187. It really does make the perfect cup-a-joe.

First the good news:

- Like the really high end juicers, this juicer is continuous flow: no more stopping to empty a tiny little shallow container, or spilling one all over yourself on the way to the table.

- There are only two parts that get messy, and they're both really easy to clean (but not dishwasher safe, unfortunately)

- (Most important) According to customer service, the plastic cone and cup are made out of polypropylene. Unlike ABS, polycarbonate, or vinyl, polypro doesn't leech into acidic food.

Then, the bad news:

- The motor is weak enough to stall on large oranges, expecially if they're old and a little dry.

- The motor doesn't autoreverse, so you leave lots of pulp behind.

- The spout is about an eighth of an inch too low to put a pyrex one quart measuring cup under (bummer).

- The continuous-flow spout looks like a lesson in bad iterative design. Because of the way pulp is caught, the spout dribbles for about a minute after juicing has stopped (big deal - this is what saucers are for). So, the designers decided to make the spout flip up to stop the dribble. Then, to stop juice from going around the edges of the spout, they made the juice come out of a tiny little juice hole onto the spout, and put a little rubber button on the spout to plug the tiny little juice hole. It works: when the spout is flipped up the juicer doesn't leak. But when the spout is flipped down, the pulp clogs around the button and the hole.

This juicer is still worth buying if you don't want to spend the bucks for a higher-end continuous juicer. You'll have to unclog it after every five or six oranges, though, so if you were planning on bulk juicing, or have a large family, you probably want to buy one of the more expensive ones.

With one small detail explained below, I loved this product so much that I bought three more as Christmas presents for members of my family. First of all, it's easy -- just the pressure of your hand palming the half orange starts the machine, there's no need for an on/off switch. Secondly, the cleanable parts lift off easily so that a rinse under the faucet cleans everything quickly and completely. There is a top cover to prevent dust collection during non use. Thirdly, there is easily adequate power (torque)to juice any citric fruit. The only fault, from my point of view, is that only a typical short breakfast juice glass or cup fits under the dispensing chute. I happen to like a tall glass now and then so I wish the machine was just an inch or so taller to accomodate a taller glass.

I too bought this based on the recommendation by Ina Garten. What a great kitchen appliance. I use lots of lemons and this baby gets all the juice out, and fast.
Easy to clean, easy to use, efficient and inexpensive...what more could anyone want from a juicer.

Each morning when I use this amazing and beautiful machine, I am in awe of the design and the workmanship. Everyone I know who uses a juicer for healthful vegetable juice complains about the pain they have in storing the huge thing and cleaning it. But not me...I make my juice each morning as recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil and have NO TROUBLE at all. This machine is strong and small and pretty and easy and dependable. Braun people....thank you. This is the best deal anyone can get.

The design of this juicer is pure excellence. Very attractive, light, and compact, it takes up less space than any of the others I've seen, and the ease of cleaning it makes me not mind using it 3 or 4 times a day; and it is the thoroughness of the cleaning that puts this machine way above the the rest. I have owned other juicers, and ended up throwing them away, because of the nooks and crannies that were impossible to get to, and accumulated "suspicious substances". Usually the juice spout was the problem area, and in this case, it is short and open, giving you easy access for cleaning.

Quick to take apart and assemble, with it's handy "filling tray" and cup with foam separator, it has a slot for cord storage, and though it does make a noise while proccessing, it doesn't sound like a sand blaster, as some others do.
As much as I like the terrific Braun blender I bought a few months ago, I'm equally pleased with this. Juicing gives you the most nutrition for the least amount of stress on your digestive system, so it's a great way to get your enzymes, minerals and vitamins, and this is by far the best and simplest machine to get those precious liquids from.

I am a juicing fanatic! So naturally I wanted to try all of the juicers and comparison shop before I bought my own. I must say, the Braun Juice Extractor takes the cake! Here's why:

1. This Juicer is easy to assemble: the Juiceman Jr always was difficult to connect all of the parts together.

2. This Juicer is easy to DISassemble: Trying to take the rotating mesh blade off of the Juiceman Jr is a pain (and can be painfull!)

3. The design is VERY spacesaving and ergonomically correct: The Juiceman Jr has a large, unnatached bin and normal glass that doesn't fit or store well with the juicer unit. The Braun Juice Extractor however, fits together in all one base unit, and even the pouring bin that recieves the juice snuggly fits against the juicer unit.

4. The REALLY cool foam strainer: This is the best part! If you've ever juiced, you know what a pain the foam at the top is! You can't get rid of the foam without actually straining it or scooping it away; you can kiss that foam goodbye with the strainer!

5. The detachable tray at the top allows you to hold your fruit and veggies without messing up other bowls and cutting boards.

