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If top-of-the-line products are your thing, the KitchenAid KHM926 is worth adding to your shopping list.
Available in 5 beautiful colors, this 9-speed hand mixer is the small kitchen appliance you’ll be reaching for time and again to whip up batches of cookies, mashed potatoes, and – with this specific model – shakes and frothed milk.
KitchenAid KHM926ER Empire Red 9-Speed Hand Mixer via Wayfair
At A Glance
Pluses
- 9 Speeds for a wide range of tasks
- Soft Start™ Feature
- Digital Display
- Additional Attachments
Minuses
- Some complaints of beater “wobbliness”
- Under-powered for tough jobs
In addition to all of these highlights (and admittedly, a few lowlights), this 9-speed hand mixer includes the same well-loved features of previous models in this line. It’s lightweight and easy to use, the accessories have an easy eject button, and the beaters are made from stainless steel so they don’t rust.
The hand mixer stands on its end when not in use, and the motor base has a swivel lock so the power cord can be moved for either left or right handed use.
Now that we have a general understanding of what this feature-rich model has to offer, let’s dig into the details!
Features
Beautiful and Functional
The KitchenAid KHM926 is made to be easy to manage and keeps the kitchen clean. When in use, it keeps the splatter to a minimum and flour bombs are no problem. It even balances perfectly on its heel to keep batter-covered beaters off the counter.
The motor housing unit comes in 5 beautiful colors and they’re all molded from lightweight polycarbonate. Built-in air vents keep the motor cool and prevent batter from gunking up the gears. Unlike some other hand mixers, the vents are properly placed to keep air flow well away from the mixing bowl.
Users rave about how well it holds up against even tough doughs with the dough hook attachments. The low-wattage motor helps it maintain a solid torque to power through thick batters, or even cooked vegetables to mash. It also means this hand mixer runs quieter than most others on the market.
Precision Speed Control
The 150-watt motor in this top-of-the-line hand mixer powers a wide range of speeds. Up and down push buttons controls and backlit bars indicate the speed you’re on. Feel confident that whatever setting is needed for a recipe, this is going to provide what you need.
The speeds are, in Revolutions Per Minute (rpm):
- 230
- 350
- 450
- 575
- 690
- 880
- 975
- 1100
- 1300
Note that the highest setting is 1300 rmp! That’s crazy fast for a hand mixer!
Soft Start™
This feature is a fan favorite and proves KitchenAid is serious about their role as an industry leader. The Soft Start™ feature gradually brings the rpm up to the selected speed rather than starting at those exact speeds. This reduces splatter and flour bombs.
A common frustration with home bakers is that hand mixers start way too fast. They blow up dry ingredients and splatter wet ingredients all over the place. This feature and the wide ranges of available speeds completely eliminate that problem, so it starts out super slow and can move to warp speed (comparatively).
Additional Attachments
The stainless-steel Turbo Beater II Accessories and Pro Whisk attachment are the same as those mentioned in our KitchenAid KHM7210 7 Speed Review (coming soon!), and they preform admirably.
Before I start talking about the two additional attachments, I want to point out that in this model includes a small canvas bag to hold all these accessories together in one place. It’s not large enough to hold the body assembly, but that’s too pretty to hide anyway.
First, let’s discuss the dough hooks. I feel it’s my responsibility to mention that making dough is better left to heavy duty kitchen appliances such as full-sized stand mixers or high-end blenders like those from Vitamix or Blendtec. That being said, feel free to make yeast rolls, pizza dough, or cinnamon rolls with these sturdy dough hooks. They’re perfect for those small jobs.
Second, let’s talk about the liquid immersion rod/blending attachment. This is not a replacement for an immersion blender. It is, however, amazing for blending a post-workout shake or Ovaltine in a jiffy. Like, seriously, a few seconds and it’s done.
Speaking of a jiffy, someone mentioned it’s perfect for mixing natural nut butters that have settled as well.
If you’re looking for something to crush ice or frozen fruit, this liquid immersion rod is not the right tool. KitchenAid is very adamant about not using this to blend whole foods, no matter how soft they are. I would encourage you to check out our immersion blender guide for other options, or you can check out my review of the KitchenAid KHB2561 immersion hand blender if you wish to skip ahead in your product research a bit and stick with the same brand.
Worth the Money
Time and time again you’ll see reviewers rave about how much they love this hand mixer from KitchenAid. Everyone loves the range of speeds, especially the Soft Start™, the variety of accessories that store in the provided canvas bag, and the swivel cord lock (and cord strap) to keep it out of the way.
This is the best of the KitchenAid hand mixers, and it’s a unanimous belief that this one is worth the price tag!
Some Common Complaints
I feel it’s my duty to briefly address some very common complaints that pop up. The rare customer complains of beater wobbliness. Admittedly, the wire beaters do feel less sturdy than the older style flat beaters, but rest assured, they should do the trick.
Another common complaint is that the unit is under powered. While the motor is under 200 watts, most users report having great success using the dough hooks to stir up peanut butter. The wire beaters should be able to go through mashed potatoes, but a few people say they have had difficulty with this task, and the unit tends to stop working with a few uses.
