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Cuisinart CSB-175 vs Braun MultiQuick 5 Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)7.4/10
- Design (20%)8.5/10
- Usability (30%)7.8/10
- Performance (50%)8.8/10
- Design (20%)8.1/10
- Usability (30%)8.7/10
The motors on these two blenders come with the same power rating. But in exchange for a higher price tag, an extra whisk attachment gives the Braun MultiQuick-5 greater versatility overall. You can get the full range of possibilities from blending solid foods to emulsifying sauces and whipping up egg whites.
Not only that, but our Braun also blends food much more harmoniously, though aesthetically it looks neither as solid nor as stylish as the Cuisinart.
In short, if you don’t want to spend a fortune on a fancy blender like the Vitamix, but are still focused on versatility and high power output, consider buying the Braun MultiQuick-5 rather than the Cuisinart Smart Stick.
Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender Performance
- Hot Soup Purée (35%)7.0/10
- Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)7.5/10
- Mayonnaise (15%)9.3/10
- Almond Milk (15%)9.0/10
- Whipped Egg-Whites (5%)0/10
- Hot Soup Purée (35%)8.5/10
- Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)8.8/10
- Mayonnaise (15%)8.3/10
- Almond Milk (15%)9.3/10
- Whipped Egg-Whites (5%)10/10
Hot Soup Purée
- Pureeing Time: 30 seconds
- Result: Silky chunky
- Suction: Slightly
Despite being among the least expensive mid-range blenders on our testing list, this Cuisinart is plenty quick, taking only 30 seconds to give us a pot of soup. Still, we were just moderately satisfied with its performance. The soup was not well pureed enough to look entirely smooth. After we drained it through a strainer, we noticed many foods still remained unprocessed. For the best pureés maker, we recommend the Vitamix 5-speed.
- Pureeing Time: 30 seconds
- Result: Smooth
- Suction: No
The quality of blade’s material is impressively sturdy for the price, and that combined with a heavy-duty motor give the Braun MultiQuick-5 a great pureéing capability. As hard-to-blend as it was, our hearty soup wasn’t a challenge for this blender. In the span of 30 seconds, a two-serving pot of chunky soup became soft and creamy. For most people, this result might be fine enough, but draining it was still necessary to separate the remaining solids if you want the most silky, restaurant-quality soup.
Frozen Fruit Smoothie
- Blending Time: 1 min 20 secs
- Result: Slightly Coarse
- Suction: Slightly
Although the Cuisinart CSB-175 Smart Stick could pass this test in 1 minute and 20 seconds, it had a very hard time grinding frozen fruits. By comparison, its counterparts — the Vitamix 5-speed and the Braun MultiQuick-5 — could turn all the ingredients into a green silky smoothie without a struggle.
The Cuisinart’s smoothie was acceptable but didn’t have the smoothest texture. It came out rather lumpy due to kale chunks. Our straw got clogged now and then with bits that were still too big.
- Blending Time: 1 min
- Result: Smooth
- Suction: No
The Braun’s 13,700 RPM motor did a fine job at this test. It even worked as fast as higher-priced models, namely the Vitamix 5-speed, Breville Control Grip, and the All-Clad, churning out a serving of icy smoothie in only one minute.
Most importantly, of all the blenders we tested, this blender is the only one that blended without too much trouble. With the remaining blenders, some had a hard time blending through the frozen fruits, while others created tight suction that made it pretty difficult for us to lift the blending shaft. The texture and consistency of its smoothie was also better than most. It was nearly as silky as the Vitamix—our best value immersion blender, with just a couple tiny chunks of unprocessed mango.
Mayonnaise
- Emulsifying Time: 1 min 10 secs
- Result: Smooth
- Suction: Yes
Coming off the other tests, we didn’t expect much out of our Cuisinart when it came to making mayonnaise. For the most part, we agreed that a whisk attachment would emulsify sauce far better than any ordinary blending shaft. But as it turned out, of all the blenders we tested, the Cuisinart was the fastest to yield a creamy, mouthwatering sauce. It even beat the Braun’s whisk attachment by about 30 seconds, though in both cases, the mayonnaise’s texture was essentially the same.
