I love kitchen gadgets, what I love more is a kitchen gadget from an iconic brand name, i'm just like that. I was thrilled to receive this Dualit handmixer for my birthday 2 years back. My expectations were high as I know Dulait to be a well trusted brand. In research for this review I found the product for around £50 on average after a quick internet search, a lot for a hand mixer.

DESIGN, The hand mixer can come in chrome or soft touch, I have the soft touch. In the box you get included a pair of dough hooks, a pair of beaters and a whisk that fir easily into the holes on the unit. It has a handle that protrudes from the top of the main section. The controls are on the handle, they are a sturdy slider that controls the speed (1-5) and an 'easy eject' button that allows you to remove the attachments (beaters, whisk etc.). There is a rubber panel on the lower side of the handle for comfort that is quite effective. This feature I love, there is a retractable power cable that you pull out when needed and then twist the rear of the unit to pull back, this is very useful for those concerned about tidiness in there cupboards. It is heavy, for me anyway, and I would say this is my main complaint...I find it gets very tiring after about a minutes use.

DAY-TO-DAY, I find that all of the attachments are very effective. I use the whisk the most but have used the others a considerable amount with no problems. I find the attachments easy to clean as they are metal and can be easily washed of in the sink or put into the dishwasher. It sits very nicely in the cupboard for storage which is an upside. The cable is amply long for me and I have quite a long work top. As I mentioned before it is quite heavy, but why not get a work out whilst you cook. The power levels are very good with a good range, level 1 is very slow and level 5 is very fast and you get 3 increasing levels in between.

RELIABILITY, The Dualit is very well built. The buttons feel reassuringly sturdy use after use. The attachments are also made from very sturdy metal and have suffered no deterioration after many cycles through the dishwasher. The main unit itself is bulky and sturdy.

IN SUMMARY, The Dualit is a brillaintly built, effective, nice looking bit of kit. I have never had any problems with reliability and it is very easy to store with its retractable power cable. It has all the attachments I would need and a great range of power settings. It is too heavy, that is my main downside it is also expensive with other mixers with similar specs for around the £25 mark...but would they be as reliable? that I don't know.