Product Description

Mixer, Food, 5 qt capacity bowl, variable speed, .4 HP motor, powder coating finish, includes: s/s bowl, spiral dough hook, wire whip, ingredient chute, bowl screen, plastic bowl lid, 115V/60/1.

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Product Details

• Brand: Varimixer
• Dimensions: 20.00" h x 26.00" w x 14.00" l,

Features

• Varimixer W5A 5-qt Food Mixer w/ Thermal Overload Protection, Variable Speed

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Versatile and robust heavy-duty mixer
By Craig Bolon
Heavy-duty, small-capacity food mixers have become an odd corner of the kitchen appliance market. Thirty to forty years years ago there were several good choices, best known among them probably KitchenAid in the U.S. and Kenwood in the UK. Now none of the more familiar makes are particularly reliable at some demanding jobs.

Double-beater stand mixers like the classic Sunbeam (today the models 2371 and 2379) work well with batters, frostings and similar light-duty jobs. However, they are not rugged enough to knead most bread and pizza doughs. Those jobs call for a heavy-duty mixer, usually with a single tool and swiveling "planetary" motion.

Starting in the 1980s, almost all manufacturers of heavy-duty food mixers providing 4 to 8 quarts capacity cheapened their designs with lower-performance materials, gears, shafts, bearings and other mechanical and electrical components. At the same time, some manufacturers increased the power ratings of motors, fr om a typical 0.4 horsepower to as much as 1.2 horsepower. For bread and pizza dough, that becomes "empty power" which is produced only at high speeds, not at the low speeds required for kneading.

Almost all the current heavy-duty, small-capacity mixers are very noisy, and when used for kneading stiff dough many have been reported as likely to fail within a few months. Motors overheat, gears strip, drives or bearings seize, and power controls burn out. The manufacturers know about those problems, and often in footnotes and fine print their instruction manuals warn against kneading stiff dough for longer than 3 to 7 minutes. Even the trusty and expensive but low-powered Hobart model N50 carries such a time-limit warning.

The Wodschow model 5L (Varimixer W5A for the U.S.) does not carry such a restrictive time-limit warning, and it does not need one. It is rated to knead up to 5 lb of 50%-hydration bread dough, operating in continuous service. To do that t akes hardened, precision-ground gears made of high-alloy steels, large-diameter pulleys, reinforced drive belts, needle bearings, similar to the ones used with railway-car axles, and high-current motors and electrical controls. Such a unit is more costly to produce than lower-performance designs from other manufacturers. We got one from KaTom, located near Knoxville, TN, who we later saw is also selling them through Amazon. KaTom delivered promptly; there were no problems.

Wodschow of Copenhagen developed the planetary mixer and has been manufacturing those mixers for almost a century. Food mixers of commercial sizes and reliability are its only business. The model 5L and its W5A variant in the U.S. were introduced in 2003, the smallest unit that the company makes. Their other products, mostly floor-standing, have 3 to 40 times the capacity. Their units have all-stainless tools and bowls that are compatible with all types of foods and are safe for dishwasher clean ing.

Every mechanical mechanism has its limits. When kneading very stiff bread or pizza dough with high-gluten flours or less than 50% hydration, batches smaller than 5 lb may be required for continuous operation. A maximum batch of 4 lb is specified for mashed potatoes. If the load becomes too great, the mixer will detect that and halt, with an automatic reset after a few minutes. So far, although mixing some very stiff doughs, we have not had such a tripout.

The Wodschow mixer is simple to operate. The bowl fastens to three sturdy cleats extending from the base with a short, clockwise turn. Tools latch to the driveshaft with a push and a turn the opposite way. Because of this approach, the drive rotates only in the same direction as bowl latching; it is not reversible. There is a single control with knobs on both sides that provides continuously-variable speed, 70 to 400 turns per minute, and can also shut off the motor and unlatch the tilting action of the motor and drive. The motor is controlled by speed, not power. The mixer provides as much power as needed to maintain an indicated speed. It hums when running, louder at heavier loads, but the sound never reaches an annoying level.

Among the limited number of serious competitors to the Wodschow mixer is the model BMPM007 7-quart planetary mixer from BakeMax of New Brunswick. At a likely delivered price about 10 percent less, it offers a similar rugged construction, based on lift-fork rather than tilt-back access, using ball rather than needle bearings and providing die-cast aluminum rather than all-stainless tools. The main compromise in the BakeMax design, however, is a much less sophisticated dough hook tool. The Wodschow will turn out acceptable results with the bowl filled to a quarter of the rated capacity, while the BakeMax won't cope with stiffer doughs at much less than three-quarters of the rated capacity.

A power meter on the electrical supply is helpful. The model 5L or W5A draws about 0.2 watts when plugged in but switched off and about 130 watts when moving at slowest speed (about 70 rpm) with no load. Almost all of any additional power provides mechanical energy kneading (and heating) dough. Knowing the heat capacity of flour is about a quarter that of water makes it possible to estimate dough-temperature rise from mixing. We have found speeds around 85 rpm at setting level 1 and 120 rpm at setting level 2 (out of 5 marked). These are about what you need for high-quality dough-kneading.

Mixing as little as a pound of dough is possible, but the mixer tends to divide the dough into a few clumps, only one of which gets much action at a time. The mixer is likely to vibrate a little and to "walk" as much as a quarter-inch over ten minutes, despite its sturdy, resilient feet. Adding extra ingredients such as dried fruit to a small batch is best done by hand in "jelly roll" style, returning the doug h afterward to the mixer. Mixing three or more pounds at a time results in less vibration and more uniform results.

We have had no substantial problems with the model 5L or W5A. The bowl's inside and the tools have rough rather than polished surfaces. Slack doughs made with wheat flours will tend to stick aggressively. Lightly coating those surfaces with vegetable oil before mixing such doughs gives both satisfactory kneading and fairly easy release of the dough.

The only drawback we see is that the mixer is bulky compared with the space in some kitchens. For the U.S. there is most often about 16 to 20 inches clearance between a countertop and cabinets mounted above it. The model 5L or W5A needs about about 22 inches of vertical clearance when the motor and drive are tilted all the way back. However, its total width including the loading chute is only about a foot, so the mixer can also be stationed sideways on most countertops. It will occupy about a 2 -foot span of countertop that way.

When you plan to mix and knead bread dough frequently and want a mixer that can do those jobs reliably, the Wodschow model 5L (Varimixer W5A for the U.S.) is a product you should consider. Its higher price, compared with most other potential choices, reflects better performance and longer expected life.

1 of 1 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. E ffortlessly 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 conside red.

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 lo cal 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 di scovered 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.