6. It's just better that all the rest! Try it, and I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do!

No, I'm not kidding. This handy little guy has saved me counter space, time and cleaning up. I am able to make cakes, muffins, great tasting pure fruit juices in an instant. I thought that this little gadget wouldn't be able to live up to its promise, but it's proved me wrong. I bought it out of desperation, after my Moulinex broke down. The first thought in my head was "what about counter space?" Well, Mr. Braun made sure he left nothing out. Because of his great mind, the device comes with a wall mounting so you don't have to clutter your counter with clumsy top-heavy things.

I read in a review for this product that it doesn't last. What could possibly be wrong with this when you need to chop something really fast? Like any normal person, I use the device, clean it and put it away. Simple as that! You can even go as far as using it and putting it back in the box. That is what I did up til the time the wall mount was set up.

Now I can watch my weight, drink homemade milkshakes, and chop away at those tear jerking onions without shedding a single tear.
And, when I'm done, I just rinse everything in the sink and clip it back onto the wall til the next time.
No more fuss having to make the perfect omelet either. With the handy wire whisk, you'll have a nice fluffy omelet in no time.

Watch out for how much pressure you apply to the speed accelerator button, because you may find your cake mix blending in pretty well with the paint on your wall. In that case, avoid using a shallow bowl. Use a deeper mixing bowl, bigger than the size recommended for your ingredients.

Happy cooking! Hope my review helped you.

I've had mine for two years and use both the mini-chopper and blender attachment daily. I've been completely satisfied with the performance of both. My standard blender is now used only for jobs that involve ice chopping. The hand blender does a superb job of producing perfectly silky textured soups, directly in the pot, and frappes, directly in the beaker. The chopper is ideal for finely and evenly mincing garlic and herbs, to which I often add olive oil and vinegar to the bowl for an easy salad dressing. The motor part isn't in the line of fire (so to speak). It never gets dirty so clean-up is quick, since it only involves the small, simple attachments.

This is my favourite wedding gift (along with 10 of my favourite recipes). THis little gadget is a workhorse. Plunk it in the pot of simmering soup (carefully) and puree a little or a lot. Make it a cream of soup without adding cream. 2 pts of salsa without any chopping in under a minute. Shakes with frozen fruit (ice cubes don't work quite as well) in about 25 secs. Mom, the "don't give me a gadget ever" owns 2 (can't be without one even at the cottage) and uses the chopper attachment for her own dressings and instant garlic or ginger puree. I grind spices. THe chopper attachment is essential. However, I am yet to find a real purpose to for the whisk attachment but 101 uses for this handblender overall: rinse off and back in the drawer. No mess, no fuss. Dishwasher safe.Plenty of power (Make sure 200 wt plus like this model). No problems with any of the 5 I have bought for various people. Have used other manufacturer models and felt like I was using a glorified spoon unless they are very high end (read expensive). I threw out the blender long ago.

This is a pretty good coffeemaker with the price one would pay (ONLY $49.99!!!). Braun KF180-BLK FlavorSelect 12-Cup Coffeemaker was rated one of the best from various websites.

Pros:-
- If you choose to use the water filter, the "Water filter exchange dial" comes in handy to remind you when it's time to change water filter.
- The programmable timer is easy to use and comes in handy when you are too lazy to wake up at 6.30am to brew your morning coffee.
- The programmable auto-shut-off is easy to be modified.

Cons:-
I do agree with A Kitchen & Housewares enthusiast from CT, USA that the viewable window meter and the carafe are not "in sync". Usually I'll have to add some more water for it to show the exact number of cups on the meter.

Side Note:-
- I personally like its feature for user to be able to include a water filter (yes, the water filter does NOT come with the coffeemaker). Although it's a little bit pricey but it's worth paying $11 for a good cup of coffee and it lasts for three months (depending on the usage level). You may purchase the water filter from amazon.com and have it deliver within two or three days.
- Reusable gold filter basket does NOT come with the coffeemaker and you'll have to order it separately.
- I don't find "Flavor selector dial" feature as useful since I can't taste any difference in the coffee no matter how I try to change the level of the dial.

--This text refers to the Black option.

What a deal! Lots of useful features, my favorite of which is the pause and pour. I can pour a cup in the middle of brewing and no more coffee pouring out on the counter. I am very surprised to hear other reviewers having trouble with the quality of coffee brewed. I find it outstanding, you can control the strength of the brew easily. Also, there is no need for gourmet coffee blends, my maxwell house is just fine. I have washed the carafe in the dishwasher, but usually do it by hand. I do not use paper filters, the gold filter is much easiser.
This is my 3rd Braun coffeemaker. Its easy to clean, easy to operate. However I will admit that the programming buttons on my previous model were easier to see and to read. If you're like me and don't change settings very much, then it should be a piece of cake. Set it and forget it. I also prefer the 10 cup carafe size over the 12 cup, but its not that big of a difference. I also have never used the coffee filter, as I have a Brita filter pitcher and just use that water, or plain tap water in a pinch. Quality of my tap water is good though.
Best of luck choosing, I doubt you will find an alternative with this many features at this price. Reliable, doesn't leak, easy to pour and makes a tasty cup of coffee!

