Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer Product Review

Is the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer worth it?

The most coveted kitchen appliance is, without a doubt, a stand mixer. It can effortlessly mix up a batch of your favorite cookies and take all the work out of kneading dough. While it's not entirely necessary for the majority of home-cooked goodies, stand mixers definitely eliminate sore arms and help you prepare a recipe faster than hand mixing.

Designed for hands-free prepping, the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer claims to mix better than two-beater stand mixers. It also promises to eliminate scraping around the side of the included 3.5-quart stainless steel bowl with its planetary mixing action.

If you’re looking for an appliance to whip frosting or knead pizza dough effortlessly, you may want to consider the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer.

Testing the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer 

To determine if the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer is worth it, the BestReviews Testing Lab analyzed the brand claims, features, quality and overall experience. The testing team is familiar with other stand mixers, including several beloved KitchenAid stand mixers, and is able to compare performance.

What is the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer?

Several types of electric mixers are available to help you in the kitchen, including the popular hand mixer with either a single or double beater. While hand mixers are suitable for tackling small tasks, a stand mixer is better equipped for heavier and more extensive recipes or multitasking, since it operates independently.

The Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer is a heavy-duty appliance that sits on your countertop unaided, although at 11 pounds, it’s not quite as heavy as other stand mixers. It comes with a 3.5-quart stainless steel bowl and three attachments, including a dough hook, whisk and flat beater. The whisk is best for frosting, meringue or whipped cream, the paddle for cookie dough or cake batter and the dough hook works best for bread or pizza dough.

Stand mixers are generally classified as a tilt-head or a bowl-lift mixer. The Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer is a tilt-head, which allows you to easily add ingredients, swap attachments or scrape down the bowl.

See how it compares to other products in its space — check out our reviews for the best stand mixers.

Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer price and where to buy

The Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer retails for $109.99 on Amazon and Home Depot.

How to use the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer

Upon first impression, the testing lab noticed that the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer is lighter than other stand mixers of the same size. This feature makes it straightforward to move around or store it away on a shelf when not in use. The first hurdle was inserting and removing the attachments, which proved more challenging than expected. Without an eject button or twist and lock function, you’re forced to pull or push with exceeding force to swap out attachments. However, it doesn’t require any technical knowledge or prior experience, so it was simple to understand. 

To tilt the head back, depress the button on the side of the mixer labeled “push.” Having the head tilted back makes it easier to switch out attachments or release the bowl. Then, push the same button to put the head back down. After placing the bowl on the base, you’ll want to turn and lock it to prevent it from moving.

There's a dial on the same side of the electric stand mixer with numbers one through six that determines the speed. The dial isn’t tough to turn but doesn’t move so easily that it could be bumped. Turning the dial below the number one will turn it off, but you’ll also notice a fold option if you turn it one further. The fold setting is a slower pulse-style mix designed to reduce splatter when adding dry ingredients. However, you must hold the dial on the fold setting to keep it in use.

If you’re confused about what attachments to use or what speeds are recommended, the same side of this stand mixer shows drawings and numbers of the best attachments to use for each recipe as well as the ideal speed. One unique feature of the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer is the suction cups on the bottom of the machine to keep it steady.

Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer benefits

The Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer is smaller and lighter than most KitchenAid models, which is helpful to take up less counter space or for those who have trouble lifting a heavy stand mixer out of the cabinet. It has an attractive design that separates itself from other options. 

The testing team found the paddle attachment performance comparable with high-end mixers and appreciated the variety of speeds and amount of control. Perhaps the best feature of this stand mixer is the suction cup feet that keep it from moving around, especially when you’re using it at a high speed.

Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer drawbacks

The first drawback is the force needed to remove the attachments, which might prove difficult for elderly users or anyone with shoulder issues. It just pushes on after aligning the two notches and may be easier for everyone to use if it had a twist-and-lock function. 

The testing team used all the attachments to make biscuit dough, meringue and cookie dough. When mixing the biscuits, the dough hook tended to push the ingredients to the edge of the bowl rather than mix. Even after stopping the machine and scraping the sides of the mixing bowl, the dough hook still couldn’t properly mix the dough, and it had to be finished using the paddle attachment. However, the paddle attachment struggled with cookie dough and wobbled a bit whenever it encountered a chocolate chip. Further, the paddle is difficult to clean due to its sharp corners.

Another inconvenient drawback is the lack of a handle on the mixing bowl. The testing lab would have preferred if the tilt-head was manageable with one hand as well.

Should you get the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer?

Overall, the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer is a lightweight stand mixer that will accomplish most tasks. It looks attractive sitting on a countertop but is effortless to move if you prefer to keep it stored. If you’re searching for an affordable stand mixer or don’t appreciate the weight of bigger stand mixers, the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Stand Mixer is a great choice for you. But, if you want a heavy-duty stand mixer that will mix up larger batches of heavy dough with ease and don’t mind investing more, you might be better off with a different option.