Still, there was a minor drawback. When the mayonnaise began to thicken, our blender suctioned itself tightly to the beaker’s bottom, making it a bit trickier for us to move the blending wand around. Nevertheless, given this blender’s outstanding performance, this issue wasn’t a true dealbreaker and should be tolerated.
- Emulsifying Time: 1 mins 54 secs
- Result: Smooth
- Suction: No
The Braun’s manual instructs that its whisk attachment should only be used for whipping cream, beating egg whites, making sponge cakes, and ready-mix desserts. This is certainly an unusual specification, as whisks are commonly used for other purposes - such as making mayonnaise.
Regardless, we stuck to our plan and used the whisk to make mayonnaise. As it turned out, it performed about as well as its competitors’ blending shafts in terms of emulsifying time and texture.
Most importantly, our mayonnaise was rich and very creamy. It was a great example of how this blender can be an alternative to a hand mixer to top off your favorite meals with inspired sauces.
Almond Milk
- Grinding Time: 40 secs
- Result: Fine
- Suction: Tightly
This Cuisinart performed fairly well in this test. Besides being the fastest contender, it also blended quite uniformly. While it did create suction and cause a humble mess when we lifted the blending wand upward, it sustained a nice vortex, so our liquid didn’t overflow. In contrast, some models, such as the Hamilton Beach 2-speed and the Mueller Ultra-Stick couldn’t produce the consistent vortex. This caused the liquid to overflow excessively when we turned them up to higher speeds.
- Grinding Time: 45 secs
- Result: Fine
- Suction: Tightly
In this test, the Braun MultiQuick -5 took just 47 seconds to produce one serving of almond milk. It grinded relatively evenly to dissolve the nuts’ sugars and proteins into the water. Thanks to that, even when our recipe is sugar free, we got a drink with a mildly sweet and creamy taste. Suffice to say, this blender will have you ditching store-bought plant-based milk without reluctance.
Whipped Egg-Whites
- Beating Time: N/A
- Result: N/A
- Suction: N/A
Of all the blenders we tested, only machines with whisk attachments could draw enough air into the egg-whites to create a stiff peak. The Cuisinart's ordinary blending shaft, on the other hand, just gave us a cloudy liquid made of two layers: bubbly film and eggy water. We awarded this blender no points for this test.
- Beating Time: 1 mins 56 secs
- Result: Stiff
- Suction: No
Of all the blenders we tested, the Braun is among a few ones that passed this test, as it included whisk attachments ideal for beating egg whites. Using the ordinary blending wand, the remaining blenders couldn’t draw enough air into the egg-whites, which prevented the egg-protein from forming a stable foam.
Compared to the rivals, our Braun MultiQuick-5 was 30 seconds faster at creating an airy, fluffy egg foam. Although there was barely any difference between their outcomes, the speedy whisking process of the Braun MultiQuick-5 did help it avoid overheating, which should make it more reliable.
Cuisinart Smart Stick 2-Speed Design
- Blending Shaft (30%)8.0/10
- Build Quality (60%)8.5/10
- Power Cord (5%)10/10
- Beaker (5%)10/10
- Blending Shaft (30%)7.5/10
- Build Quality (60%)8.0/10
- Power Cord (5%)10/10
- Beaker (5%)10/10
Speed and Controls of the Cuisinart Smart Stick 2-Speed
- Control Type:Press
- Min Speed:11,670 RPM
- Max Speed:12,660 RPM
- Presets:No
- Noise Level:80 dB
- Digital Display:No
- Pulse Mode:No
At first sight, we thought this blender would be very easy to use since its two-button interface looks really intuitive.
Unexpectedly enough, we couldn’t figure out how to activate the device until we consulted the user manual. Not only that, but we also needed quite a lot of practice to operate it smoothly. Unlike others, this blender has an additional locking button which acts as a safety mechanism.
The locking button must be held down along with the operational button. That paired-button operation forced us to use two hands in some cases — certainly not what we’d call user-friendly.
