PRODUCT REVIEW - KITCHEN TOOLS - Tribute to An Ancient Mixer

I sing the praise of a wondrous thing....a hand mixer from a bygone age.  It comes with its own cabinet, suitable for hanging on a wall or keeping in a drawer....but who'd want to? 
May I introduce....drum roll please......
the Hamilton Beach Scovill model 110.  This hand mixer is a dependable work horse.

Hamilton Beach Scovill Model 110

It has remained alive and well used in my kitchen for many, many years....long after other, more recently manufactured mixers bit the dust. 

I'm not just talking those cheap Kitchen Gourmet versions they sell at the corner drug store either! I'm talking Black & Decker, Sunbeam...some name brands here.  And not only that, some of 'em were full sized table top numbers, like  the Sunbeam stand mixer. Couldn't stand up to the almost daily batches of cookies I had to make while working at the Co-Op.  
The day that fancy mixer died, good old 110 saved the day.

Model 110 in cabinet (closed)

Considering its size and more importantly, its age - there's a lot to be said for the old 110!  In its time, from the mid '60s  through the early '70s, it was probably considered downright groovy.  

We've had this beauty in our family since around 1992, when Jack and I were just beginning.  In fact he bought it for me at a yard sale. My old hand mixer was on the blink and he figured it would work until something better came along. I went right home and used it to mix some cookie dough.  It was pretty much love at first use, other than the power cord's propensity to fall out of its socket. Oh well.


Things I like about the HBS model 110
1) It still works  (duh)
2) The cabinet. I've tried hanging it on a wall and it works good that way, too.
3) It still works
4) The beater release is not complicated
5) The beaters are bigger and heavy duty

6) Feels well built, well balanced
7) Vintage appeal
8) It still works

Power cord problem

Things I don't like HBS model 110:
1) The power plug tends to fall out of the side mounting
2) Not enough power for certain mixing jobs
3) The power lever should stick out a little more
     Other than that, I have no real complaints.  I'd be panic stricken at this point if Old 110 suddenly bites the dust.   

When I use it, I imagine something like the Brady Bunch kitchen...Ann B. Davis as Alice at her station (Gawd, those orange walls!) using this mixer with some avocado colored Pyrex bowls. 

Ahhhhh....those innocent times....nice to look back on these days, eh?

Retro like the Brady Bunch

So here's to the Hamilton Beach Scovill hand mixer, old 110....long may you run!







Rating : 5 out of 5 Mixing Bowls, even with the cord problem. Considering it's age, it's still going strong!