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If your soup pot, a quick protein shake, or a small batch of salad dressing has ever needed pureeing without hauling out a full-size blender jar, a hand-held immersion blender is the tool for the job. This immersion blenders compared guide puts three current models — the Braun MultiQuick 9, the KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender, and the Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-179 — head to head on price, motor power, and the attachments actually included in the box. Short version: Braun wins on power and included attachments, Cuisinart wins on price, and KitchenAid lands in between with the most thoughtful safety design of the three.
Immersion Blenders Compared at a Glance
- Best overall: Braun MultiQuick 9 — the most power (700 watts, per Home Depot) and the deepest attachment kit of the three.
- Best budget: Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-179 — $59.95 on Cuisinart.com, the lowest price here by a wide margin.
- Best for attachments/safety: KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender — a patented pan guard plus a whisk, chopper, and pitcher, per KitchenAid.com.
Why a Stick Blender Isn’t a Mini Countertop Blender
An immersion blender is built to go into your food, not the other way around. You lower the wand into a pot, bowl, or cup and blend in place, which means no transferring hot soup into a jar and no extra pitcher to scrub afterward.
That design trade-off cuts both ways. Immersion blenders are lighter and cheaper than countertop machines, but they’re not built for continuous ice crushing or multi-quart smoothie batches. If you’re regularly blending for a crowd or crushing ice daily, our countertop blender comparison covers the machines built for that job. If you’re mostly puréeing single pots of soup, whisking small batches of sauce, or blending a solo smoothie, the three sticks below are the more practical (and cheaper) buy.
Best Overall: Braun MultiQuick 9 for Frequent Soup-Makers
The Braun MultiQuick 9 (model MQ9137XI) lists for $149.95 at Home Depot, powered by a 700-watt motor that Home Depot’s listing says delivers “up to 40% faster performance” than earlier Braun hand blenders. It’s the priciest model here, and the spec sheet backs up why.
Per Home Depot’s product listing, the MultiQuick 9 comes with an ActiveBlade blending wand, a whisk, a masher, a mini chopper, a measuring beaker, and a food processor bowl — six pieces total, more than either competitor here. Braun’s own product page notes an EasyClick+ system for swapping attachments and a 3-year limited warranty.
- Pros: Strongest motor of the three; most attachments in the box; ActiveBlade design is built to cut through fibrous vegetables more easily, per Braun’s product page; 3-year warranty.
- Cons: Most expensive of the three by a wide margin; the food processor bowl and masher are extra bulk to store if you’ll never use them; Braun and Home Depot’s listings don’t publish a cord length, so measure your stove-to-outlet distance before buying if that matters to you.
- Best for: Households that make soup often, want the fewest gaps in their small-appliance drawer, and don’t mind paying more for it.
Best Budget Pick: Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-179
The Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-179 lists for $59.95 on Cuisinart.com — less than half the Braun’s price. It runs on what Cuisinart’s own product page calls a “300-watt power and quiet DC motor,” controlled through a 5-speed dial rather than a trigger or pulse button.
The included kit is lighter than Braun’s: a chef’s whisk, a 3-cup chopper/grinder attachment, and a 2-cup mixing cup, per Cuisinart.com. It also carries a 3-year limited warranty, matching Braun’s coverage despite the lower price.
- Pros: Lowest price of the three; still includes a whisk and a chopper/grinder; 5-speed dial gives more control than a basic two-speed model; same 3-year warranty as the Braun.
- Cons: Weakest motor of the three (300 watts, per Cuisinart.com), so dense or icy ingredients take longer; smallest chopper bowl of the group at 3 cups, which caps batch size; no food processor bowl or masher included.
- Best for: Occasional users, small kitchens, or anyone who wants a competent stick blender without paying for attachments they won’t use.
Best for Attachments and Safety: KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender
KitchenAid’s Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender with Accessories (KHBV83BM) lists for $99.99, per ChefsDeal’s product listing, and runs a 325-watt motor, per Best Buy’s spec sheet — putting it between the Cuisinart and Braun on both price and power.
Per KitchenAid.com, the kit includes an 8-inch removable blending arm with a 4-point stainless steel blade, a whisk attachment, a 2.5-cup chopper, a blending pitcher with lid, and a US-patented removable pan guard — the only one of these three with a dedicated cookware-protecting guard.
- Pros: Patented pan guard protects nonstick cookware, a feature neither competitor offers; blending arm is fully removable for easier cleaning; middle-of-the-road price for a middle-of-the-road motor.
- Cons: Trigger-style variable speed isn’t as precise as Cuisinart’s numbered dial; 325 watts trails the Braun’s 700 for tougher jobs like crushing ice; no food processor bowl included.
- Best for: Cooks who use nonstick pots and pans often and want a guard that keeps the blade from scratching them.
