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Varimixer - W5A - 5 Qt. Variable Speed Planetary Mixer
Varimixer - W5A - 5 Qt. Variable Speed Planetary Mixer
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Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #310082 in Kitchen & Housewares
- Brand: Varimixer
- Dimensions: 19.00 pounds
Features
- Variable speed, with slow start & finish
- Stainless steel dough hook won't break
- Beater blade is twisted to get more folding action
- Variable speed, with slow start & finish
- Stainless steel dough hook won't break
- Beater blade is twisted to get more folding action
Product Description
Varimixer - W5A - 5 Qt. Variable Speed Planetary Mixer, The Varimixer Model W5A Is An Extremely Rugged 5-Quart Mixer, Combining An Industry Leading .4 Hp (300 Watts) Direct Drive With Our Proven 5 Speed Transmission. This Combination Provides Plenty Of Torque At The Beater Shaft For Maximum Batch Sizes. The W5A Features Very Efficient Agitators To Quickly Produce Quality Food Products. The Operation Of The Mixer Is Made By Means Of The Rotary Knobs On The Sides Of The Mixer. The Two Knobs Can Be Used Simultaneously Or Individually And Are Used Both For Speed Adjustment And As An Opening / Closing Function. The W5A Features A Wide Agitator Speed Range From 70 Rpm To 400 Rpm. - Powerful .4 Hp Motor, With Cord And Plug In 115/60/1 Electrical Spec, Overload Protection And No Voltage Release Is Standard Equipment. Attachment Hub With 70 To 400 Rpm Speed Range. Bowl Screen, Ul Listed, Nsf Listed, Permanently Lubricated Planetary Head And Attachment Hub Case. Variable Speed From 70 Rpm To 400 Rpm. The W5A Has The Versatility And The Performance To Handle All Your Mixing Needs From Bread Dough To The Lightest Whipped Cream. - Accessories: Stainless Steel 5 Qt. Bowl, Wire Whip, Dough Hook, Beater, Bowl Screen And Plastic Bowl Cover.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Perfect, even for bread and challah
By TN
Varimixer W5A (AKA Wodschow/Bear "Teddy" in Europe)I purchased this mixer (in white) almost 2 years ago, and I couldn't be happier with my decision. It is a little expensive, but IMO absolutely worth it.I use it at least once a week, mainly for work that I would not like to do by hand, such as long, heavy kneading of bread, challah, or pretzel dough (very stiff, requires about 15 minutes of kneading), or for very large batches. The machine works well for small batches, too (I tried a single egg white just for fun), but I find it more convenient to do things like a few egg whites or waffle batter by hand or with a hand mixer in a smaller bowl.There are a few videos of this mixer on youtube, just search for "Varimixer Teddy" (It is sold under this name in Europe).Positives: (no negatives as I have no complaints ;)+ Built to last. Nothing feels wobbly, flimsy or fragile here.+ Extremely strong, even at slow speed. Effortlessly kneads bread, challah, pizza, and even pretzel dough without any sign of strain. It does not even feel warm after kneading 3 pounds of pretzel dough for 15 minutes!+ Massive (52 lbs). Stands firmly and does not walk around, even under the highest load or highest speed.+ Very quiet compared to all other mixers of similar capacity that I have tried (KitchenAid Professional 600, Globe SP5). No need to shout or turn up the volume on the radio while this mixer is in operation.+ Good incorporation of ingredients. The surfaces of the dough hook, flat beater, and the inside of the bowl are textured, which prevents ingredients from riding or climbing up the dough hook, or sticking to the walls or bottom of the bowl.+ Very easy to clean. A few large, even and smooth surfaces to wipe off, with no clamps, bowl lift mechanisms or other holes or crevices that are hard to clean in other machines.+ All removable parts (dough hook, flat beater, wire whip, bowl) are 100% stainless steel. This means that they are dishwasher safe and will not chemically react with food (in contrast to aluminum tools of other brands).+ Continuous speed adjustment. Start at a slow speed to prevent spills, then go faster as ingredients are coming together. No need to stop and change gears as in other professional mixers such as Hobart N50.+ Great mechanical design. The bowl is held to the bottom plate of the mixer by 3 metal pins. No bowl clamps or lift mechanism are needed (which can get stuck and are hard to clean). The entire top of the mixer can be tilted back to lift the tool out of the bowl, but unlike the small KitchenAid models where the heavy head can crash down, the motion is damped and balanced so there is no danger of accidentally damaging the mixer.