TBF, there are lot of the “10x as expensive” appliances that are absolute garbage, have awful reliability and are very expensive to repair. The “best” would be to buy commercial kitchen gear, but it isn’t pretty enamel colors or designer chic. Of course there are still a few reliable standouts like the typical Kitchen Aid stand mixer, but like you said, a hand mixer can be had for $50, and Kitchen Aids can cost $500+.
Also the sturdier machines are heavier, take up more space in tiny appartments, and consume more power. I was looking for juicers the other day and deciding between an industrial one and a cheap plastic one. THe industrial one was enormous and used 700W, while the cheap one used like 25W. THe industrial one wasnt even that much expensive, like 2-3x the price of the cheap one, but would take up much more space in my kitchen.
I’ve had one for a decade, moderate use, and it works great. Importantly, it is repairable. The company offers many replacement parts and there are aftermarket ones as well.
TBF, there are lot of the “10x as expensive” appliances that are absolute garbage, have awful reliability and are very expensive to repair. The “best” would be to buy commercial kitchen gear, but it isn’t pretty enamel colors or designer chic. Of course there are still a few reliable standouts like the typical Kitchen Aid stand mixer, but like you said, a hand mixer can be had for $50, and Kitchen Aids can cost $500+.
Also the sturdier machines are heavier, take up more space in tiny appartments, and consume more power. I was looking for juicers the other day and deciding between an industrial one and a cheap plastic one. THe industrial one was enormous and used 700W, while the cheap one used like 25W. THe industrial one wasnt even that much expensive, like 2-3x the price of the cheap one, but would take up much more space in my kitchen.
FYI: today’s Kitchen Aids are not the beasts of durability of years gone by
I’ve had one for a decade, moderate use, and it works great. Importantly, it is repairable. The company offers many replacement parts and there are aftermarket ones as well.