The Cuisinart Smart Stick also allows us to switch between the two speed options (Low and High) with the slide control. We’d prefer more than two settings since multiple speeds give us more control over the food’s texture.
That being said, the slider also makes this blender more complicated to use, especially when the dial’s location is entirely separated from the On/Off button. It’s tough for one person to use the blender, adjust its speed, and hold the beaker at the same time, so we had to stop blending to speed up or slow down.
- Control Type:Press
- Min Speed:12,200 RPM
- Max Speed:13,700 RPM
- Presets:No
- Noise Level:65 dB
- Digital Display:No
- Pulse Mode:Yes
The Braun MultiQuick-5 offers only two speed options: Low and Turbo. This means you have less fine control than with multi-speed blenders, but it’s easier to switch between modes.
To blend, just press and hold the appropriate speed button until the perfect texture is achieved. That said, both the buttons demand a relatively high pressing pressure to activate, which may be trickier for those with weaker hands or long nails.
Blending Shaft
- Material:Stainless steel
- Type:Sharp Blade
- Guard Material:Metal
- Blade Count:2
- Removable:No
- Dishwasher Safe:No
The Cuisinart’s blade has two prongs: one sharp and the other blunt. Although it isn’t as high quality as the Vitamix, it can withstand consistent use. It even defeated its higher-priced counterpart in our mayonnaise test despite being the underdog.
A metal housing partially covers the fixed stainless steel blade to keep splashing to a minimum. This blade guard, however, left much to be desired in our test due to its awkward design. Rather than being a solid piece like others, it has several small holes which significantly degrade the shielding’s effectiveness.
Not only that, but the metal blade guard also caused scratches on the blender’s original beaker in its smoothie task. This is too awful even to be imagined.
- Material:Stainless steel
- Type:Sharp Blade
- Guard Material:Stainless Steel
- Blade Count:2
- Removable:No
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The 2-pronged blade that sits permanently at the bottom of the metal blending shaft is powered by a 300-watt motor. Made of standard stainless steel, it is sturdy and can withstand regular use without compromising on efficiency.
In the Box Cuisinart Smart Stick
- Motor body
- Blending shaft
- 24-oz beaker
- User manual
The Cuisinart CSB-175 Smart Stick set includes 4 items: a blender motor body, a blending shaft, a 20-ounce beaker, and a user manual. Before using your blender for the first time, make sure to clean it thoroughly following the user manual’s instructions. For safe operations, you should also comply with all the basic safety precautions issued by the Cuisinart manufacturers.
- Motor body
- Blending shaft
- Whisk attachment
- 20-oz beaker
- User manual
The Braun MultiQuick-5 set includes 4 pieces: a blender motor body, a blending wand, a whisk attachment, and a 20-ounce beaker. Given more accessories than most other brands do, we supposed Braun is attempting to go head-to-head with its rivals, not just in blending performance, but with the overall versatility.
Dimensions
- Height:15.6" (39.6 cm)
- Width:2.3" (5.8 cm)
- Weight:1.6 lbs (0.7 kg)
- Shaft Length:8.4" (21.3 cm)
Stylish and portable, the Cuisinart CSB-175 Smart Stick offers a delicate balance of weight, size, and aesthetics. With a reasonably sized blending shaft, it doesn’t have any difficulty operating even in deep pots. Plus, it is compact enough that it fits easily into a drawer for storage.
- Height:15.0" (38.1 cm)
- Width:2.2" (5.6 cm)
- Weight:1.6 lbs (0.7 kg)
- Shaft Length:6.7" (17.0 cm)
At 1.59 lbs, the Braun is nearly a pound lighter than the Vitamix 5-speed — we tested recently, which felt quite heavy in the hand by comparison. Compact and portable, it has a footprint of 15 by 2.2 inches, and it looks identical to the promotional images.
Build Quality
Although this blender is mostly made of plastic, its motor body looks and feels as solid as the stainless steel wand component. Even so, it may become discolored with use.
The stainless steel blending wand is built well enough to endure regular use. So far, our blades have shown no signs of rusting or dulling, but we have found a user’s complaint about her blade that snapped in half after just two months of use.