Braun makes the most reliable coffeemaker that we have ever owned. After our second Braun finally failed after nearly 3 years, I found that retail stores in my locale no longer carried the Braun line of coffeemaker. So, I proceeded to try what was available locally. After the second unacceptable brand that we tried, I went to old reliable Amazon and ordered another Braun. It's great to have a reliable product, and a good cup of coffee. I'll never switch again, as long as Braun is available.

I am very disappointed in this machine. I saw it on the Today Show and then purchased it from Amazon. I have had it about a month now and here's what's wrong: 1) metallic taste with each pot of coffee- now you'd think that this wouldn't happen with a high end machine, but no matter what I've tried it is still there-the literature that comes witht the machine mentions this may happen, but their cure doesn't work; 2) it leaks- although there is a water level indicator on the filling tank, go a little over and you have coffee all over the counter; you have thought that it would stay in the basket instead of running out over the counter; 3) coffee remains hot/warm maybe 3hrs tops even if you preheat thermal carafe with hot water; and 4) how could you forget to design a timer into the coffee pot- especially at this price--I'm going back to my Mr Coffee machine!

This coffee maker has all the styling elegance that the name suggests. It is truly a beautiful appliance.
Like its namesake, it is very fast, you have to be very careful with all that speed. Even if the carafe looks like it is in the groove, it may not be, and the result is hot coffee spinning out... oh, I mean spilling out across the counter. If you do everything right the coffee is great, but like every porsche I have ever dealt with this one leaks. Somebody needs to spend more time looking into the interface between the glass and the plastic on the carafe. Every time I pour a cup, a few drops of coffee come out the bottom.

I bought this coffeemaker (and the matching blender) for my husband because I knew he would appreciate the design, and he does. However, he was already hooked on his Cuisinart DCC-1200 with the clock/timer, programmable, beeps when the coffee is done features so he took the Cuisinart to the office with him and he uses his new Bosch on the weekends. I don't drink coffee myself.

You must hold the water tank in your left hand to fill it and see the water level indicator at the same time. This can be a little awkward for right-handers. Even so, it's still great to have a removable water tank.

Since the carafe isn't glass and you can't see the contents without looking inside, you can easily cause an overflow if you forget to empty the carafe before you start a new pot.

Overall, it does a fine job of brewing coffee and looks great on the counter. But it is only worth the money if you really like the look.

This boat motor does the job, but takes forever to get it done. Its limited power of 200 watts is a severe hindrance. Merely pureeing carrots in chix stock (quart total volume) left quite a few chunks after nearly 30 seconds of blending. It is however, easy to clean and quieter than your average blender or food processor. Do yourself a favor and get the Braun 430, with 50% more power and only a minor price difference.

I bought this product in order to prepare my special butternut squash soup this Thanksgiving. In the past, I've had to transfer the soup to a blender in order to liquify it to the proper consistency. This year preparation was SO much easier thanks to this Braun handheld blender. It works like a charm on smoothies, too. The best part is the easy cleanup--you just pull the attachment off the end and throw it in the dishwasher. It stores easily, too...as one who has grown weary of numerous large appliances taking up cabinet space, I appreciate that.

I am an avid lover of good coffee and the Braun coffee maker is one of the best machines we've ever owned for the initial cash outlay. However, there is one serious problem with this device and that is the quality of the carafe. It's made from almost paper thin glass and the slightest little bump in the wrong area will create a glass fracture which envariably leaks from then on. And the replacement is so very expensive which leads me to think the Braun Company is in the business primarily to profit from their after market sales of carafes. Sorry to tell you this "Mr Braun Company," I'll never purchase another one of your carafes.

We've had the Braun for several years now. Like it so much that we bought one for my parents 2 years ago. They are still on their first carafe; we our on our second. Ours has fallen off the top of the piled high drying rack several times and bounced on the linoleum floor, surviving all except the final fall. Yes it did break. I've broken drinking glasses that have fallen the same height. With a little care, this carafe should last you. Ours has been through the dishwasher umpteen times as well as just been rinsed out and set by the sink on the rack with no ill effect.

The one drawback: this carafe is hard to find and expensive. If it makes anyone feel any better, I just priced out new Braun coffee makers and they've gone up in price about $15. They all seem to have a little digital clock on the front now. This makes the replacement carafe a little more in line with the maker price.

In spite of the negative reviews written about the Braun
replacement caraffe we needed one. The original was an
eggshell-thin piece of glass that we babied for 1 1/2 yrs.
It broke while washing it much as others have described.
Our suprise was to find that the replacement had heavier-
duty glass than the original! Has Braun heard complaints
and reverted to previous standards? Four stars! It still
could be a little sturdier yet!