Many thankd for the responses! Wish I could afford the Bamix....but, am going to have to settle on KA. Although the Bamix would probably be a "once-in-a-lifetime" purchase, the KA is, in all probability, also a durable product made by a company known for high quality.

We have two, the Cuisinart with attachments and the Bamix. (We had to use up a credit at Williams-Sonoma by a deadline and couldn't figure out what else to get, so I decided to give the Bamix a spin.) I like both, but for different reasons---and much to my husband's dismay, decided they weren't really replacements for one another. I've had the Cuisinart for a decade, and I love-love-love it. I don't use the mini-food processor attachment, but use both the immersion blender and the whisk attachment regularly. We have a stand mixer but no other hand mixer. My husband's big pet peeve about the Cuisinart is that it splatters things everywhere, and one thing I don't like about it is that things get stuck in the blade, so the Bamix looked like it might solve those. Some differences - Bamix has teeny tiny little blades so they are very easy to clean, but also easy to lose - Bamix does not seem to splatter as much as the Cuisinart, especially with soup and such things. - Not much gets caught in the Bamix blades, whereas with the Cuisinart, for some foods I have to keep stopping it and freeing the blade. - I have not successfully gotten the Bamix to whip egg whites, though it says it will do this (tried all the attachments!) The Cuisinart does this in a heartbeat (but there will often be bits of egg white on the wall...) - Bamix is a pain to clean overall because you must unplug the entire mixer and bring it to the sink to wash---it's all one piece. The Cuisinart, in contrast, lets you pop off both the whisk and the blending attachments and wash them individually. I almost never take the actual motor/plug piece anywhere near the sink. - I find the Cuisinart more comfortable to hold, but I suspect that's a personal thing. - Bamix is slightly easier to store because it has less bulky attachments, but I've never had a problem storing either. - Cuisinart whisk does a better job with small quantities than Bamix whipping attachment---Bamix seems to need a critical mass of liquid to get into its stride. So I think either could work...Cuisinart is half the price so I might pick that, but there are things I like better with the Bamix, too. (I'd intended to re-home the Cuisinart but changed my mind since it's still the better tool for some things.) I think the Cuisinart is quite similar to the KA and the Braun, too. For me, these replace both a blender (we have one but haven't used it in years---only rarely makes an appearance for frozen drinks) and a hand mixer, which I really don't miss. My favorite thing about our new kitchen is that we had the wiring on our 1950s stove fixed, so it now has an electrical outlet right in between the burners---perfectly positioned for the immersion blender!

Hi A2-it's so good to see you. I was actually thinking of you at Thanksgiving because I wondered if you spatchcocked your turkey again. Boy, funny how much we care and think of each other and yet don't really know-or do we. We were kind of induction pioneers together. I have had a cuisinart immersion blender for maybe 3 years and havent taken it out of the box yet. Stay healthy and have a great holiday season! Oh yeah, love that puppy.

I have at least six now. Two vintage braun like Annie. My go-to always. Small, simple, one speed, easy to rinse and clean. I just need it for a quick tilt-the-soup-pot. I just like a minor puree sometimes to thicken a soup that has lots of veg....still like it partially chunky. (don't use flours or stash for that). Highspeed blender for silky smooth blending. A complicated heavy Breville I bought last spring some SurLaTab sale. Attachments, bowls, and variable speed I have never used but day one out of the box. I made an easy go-to spot for it in the kitchen but the Braun is easier to grab last minute. One is for body butters I don't use for foods. Another at work for also non-food. Cuisinart. Both of those have the bowls that I like for non-food use. A toss-up how much you will use attachments. Read reviews and get the best in your price point.