The controls are of decent quality. They are easier to press than those of the Braun MultiQuick-5 and seem to be much more durable than the Mueller Ultra-Stick. Other than an awkward power button (to be discussed later) we were quite pleased with this unique design.
The Braun MultiQuick-5 makes a strong visual impression out of the box. As a mid-range blender, it’s only about half the price of the premium ones. Despite that modest price point, it is made of quality materials and seems built to last.
It also feels good to hold regardless of hand size, thanks to its ergonomically-designed handle and BPA-free silicone coating that’s meant to ensure a slip-proof grip.
The interface is very intuitive with only two buttons so we even could figure out how they worked before reading the user manual. As a handy add-on, this blender also features Easy-Click release buttons, which allow for effortless accessories removal.
Beaker
- Material:Plastic
- Capacity:NaN fl oz (NaN ml)
- Measurements:Yes
- Weight:0.2 oz (7 g)
- Height:6.5" (16.5 cm)
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Tamper Included:No
Made of eco-friendly food-grade plastic, the beaker is entirely safe for use with any ingredients. It’s top-rack dishwasher-safe but doesn’t resist shattering, so we still recommend washing it manually to avoid any possible damage. Since it isn’t designed to withstand high temperatures, you also shouldn’t use it to blend hot liquid.
Besides the measurement marks, a wide pour spout is also a nice feature of Cuisinart’s beaker. When we used it to pour out the smoothie, we experienced less spillage than with other blender jars.
- Material:Plastic
- Capacity:NaN fl oz (NaN ml)
- Measurements:Yes
- Weight:0.2 oz (6 g)
- Height:6.5" (16.5 cm)
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Tamper Included:No
Included as an additional accessory, the beaker is free of harmful chemicals. On the side, there are measurements clearly marked in milliliters and ounces. Due to its small size, this add-on is not suitably used for making hot-liquid-based foods since splattering will possibly occur, causing severe scalding and burns. Instead, you can use it to quickly prepare small batches of soups, sauces, smoothies, and dressings.
Regarding its durability, since we don’t have any chance to hands-on our beaker, it’s hard to tell at the moment. This accessory had been broken when we took it out of the box, resulting from the long shipping distance.
Power Cord
- Cord Length:6.0 ft (1.8 m)
- Type:2-prong plug
- Detachable:No
The power cord has a reasonable length. Its plug is polarized so it will only be inserted one way into your outlet. For ultimate cable management, Cuisinart also included a nylon zip tie.
- Cord Length:4.9 ft (1.5 m)
- Type:2-prong plug
- Detachable:No
The Braun MultiQuick-5 has a 2-prong, 4.9 feet (1.5 m) power cord that plugs into any standard power supply rated to 120V AC.
Extra Accessories
- Material:N/A
- Dishwasher Safe:N/A
- Removable:N/A
The Cuisinart doesn’t come with any accessories other than the 24-oz pitcher.
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Removable:Yes
The Braun MultiQuick-5 is among a few hand blenders on the market that are shipped with a whisk attachment. This special add-on means to promote greater versatility, saving you from buying a hand mixer for beating egg-whites and emulsifying sauces.
Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender Usability
- Ease Of Use (60%)7.6/10
- Blade Assembly (10%)9.0/10
- Handling (20%)8.0/10
- Cleanability (10%)7.5/10
- Ease of Use (60%)8.6/10
- Blade Assembly (10%)9.5/10
- Handling (20%)8.5/10
- Cleanability (10%)9.0/10
Ease Of Use
At first sight, we thought this blender would be very easy to use due to its simple-designed interface.Unexpectedly enough, however, we couldn’t figure out how to activate the device until we consulted the user manual. Not only that, but we also needed quite a lot of practice to operate it smoothly.
Unlike others, this blender has an additional locking button which acts as a safety mechanism. The locking button must be held down along with the operational button. That paired-button operation forced us to use two hands in some cases — certainly not what we’d call user-friendly.
