Sunbeam FPSBSM2104 Heritage Series 350-Watt Stand Mixer, Red

 (35 customer reviews)

I have a Kitchen Aid already. I got this because we had one when I was a kid and this was kind of nostalgic. There has been no significant change in the design of the Sunbeam since I was a kid, at least as far as I can remember. I don't remember the head locking either up or down, but maybe it did, I don't know. More on that later... I think you are already familiar with the mechanics of how the Kitchen Aid mixes things (the planetary motion) vs how the Sunbeam mixes things (a hand mixer on a stand) so I won't go into detail on that, other than to express my preferences between the two.

Round 1: overall mixing ability
Today I was trying to make banana bread. First I have to cream some butter with eggs and sugar. After this was complete, I threw in some bananas and had the mixer mash them up. It appears that when you have semi-solid things (like butter or bananas) that you are trying to incorporate into a batter, the free-spinning bowl tends to spin the item...Read more

I'm not a real big baker and for the past forty years have gotten by happily enough with a hand mixer, but this handsome, powerful stand mixer is opening new vistas for me. So far I've made mashed potatoes, chocolate butter-cream frosting, meringues, and whole wheat bread, and it's been easier and less messy than my handheld mixer ever was. I can see myself using this more often and for more things because of its greater ease, power, capacity, and the dough hooks, which made kneading bread--something I've previously had to do by hand--a snap.

I love the 4.6 quart stainless steel bowl with its steep, almost straight sides since it gives me so much depth for mixing and keeps virtually all the splatters within the bowl. With my handheld mixer and more rounded mixing bowls I would inevitably end up with batter on myself, the mixer, and even the counter around where I was working. Now, that just doesn't happen. Although this is a much bigger and heavier mixer, it's actually more...Read more

It is fairly light weight for it's size. It is very durable, so it not going to fall apart after the first use. I had it all the way up to the highest speed and it was not any louder than my hand held mixer. The bowl is easily set into place and removed, along with the blades. While mixing, the bowl spins, so there is no real need for you to spin the bowl so the mixer gets to everything. Also, it is easy to slide the switch that moves the bowl so the blades can be in the center or along the side. In each position, the bowl with spin slowly, yet it is easy for you to spin bowl if you want it to spin a little faster, and can switch the position of bowl while mixing as well. There is a button along the side to lift the blades out of the mix, as well as an eject (marked) button to remove the blades from the mixer. It does come with a nice size bowl, I might enjoy a smaller bowl at some point but the one that comes with the mixer is nice for cake mix or bread dough. For what I do, I...Read more