As I’ve been reading into these complaints, they sound like manufacturer issues rather than user error. Too many people have reported they’re incredibly happy with their KHM926, and that leads me to believe the rare bad review seems to be the exception rather than the standard. Don’t tolerate a lemon – KitchenAid’s warranty will enable you to switch it out, hassle free. Read more about that later in this review.
Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
Since this model has all the possible attachments, definitely use the attachment meant for the job at hand. For instance, if cinnamon rolls are on the menu for next weekend, the dough hooks are going to be ideal for this task. While they look flimsy, trust that the Turbo Beaters are going to handle cookie dough just fine. The pro whisk will take care of egg whites with no problem.
Keep the user guide handy – it’s full of speed control charts to match up the correct accessory with the right speed.
Cleaning and Care
The care and cleaning of this product is super easy: eject any of the stainless steel accessories that you’ve used and put them in the dishwasher. That’s it! Alternatively, the accessories can be hand washed and dried immediately.
The motor housing unit and power cord only need to be wiped with a damp cloth. Unplug the unit, wipe it down, and store.
For particularly bad messes, unplug the unit, wipe the hand mixer with a warm, sudsy cloth, and then wipe off with a damp cloth. Doing a once-over with a dry cloth afterwards is the best practice in this scenario.
Dimensions and Specs
The appliance is 7.5 x 7 x 3.5 inches and weighs 3.5 pounds. The outer casing is made of polycarbonate, and the Turbo Beater II accessories are made of stainless steel.
The motor is 150 watts, and the voltage is 120 AC only.
What’s Included:
- KHM926 Hand Mixer and power cord
- Stainless-steel Turbo Beater II Accessories
- Stainless steel Pro Whisk
- Stainless steel Liquid Blender Attachment
- Stainless steel Dough Hooks
- User Manual
Available Colors:
- Empire Red: KHM926ER (via Wayfair)
- Onyx Black: KHM926OB (via Amazon)
- Contour Silver: KHM926CU (via Wayfair)
- Candy Apple Red: KHM926CA (via Amazon)
- White: KHM926WH (via Amazon)
Our test model in the photos is the Empire Red model.
Warranty Information
KitchenAid offers a 1-Year Hassle Free Warranty on their hand mixers. As mentioned before, rare underpowered units seem to be the biggest complaint. In the rare instance that you might land a lemon, this warranty will protect your investment. For more information, check out the user manual.
This product is assembled in the USA.
Compare and Contrast: KitchenAid KHM926 vs. Cuisinart HM-90BCS Power Advantage Plus
If you like what you’re seeing but are into checking out comparable products, I’d like to direct your attention to the Cuisinart HM-90BCS.
Cuisinart HM-90BCS Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed Handheld Mixer via Amazon
This 9-speed hand mixer includes the same accessories and many of the same features as the KHM926, plus a spatula and snap-on storage case.
Read more about the Cuisinart HM-90BCS here.
The Next Best Thing
If you can’t imagine yourself ever using the dough hooks to make cinnamon rolls and don’t really see the need for 1300 rpm, then check out the next model down. The KitchenAid KHM7210 is available in many of the same colors as the KHM 926, but it only has 7 speeds and doesn’t include the dough hooks or blending rod.
If all of this sounds like way more than you were ever intending to use a hand mixer for, I recommend the 5-Speed KitchenAid KHM512. It only includes the stainless steel turbo beaters, but depending on what you’re looking to do with a hand mixer, this very well could be exactly what you need.
Foodal’s Rating
- Power
- Performance
- Included Accessories
- Build Quality
- Warranty
- Value
Summary
A nice hand mixer, the KitchenAid KHM926 comes is 5 different colors to help you match your existing appliances. We'd prefer to see a hard plastic case included like those provided by the Breville BHM800SIL Handy Mix Scraper and the Cuisinart HM-90BSC Power Advantage Plus. This hand mixer doesn't have the power, build quality, or on board light of the Breville And the warranty is only one year compared to the 3-year offered by Cuisinart. Still, it's a decent option with the power required for most users and it's not nearly as pricey as the Breville.
Where to buy? It's available from:
Before You Go…
The KitchenAid KHM926 9-Speed with the Soft Start™ feature is a fantastic hand mixer to check out. It’s a beautiful appliance, has all the accessories the home baker is looking for (and arguably, even an unexpected accessory), and includes a 1-year hassle free warranty to back it all up.
The best thing about this model is, you don’t even have to take my word for it! Feel free to check out what other users are saying about the KHM926:
Click here to check prices and read customer reviews on Wayfair now!
Have any other questions? Ask in the comments! Do you have a lower level model and noticeably miss some of these features? Let us know! If you’re still comparison shopping for mixers, check out Foodal’s Hand Mixer Buyer’s Guide (coming soon!) to compare the best competitors around.
Photos by Mike Quinn, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Uncredited photos via KitchenAid.
About Taylor Shaw-Hamp
Taylor Shaw-Hamp has loved food ever since she can remember. The more she grew, the more she discovered, and the more she had to know. Now she loves to write about her food adventures through recipes, product reviews, and blog posts. She can be found at local coffee shops across the world, so if you see her, stop by the table and say hi!
I have this mixer, it’s great. I will tell you this – I always lived to buy the best. It will last longer do a better job and you will be happier.