Norpro Cordless Mini Mixer, 5 Piece Set, One Size, White

UPDATE 2/25/2027:Since my sturdier-appearing whipper was inoperable, I have been using this much lighter version by another mfr. To my great surprise, I LOVE how much lighter it is. I use it several times each day, and until now, I never realized how much difference several ounces can make in a tool so often used! The little thing seems well-made, and it can handle very thick protein smoothies. If a smoothie is too thick for it, I've found it's really too thick for me to enjoy drinking so I add a little water. So, no problem there! It's given me no problems at all, so I'm giving it 5 stars this time.Each time I reach for this little whipper gadget, I am amazed by how little it weighs and can't help but smile bc it is SO much easier it is to use than my older one. And it does just as good a job, too! It no longer seems cheaply made to me either. I have been using it for months now and can highly recommend buying this item.ORIGINAL 1 STAR REVIEW: This item is much lighter and REALLY cheaply made compared to the robust "Fit&Fresh" one I am trying to replace now after wearing it out over several years of daily use in smoothies.It's made from such thin plastic, I can't even get the battery cover off to try it out! The cover literally COLLAPSES when I press down on it hard enough on the ridges to grip and then slide it back and off to load the batteries.I actually just found it will come off, but not easily and ONLY IF I use a very thin (sharp!) knife tip pressed down against the ridges on the cover and then use that tip to push/slide that flimsy cover backwards and off.It will hold 2 AA batteries, IF YOU CAN JAM THEM IN! It's not clear which way they should be inserted bc the contacts don't look familiar. I guessed right the first time, though, and it seems to work well. I just don't know how I'm going to ever get them out when they need to be replaced without tearing up the plastic with another type (not so sharp!) of knife tip. It took brute force to push them in straight bc the battery holder box is just too small. No wiggle room at all!!The on-off button is actually just a thin piece of plastic that extends off of the front end of that battery cover. It turns the unit on by pressing down on it, like a diving board first is jumped on will go downward and then bounce back up to rest. Turning it off is the same movement.The "diving board" tab is always at rest in its "up" position while it runs and also while it's off. You need to keep your thumb on it to keep it running. What concerns me is how to keep that open slot under that on-off tab clean. It's very easy to splash something onto that area and would be very hard to clean later!I know from using my similar one that it is very important to have a durable on-off switch. This one just has a long, thin piece of plastic with an opening below it to enable it to bounce up and down. Never seen anything so cheaply designed, although they did give its upper surface an ergonomic curve to hold the thumb in place on it. (That does feel good!)So, honestly, I recommend spending a little more to buy a better stirrer than this one. You will definitely get only what you pay for with this one. So, expect problems!It costs very little, so it is nothing more than a throw-away item. It will never hold up to mix anything into a smoothie, day after day, which is what my other one did with ease, even when its batteries were kinda low.Hope I can find another! Would pay $12-15 for it if it was made as well.

This is just what I wanted tried it today works great and a nice price. Easy to clean and doesn't take up any space. Love it

EVALUATIONDoes the job, but there are virtually no instructions on its use. Most of the complaints about lack of power are probably from folks who installed the batteries wrong.COMPARISONI love my big powerful hand blender Hamilton Beach 59770 Turbo-Twister 2-Speed Hand Blender but sometimes, it is just too much, and I don't want to go to the hassle of cleaning it. For simply mixing a package of powdered chocolate mix into a cup of milk for hot chocolate, etc. the Norpro is perfect, and cleanup is just a few seconds. I use it mostly to make home-made gelatin deserts Knox Original Gelatin (32-Count Envelopes), Unflavored, 8-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 2). For example grape "Jello" made with real grape juice.INSTALLING BATTERIES> The gray switch "panel" is the door to the battery compartment. With the pointy end to the left, slide the grey panel to the right. Install the first (bottom) battery with the positive end (nipple end) to the right. Install the second (top) battery with the positive end to the left. Slide the panel back in place.> The batteries are hard to install and harder to remove. This can be remedied by applying silicon grease to the contacts Permatex 22058 Dielectric Tune-up Grease - 3 oz.. The silicon grease also protects the contacts and improves the electrical connection.***> Alternative, it is easy to make a "battery extractor": Cut a ca 1/2" x 4" strip of paper (or thin ribbon); roll the end around a battery, fold up to make a tab, and glue the tab back on the paper strip or ribbon (in effect make a "doggie collar and leash" for a battery); slip the bottom battery in place, then the top battery, if you have more than 1/2" left at the top, trim it off. To extract the bottom battery (after extracting the top battery, just pull up on the leash.INTALLING MIXING TOOLSNotice that the lower portion of the stems of the mixing tools is hollow. This hole fits over the solid metal rod in the power unit. You just push the tool in, and when you are done, pull it out. Sometimes the fit is pretty tight, and you have to push hard to install, or pull hard to take the tool out. Be sure to push it ALL THE WAY on, as far as it will go. If the fit is too tight, a little silicon grease (apply with a toothpick) fixes the problem.**USE> Lower the tool into the liquid to be mixed and press the grey lever. Immerse only the lower half of the tool in the solution. Do not immerse as far as the pointy end of the power unit, or you may suck up water (etc) into the motor.> The mixer is one-speed. You can adjust the "violence" of mixing by choosing the tools. Obviously the stick-like tool is the gentlest mixer. The plastic Y is the second gentlest. The wire whisk is the second most intense mixer, and the "frother" is the most intense mixer. Use the frother only in a water glass or other tall, narrow, container.Although the whisk is intense, it also slows to pretty slow if immersed to most of it's length. I find the plastic Y to be the ideal mixer for mixing gelatin into 3-4 cups of water, without making froth.WASHING UPNEVER submerge the power unit in water---just wipe it off. You may be able to clean the tools adequately by simply operating the mixer in a glass of clean water. If not, then pull off the tool and hand wash.*** Why silicon grease? Vegetable oil may turn gummy after a while, making the situation worse. Petroleum-based oil can attract dust and damage rubber and plastic. Silicon grease does not attract dust, does not damage plastic, is actually good for rubber, and improves and protects electrical connections.

I had something similar years ago and was excited to receive this. Packaging was good, everything was sealed in plastic and the box was in good condition. Upon inspecting the main unit I noticed how cheaply made it was, which is not surprising at this price point. First, the button to operate is just a piece of plastic that is an extension of the battery cover and looks like it could easily break off after some use. Speaking of batteries, there are no instructions on battery installation, luckily I’m pretty versed on how battery terminals look and got the orientation right on the first try, however they were difficult to install and even more difficult to remove. The accessories looked okay, but to connect the accessories you slide it over a metal shaft that is recessed into the main unit. The problem with this is that you can’t see how well the accessory is fitted over the shaft. The second issue is that, as far as I can see, there its nothing for the accessory to grip on the shaft to keep it spinning. For my first attempt using the device I selected the beating accessory to grind up cat food, which is a stew like consistency with soft pieces in gravy and would have ideally resulted in wet mousse-like texture. At first it worked great. Then the accessory started slipping in the shaft and was no longer spinning. The other accessories would probably still work, but this is specifically what I purchased this in for and so it is going back.