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Cuisinart CSB-175 vs Hamilton Beach 59765 Immersion Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)5.7/10
- Design (20%)6.0/10
- Usability (30%)6.4/10
- Performance (50%)7.4/10
- Design (20%)8.5/10
- Usability (30%)7.8/10
The Cuisinart CSB-175 is a mid-range immersion blender. It didn’t produce a superior even blend in our tests, but overall, its results were much better than those of the Hamilton Beach 59765. Whether we tested it for pureeing root veggies soup or emulsifying sauce, it created hugely stiff competition for the other mid-range contenders with its strength and sharp blades.
Of these two blenders, the Cuisinart CSB-175 also looks more solid and reliable. Although it isn’t built with the highest quality, we can assure you it will last longer than the Hamilton Beach 59765. However, due to its awkward design, you’ll need to get used to its lock mechanism.
Hamilton Beach 59765 Hand Blender Performance
- Hot Soup Purée (35%)8.0/10
- Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)5.3/10
- Mayonnaise (15%)0/10
- Almond Milk (15%)6.8/10
- Whipped Egg-Whites (5%)5.0/10
- 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
- Pureeing Time: 30 seconds
- Result: Smooth
- Suction: Slightly
In this test, the Hamilton Beach produced an acceptably smooth puree, but the outcome wasn’t any better than those produced by other immersion blenders we’ve found for under $40. It was blended evenly but we still noticed a lot of tiny veggie chunks left behind after straining.
- 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.
Frozen Fruit Smoothie
- Blending Time: 2 mins 15 secs
- Result: Chunky and Leafy
- Suction: Slightly
Of all the blenders we tested, this Hamilton Beach took the longest to complete this task. It was such a poor performer that had a very hard time processing frozen fruits and couldn’t entirely liquefy kale. In the end, we were left behind with a lumpy icy drink and worse still, a bunch of large noticeable fibrous pieces remained unprocessed.
- 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.
Mayonnaise
- Emulsifying Time: N/A
- Result: N/A
- Suction: N/A
Making mayonnaise with this blender’s whisk attachment was a total failure. Even when we added the oil very slowly to the yolks, there was no way that the blender could form a proper emulsion. Instead of a smooth spread, we ended up with a watery mess. As such, we awarded it no points for this test.
- 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.
Almond Milk
- Grinding Time: 1 min 40 secs
- Result: Coarse
- Suction: Tightly
Using this Hamilton Beach to make nut milk may not be such a good idea: In our test, it left us with a coarse grind and couldn’t pull all the ingredients into its blades without our intervention. That’s why we had to constantly stir with the blending wand to ensure everything was incorporated. This also meant that, due to the machine’s poor head suction, we would end up getting splattered with smoothie every single time our hand moved.
At certain points, the almonds somehow even got stuck in the blade guard’s holes, requiring us to stop and dislodge them. This remains the most frustrating blending experience that we’ve ever had.
- 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.
Whipped Egg-Whites
- Beating Time: 3 min 22 secs
- Result: Stiff
- Suction: No
Surprisingly, this blender’s whisk attachment did a good job of stiffening the egg white. When beating, it provided enough force to stretch out the egg’s proteins which then bonded with each other and formed a stable network around the tiny air bubbles created through the beating action.
However, strengthening that network for a good stiff peak can be a lengthy process. The Hamilton Beach took more than one minute - compared with others, that's longer than the average. Having to spend a few more minutes blending is no big deal, but the prolonged operation will cause the motor to overheat, thus impairing its durability and your cooking enjoyment.
- 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.
Hamilton Beach 59765 Immersion Blender Design
- Blending Shaft (30%)6.5/10
- Build Quality (60%)6.0/10
- Power Cord (5%)10/10
- Beaker (5%)0/10
- Blending Shaft (30%)8.0/10
- Build Quality (60%)8.5/10
- Power Cord (5%)10/10
- Beaker (5%)10/10
In the Box of the Hamilton Beach 4-in-1 Hand Blender
- Motor body
- Blending shaft
- Whisk attachment
- Food processor
- User manual
The Hamilton Beach 59765 set has five pieces, including a motor body, a blending shaft, a user manual, and two extra attachments (a whisk and a food processor). It doesn’t come with a beaker, but you can easily purchase a decent one for under $15.
- 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.
