Tools: PowerLix Milk Frother ($20)
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Frothy by Cafe Casa ($20)
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...
Bodum Schiuma ($9)
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...
X-Chef Frothing Pitcher (20oz.) ($16)
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Script:
Here are the competitors. First we have this $9 option from Bodum with a 4-star Amazon rating. Twice as much as the old one I had from Ikea, but it looks much nicer. We’re going to consider this the budget option.
Next, we have the PowerLix Milk Pro. $20, with 4 and a half stars from over 44,000 reviews. They also advertise a 100% lifetime warranty.
Then, also at $20, there’s the Frothy by Cafe Casa. 4 and a half stars, 4,000 reviews, stainless steel, and two speeds.
You can find links for all of these down in the description.
Let’s start off with the Bodum. We’re mixing a cup of whole milk here just to make some foam for my coffee.
The handle feels nice and the whisk feels powerful enough to get the job done.
I have two complaints with this one. First, the switch for the power looks like something I should press, but I actually need to slide it. But there’s no indication which way I need to slide it. Because the whole thing is nearly symmetrical, every time I pick this up I’m given the small but annoying challenge of figuring out which way to throw the switch.
My other complaint is that this is clearly designed to sit on its end, but the handle does nothing to prevent liquid from dripping down into the motor cavity. I have to think that’s going to gunk it up over time, or at least invite bacteria.
In fact, in the interest of science, let’s pop this one open and take a look at the anatomy of a mixing wand.
There’s really not much to it. You have your batteries here, with some kind of switch to interrupt the flow of power to the small brushed DC hobby motor, coupled directly to the whisk..
When one of these dies, typically the problem is that the little copper brushes inside that transfer energy to the rotor wear out.
Cheap motors wear out faster than nice ones, but when you’re shopping for these, there’s no really telling what’s inside. I expect they’re probably all using similar motors.
Which is why it might make sense to spend a little more on something with a lifetime warranty, like the PowerLix. Let’s froth up some milk with this.
This one feels a little more powerful but what I notice about it immediately is that it feels a lot nicer to hold.
You can also tell they thought alot about the switch design here. There’s no confusion about where it is or what you do with it. It’s a momentary switch design. You push it down to make it go, and just lift your finger off to make it stop.
The whisk has a built-in wedge here to redirect liquid away from the motor. But what’s even better is that this includes a stand so that you can store it whisk side down. This way when you rinse it off, you can just hang it up to drip dry.
Finally, let’s take a look at the Frothy. My first impression here is that it’s much heavier than the other two. It’s probably the metal handle, but it could also be a beefier motor.
This one also has a collar to redirect liquid, though it doesn’t quite cover the opening in the handle.
The switch here is intuitive, but not quite as thoughtfully designed as the PowerLix.
You do get two speeds, though. The low settings feels less powerful than the other two, which might be good if you want to mix something without necessarily frothing it up.
The high setting is no joke, though. Way more power than I was able to get from the PowerLix or Bodum. Probably more power than you’d need for a cup of milk, but maybe just the thing if you’re mixing more volume or something thicker.
Now, in the name of science, I wanted to rig these up to do a battery drain test to see which would last the longest. But it turns out that these really aren’t designed to be run any longer than a few minutes. After around 10 minutes, they were all really hot. And after around 15 minutes, the PowerLix started to smoke.
I can’t really count that as a strike against them, since it’s really not how it’s meant to be used. Just know that I tried to get some measurable results for you and failed. In the process though, I discovered first-hand that you really shouldn’t run any of these more than a minute or two.
In the end, I think the PowerLix Milk Pro is the way to go. For the extra money, you’re rewarded with an objectively better design in terms of use and storage, and you get a lifetime warranty.
That said, if raw power is your biggest consideration, it’s useful to know that the Frothy can step up to the challenge.
1 авг 2024
