Is it possible to get a stand mixer for less than $50? Some stand mixers can cost as much as $700, too much for many bakers.  If you plan on baking infrequently, spending a lot of money on a stand mixer might not be the best use of your budget.  Yes, a good stand mixer will make your baking life a lot easier, but $700 for an appliance that you use only once a month, or even less, doesn’t make sense.

That’s why we were excited when we saw this stand mixer by Dash.  It is priced at under $50 and seems to have features that you would expect from a higher priced mixer.  That still leaves the question-is a mixer that costs less than $50 any good?

A Smaller Price And A Smaller Mixer

The first thing you will notice with the Dash stand mixer is that it is smaller.  It’s not toy-sized, but it is smaller in almost every dimension.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does help explain the low price.

First off is the motor size.  It’s smaller than the motor you would find on a higher end mixer, such as a KitchenAid Artisan mixer.  Instead of being around 500 watts, the Dash mixer has a motor that is 250 watts.  This leads to two noticeable differences from other mixers.  The unit is lighter (because of a smaller motor) and you will be limited on the types of mixing that can be done.  Yes, you can still knead bread dough but the mixer will work a lot harder than a unit with a 500 watt motor.  With almost any small kitchen appliance, the size of the motor will determine how useful it is when you are cooking or baking.

The other piece that is noticeably smaller is the mixing bowl.  Dash includes a 3 quart stainless steel mixing bowl with this mixer, a smaller sized bowl than almost any other mixer option.  If you are making frosting, whipping cream or beating eggs you won’t have any problems with this bowl.  If you are making a large batch of cookies, you may find that the bowl gets full quickly, leading to messes on the counter because ingredients can go flying.

6 Mixing Speeds And Two Sets Of Beaters

6 speeds on a stand mixer is usually plenty.  Some mixers have up to 12 speeds and while that is a nice option, it isn’t necessary for most recipes.  Having a smaller motor means that you will have fewer beating and mixing options, but the 6 included with this mixer are just fine for almost any basic mixing chore.

One difference with this mixer compared to other more expensive stand mixers is the attachments.  There is no whisk and there is no beater paddle, two standard attachments on other mixers.  Instead you get beaters as an attachment, similar to those found on hand mixers.  They will get the job done for whipping cream, beating eggs and other light mixing projects.  They will work with cookie dough but you may find it awkward, the beaters tend to get quite clogged.

Should You Buy This Mixer?

We tested this mixer because of the price, we wanted to know what kind of mixer you would end up with if you spent less than $50.  It’s not a bad mixer, it’s just not a good stand mixer for baking.  If you bake a lot you won’t want this unit, it’s small and under powered.  If you bake only a handful of times each year you may find this mixer workable.  You won’t have a lot of money invested in it and it can handle basic mixing chores with few problems.  It’s a bit of a cliche but it is true-you do get what you pay for.