+ Modern electrical design (yes I did my research before buying this machine ;). Regular AC motors as in the KitchenAid or Globe draw their highest power (up to 800W) at the highest RPMs, and get extremely hot very quickly. In contrast, the Varimixer uses a 3 phase motor and control circuit that provides most torque at the lowest RPMs, where it is actually needed for kneading stiff dough. Regardless of speed, power consumption never exceeds 300W (I checked this with a Kill-A-Watt (P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor)), and usually stays below 200W. Even after 20 minutes of heavy kneading, the mixer barely gets warm.+ Looks great on the kitchen counter. When I bought mine in spring 2010, it was available in gray, white, black, red, and maybe some other colors. (I had to talk to both the retailer and manufacturer to arrange a color other than gray, though.) I got white, and it looks nice, clean and modern.I did a lot of research and a bit of trial and error before I decided to get a machine in the 1K price range. In case you are interested, here are some thoughts on the other machines I considered.Originally I wanted a KitchenAid Professional 600 (KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer) because it has a spiral dough hook and hundreds of 5-star reviews. However, after reading more than 200 reviews, I noticed that many of the 5-star reviews were written after owning the machine for only a few days or weeks, and praise mainly the large variety of available colors, how nice it looks in the kitchen, or the ability to use it for cookies and other light-duty tasks. In contrast, most people who try to make bread on a regular basis gave only 1 star, and complain about broken gears, cracked gear housings (both plastic and metal), oil dripping into the dough, and gray colored whipped cream. The KA user manual says that you can knead dough for only 2 minutes, then you have to turn off the machine or risk damage. Now that is just ridiculous, because after 2 minutes you end up kneading by hand! The KA is also incredibly loud. When I tried one at a local store, it was nearly impossible to understand what the salesperson was shouting at me while it was on. Finally, the tools (wire whip, flat beater, dough hook) are all made of aluminum, or have aluminum parts. If you put them in the dishwasher only once, their surface will oxidize and, from that point on, leave traces of aluminum in everything you mix (hence the gray colored whipped cream).Next stop was the Bosch Universal Plus (Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine), which is highly popular with bread and challah bakers because of its large capacity and high power. However, I do not like the "middle column" design that makes it harder to clean than a regular planetary mixer, and it turns out that the U.S. version of their dough hook has an aluminum part and is not dishwasher safe. The European dough hook is all stainless steel. Nevertheless, the Bosch seems to be a great machine. I almost bought one, and it would still be my second choice.Then I discovered the Globe SP5 (Globe SP05 - 5 qt Mixer, Globe SP5 5qt Commercial Countertop Planetary Dough Mixer), which is made by SPAR Mixer in Taiwan, and distributed in the USA by Globe in Dayton, OH. It is more expensive than the KA or Bosch, but still reasonable. It looks great on paper, like a truly professional version of the KitchenAid. It has a planetary mixing action, a spiral dough hook, clamps to hold the bowl in place while kneading heavy dough, and even claims to have all stainless steel mixing tools. After Globe's customer service confirmed that all removable parts and mixing tools were 100% stainless steel and dishwasher safe, I went ahead and ordered one. What a disappointment! It gets extremely hot very quickly (It uses up to 800 Watts even when empty with no load!), and shuts itself down from overheating after ~2 minutes of "kneading". And it doesn't really knead properly. Some of the dough keeps riding around the bowl on the dough hook, while other ingredients remain on the bottom and sides of the bowl and need to be scraped down repeatedly. I also noticed that the top collar of the wire whip is made from aluminum and not stainless steel. When confronted with my findings, Globe admitted the aluminum part, and said that actually NONE of their mixing tools should be placed in the dishwasher! I returned the Globe mixer for a refund.In conclusion, the Varimixer W5A is probably the best household-size standmixer out there right now, and I am VERY happy with it. Yes, it is 3 times the price of a KitchenAid 600, and almost twice the Globe SP5, but it makes them look like loud, flimsy toys in comparison. On the other hand, it is less than half the price of a Hobart N50 (Hobart N50 5 Qt. Mixer with Accessories), another highly praised, truly commercial grade mixer. I never seriously considered the Hobart because it is out of my price range, and IMO the Varimixer has even better engineering and design.
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