Dimensions
- Height:14.3" (36.3 cm)
- Width:2.6" (6.6 cm)
- Weight:1.7 lbs (0.8 kg)
- Shaft Length:6.9" (17.5 cm)
This Hamilton Beach looks compact on our counter and takes up less space than any of the full-sized blenders we’ve had. Its blending shaft and main motor body can be separated so you can easily store them when not in use. It also feels balanced in our hands with an ideal weight for most home cooks. For the most part, we agree it is quite easy to maneuver this machine in a mixing beaker.
- 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.
Build Quality
Compared to other low-range blenders we purchased, this Hamilton Beach is similar in features, operation, and capabilities, but it isn’t as good on every front due to its poorly-built construction.
Made of low-range plastic, the motor body takes on food stains and discoloration over time while the inner core is very breakable. The two thin plastic tabs that help connect the blending attachment to the main housing also leave much to be desired. With use, they will possibly snap, thus rendering your blender useless. Another word of caution: this machine has a tendency to overheat like it is burning up.
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.
Speed and Controls of the Hamilton Beach 2-Speed Hand Blender
- Control Type:Press-button & speed dial
- Min Speed:15,680 RPM
- Max Speed:17,330 RPM
- Presets:No
- Noise Level:96 dB
- Digital Display:No
- Pulse Mode:Yes
The machine has two buttons: the power button operates the blender at the normal speed and the turbo button provides a temporary speed boost. Both buttons are unresponsive to gentle presses requiring considerable pressure to be activated. During the more prolonged procedures, we experienced challenging and painful blending.
- 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.
Blending Shaft
- Material:Stainless steel
- Type:Sharp Blade
- Guard Material:Stainless steel
- Blade Count:2
- Removable:Yes
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
At only 6.9 inches, the blending shaft is quite short and may not be suitable to immerse in your deep pot. With a sharp, metal blade guard, it seriously damaged our beaker and was incapable of reducing head suction in all of its tests. The 2-pronged blade is designed flimsily. It looks inferior and has a shorter length compared to other low-range blenders. This results in quite coarse blends and longer working time.
- 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.
Beaker
- Material:N/A
- Capacity:NaN fl oz (NaN ml)
- Measurements:N/A
- Weight:NaN oz (NaN g)
- Height:NaN" (NaN cm)
- Dishwasher Safe:N/A
- Tamper Included:N/A
- 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.
Power Cord
- Cord Length:5.1 ft (1.6 m)
- Type:2-prong plug
- Detachable:No
This blender has a 2-prong, 5.1. feet power cord that plugs into any standard power supply rated to 120V AC.
- 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.
Extra Accessories
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Removable:Yes
After two rounds of testing, we found this attachment is completely inefficient. Measuring only 4.3 inches long, it is comparatively short and its wires are too stiff to provide enough ‘bounce’. We certainly wouldn't recommend using this whisk.
- Material:N/A
- Dishwasher Safe:N/A
- Removable:N/A
The Cuisinart doesn’t come with any accessories other than the 24-oz pitcher.
Extra Accessories
- Material:Plastic and Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Removable:Yes
We haven’t tested this attachment on a specific recipe, but upon activating it without any contents, we found it to be laced with excessive rattles and vibrations, which fatigued our hands over time.
Hamilton Beach 59765 Hand Blender Usability Review
- Ease of Use (60%)5.8/10
- Blade Assembly (10%)8.0/10
- Handling (20%)6.5/10
- Cleanability (10%)8.0/10
- 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
The Hamilton Beach 59765 is not easy to use; it often feels a bit brittle during even simple tasks, and that isn’t indicative of all low-priced immersion blenders. It is also more of a pain to use with a violent shaking motor and unresponsive controls.
Furthermore, we found our machine got extremely hot when it was working at high speeds toward an extended blending time. It is unclear if this issue is likely to shorten the blender’s lifespan, but it will surely bring you a
few minutes of discomfort.
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.
Blade Assembly
To set up this blender, the attachment must be rotated to a specific alignment to lock into place with the main housing. So far, we haven't found any difficulty in doing so, since both these two pieces are clearly marked with padlock icons, eliminating our guesswork for the correct alignment.
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.
Handling
Compared with others, this handle is smaller and less comfortable to hold. While it fits okay in our small hands, it cannot ensure a stable, secure grip due to its slippery surface.
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.
Cleanability
Removing all the food tailings from the blades’ backsides was pretty frustrating. Due to the restricted space between the blade and its guard, we couldn’t get our fingers in for scrubbing.
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.