KitchenAid KHBBV53 vs Cuisinart CSB-175 Side-by-Side Comparison

• Motor body 
• Blending shaft 
• 24-oz beaker with lid
• Pan guard
• Charger adapter
• User manual

The KitchenAid KHBBV53 set includes 6 pieces as outlined above. If you’re looking for a more versatile blender, consider upgrading instead to the KitchenAid KHBBV83. That version works just as efficiently but comes with the whisk and chopper attachments to further enable your culinary creativity.

• 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.

The KitchenAid KHBBV53 is well-balanced with a satisfying, weighty feel. It’s really comfortable to hold and the long blending shaft can reach deep into large pots.

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.

The KitchenAid KHBBV53 is quite an expensive blender, so we’re happy to say its solid construction delivers on that price tag. As a mid-range blender, it doesn’t look as sleek as the premium ones (for example, the Vitamix 5-speed), but this doesn’t mean it’s less durable. Although it is mostly made of plastic, it seems to be high quality and the metal parts resist corrosion pretty well. So far, we haven't noticed any damage on the exterior, even though discoloration is fairly common among immersion blenders with plastic components.

The blending shaft, on the other hand, leaves a bit to be desired. Its blade guard is made of stainless steel but looks relatively flimsy and doesn’t have a good finish. It is flecked with countless black spots which can’t be wiped off. That certainly ruins the interior’s shine but doesn’t impair operation.

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 KitchenAid KHBBV53 features two-pronged blades which can withstand consistent use pretty well but don’t look as impressive as the higher-priced counterparts, such as the Vitamix.

Blending with this blender is a pleasure since its blade housing helps limit the splattering. Although the guard is made of metal, it won’t leave scratches on your cookware’s interior if you attach the included plastic pan guard. In our initial soup test, we immersed our blender — with that pan guard attached — into a glass pot and noticed zero damage.

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.

This blender offers multiple speed options and its trigger switch is extremely responsive. In a departure from most, the speed is determined by the amount of pressure you apply to the trigger. Your blender will run at its highest speed if you press the controller all the way down.

There is also a palm switch on the blender’s backside which acts as a safety mechanism. To blend, you must hold that switch down along with the trigger switch. We personally appreciate that idea since it helps prevent the motor from being accidentally engaged and hurting someone.

Although the KitchenAid KHBBV53 doesn’t feature a separate switch for a pulse function, you can also get plenty of control over your chopping preparations by pressing the trigger in short bursts.

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.

Our set included a single-serve jar which is BPA-free and top-rack dishwasher-safe. As a nice bonus, the jar features a thin rubber ring on the bottom to keep it stable while blending. It also includes a tight-seal black lid for fresher on-the-go drinks.

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.

The lithium-ion battery can keep the power going long enough for approximately 25 medium bowls of soup if fully charged for 2 hours. The 0.5-amp charger ensures speedy recharging for the first 20 minutes (that takes it from 0% to 30%). With a quick charge, your blender will be set for a batch of purees or smoothies. Our real-world experience, though, suggests that the advertised charging performance can only be achieved at room temperature rather than in the cold of winter.

The light on the top indicates the battery status. It turns green when the blender is fully powered and reminds you to consider charging when it turns yellow or red. 

This blender set doesn’t come with any extra blending attachment.

The Cuisinart doesn’t come with any accessories other than the 24-oz pitcher.