Given that the dial’s location is entirely separated from the On/Off button, it’s also quite tough for use to use the blender, adjust its speed, and hold the beaker at the same time. More often than not, we felt very annoyed when having to stop blending if we wanted to speed up or slow down.
Another drawback was that all sorts of our blending motions, from stirring to drawing up, weren’t performed with ease. In particular, when the mayonnaise began to thicken, the blender suctioned itself tightly to the beaker’s bottom, making it a bit trickier for us to move its blending wand around.
Likewise, in the hot soup test, the suction force created by the blender was so excessive that it entirely threw off our momentum when we were struggling to pull it out. Together with the absurdly-designed blade guard, this caused us lots of splatter every single time we moved our hand. Indeed, no other blenders we tested created as much mess as the Cuisinart.
There was also a problem in the smoothie test. At some points, this blender demanded we temporarily stop to dislodge the food trapped in its blade guard’s holes. And since blending frozen fruit was a prolonged procedure, it took a toll on the motor. Therefore, we had to let it rest every 60 seconds, and this was so inconvenient.
The Braun MultiQuick-5 may not be any better than certain other models in terms of efficiency and durability, but it could be the easiest to use if its buttons are improved to give a greater sense of control.
It didn’t take long for us to figure out how the blender worked due to its straightforward construction. Speeding up also wasn’t as complicated as we experienced with the Cuisinart Smart and Muller Ultra-Stick.
The only drawback is that both the buttons demand a relatively high pressing pressure to activate, which may be trickier for those with weaker hands or long nails.
Regarding our own using experience, this blender didn’t create suction or cause splattering throughout the soup-making procedure, even at the highest speed setting. As such, it enabled us to start low and smoothly increase the speed as we went instead of being distracted by the spatters.
However, it somehow suctioned tightly to the vessel’s bottom, causing excessive splatter when we struggled to move it around for an even milk blend. Furthermore, since this blender couldn’t sustain a good vortex, the liquid overflowed violently when we increased it to a higher speed. If you’re going to use this blender to make nut milk, we would recommend a taller beaker than the one it comes with.
We also very appreciate the blender’s blade housing. It’s specially designed to prevent fruits clinging to the blade backsides. Thanks to that, we didn’t have to use a food scraper when making smoothies.
Blade Assembly
To set up our blender, we attached the blending wand to the motor body until they clicked. When blending was complete, we removed the wand by pressing the release button and pulling it out. The pulling force is relatively large compared to other blenders we’ve had our hands on, so this one was tough to disassemble when our hands were oily.
The Braun MultiQuick 5 has accessory ejection buttons on the motor body — a handy function that even higher-priced models lack. These buttons are very clicky with great sensitivity; as soon as you press them, your blender shaft or whisk attachment will effortlessly push itself out from the motor body.
It’s very easy to attach the accessories as well, as long as your hands are dry. Simply align the main body with the attachment until they click together.
Handling
The Cuisinart’s handle has nothing particularly special. It doesn’t have a rubber layer (like the Vitamix or the Braun MultiQuick-5) to help you maintain a grip. On the bright side, it is ergonomically designed to protect your hand from fatigue.
We especially like the silicone layer coating the main body, which offers a comfortable grip, reducing hand tension and slippage. So far, we haven’t haven’t found much to complain about with this design.
Cleanability
Since the blending wand isn’t dishwasher-safe, it demands manual scrubbing after use.
Following each test, most of the food residue rinsed off effortlessly under our running tap. We removed more stubborn remnants using a soapy sponge. Along the way, we didn’t have as much difficulty scrubbing the backs of the blades as we experienced with the Vitamix.
Although all the removable accessories are dishwasher-safe, we cleaned them manually to prevent discoloration caused by abrasive dishwasher detergents.
By just holding the blending wand under the running tap, both the soup and smoothie remnants were quickly removed, though we still wiped down the blending wand with dish soap to avoid cross-contamination. Thankfully, it wasn’t so difficult to scrub the backs of the blades.
Cleaning the whisk attachment was nearly as simple. We had little difficulty wedging soapy sponges between the loops to wipe off the residue.