What Each Included Attachment Actually Costs You
List price alone doesn’t tell you what you’re getting for your money. We divided each unit’s price by its watts to find power-per-dollar, then divided price by the number of extra attachments included (beyond the blending wand itself) to find a rough cost-per-accessory. Here’s how the math shakes out, using the prices and specs cited above.
| Model | Price | Motor Watts | Watts per $1 | Extra Attachments Included | Cost per Attachment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braun MultiQuick 9 | $149.95 | 700W | 4.67 | 5 (whisk, masher, chopper, beaker, food processor bowl) | $29.99 |
| KitchenAid KHBV83BM | $99.99 | 325W | 3.25 | 4 (whisk, chopper, pitcher, pan guard) | $25.00 |
| Cuisinart CSB-179 | $59.95 | 300W | 5.00 | 3 (whisk, chopper/grinder, mixing cup) | $19.98 |
The Cuisinart delivers the most watts per dollar and the cheapest cost per attachment — unsurprising for the budget pick, but worth confirming with math instead of assuming. The Braun costs the most per attachment, but it’s also the only model that includes a full food processor bowl, which is a meaningfully bigger accessory than a mixing cup. Buying a comparable mini chopper and whisk separately typically runs $20 to $35 combined at major retailers, so none of these kits are a bad deal — the Braun and KitchenAid just bundle in pricier extras.
Immersion Blender or Countertop Blender: Which Task Needs Which?
Not every blending job calls for the same tool. Use this quick matrix to sort which household task actually needs a stick blender versus a full countertop machine.
| Task | Better Tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pureeing a pot of soup | Immersion blender | Blends directly in the pot — no transferring hot liquid to a jar. |
| Single-serving smoothie | Immersion blender | The included cup or pitcher is sized right; no need to wash a large jar. |
| Whipped cream or emulsified sauce | Immersion blender (whisk attachment) | All three kits include a whisk for small-batch jobs like this. |
| Crushed ice or frozen drinks | Countertop blender | Countertop motors and blade design are built for sustained ice work; stick blenders can bog down or stall. |
| Multi-quart smoothies for a family | Countertop blender | Larger jars handle bigger batches in one pass. |
| Nut butter or dense dough work | Neither — use a food processor | See our food processor comparison for machines built for heavy, dense mixing. |
Dealbreakers to Watch For
No stick blender is perfect, and the trade-offs differ by model. Here’s what to weigh before you buy any of these three.
- Blade guard clogging: A recurring theme across retailer reviews for hand blenders generally is that the protective blade guard can trap stringy vegetables like celery or fibrous greens, forcing you to stop and clear it mid-task.
- Cord length isn’t always published: Braun and Home Depot’s own listing don’t state a cord length for the MultiQuick 9, so if your outlet is far from your stove, confirm this detail with the retailer before buying.
- Motor power caps your ambitions: The Cuisinart’s 300 watts is plenty for soup and sauce but will labor on anything icy or frozen — don’t expect it to double as a smoothie machine for frozen fruit.
- Small chopper bowls fill up fast: None of these three ship with a chopper larger than 3 cups, so if you’re prepping for a big family meal, you’ll be working in batches regardless of which model you choose.
How We Compared
We pulled pricing, wattage, speed settings, and included attachments directly from manufacturer pages (Braunhousehold.com, KitchenAid.com, Cuisinart.com) and major retailer listings (Home Depot, Best Buy, Walmart, ChefsDeal), citing the specific source for every figure above. We also reviewed recurring owner feedback patterns and reliability trends discussed across those retail listings — things like blade guard clogging and cord length concerns — to flag realistic dealbreakers rather than relying on marketing copy alone. We have not physically tested these units ourselves; this is a desk-research comparison built from publicly available specs and buyer feedback patterns, consistent with our editorial standards.
Prices are approximate, current as of publication, and change frequently — confirm the latest price with the retailer before buying.
Published August 4, 2026. Last updated August 4, 2026. Browse more small-kitchen picks in our Small Appliances category, or see how these differ from full countertop mixing tools in our stand mixer vs. hand mixer vs. food processor guide.
FAQ: Immersion Blenders Compared
Can an immersion blender really replace a countertop blender?
For soups, sauces, dressings, and single-serving smoothies, yes — an immersion blender handles those jobs right in the pot or cup with less to wash. For crushing ice, frozen fruit in bulk, or multi-quart batches, a full-size countertop blender is still the better tool.
How many watts does an immersion blender actually need?
Most home cooks are covered in the 300-to-700-watt range these three models span. The Cuisinart’s 300 watts, per Cuisinart.com, is enough for soups and sauces, while the Braun’s 700 watts, per Home Depot’s listing, adds headroom for occasional ice and firmer produce.
Which immersion blender comes with the most attachments?
The Braun MultiQuick 9 includes the most pieces — a whisk, masher, mini chopper, beaker, and food processor bowl alongside the blending wand, per Home Depot’s product listing — making it the pick for households that want one tool for several small jobs.
Which immersion blender is the cheapest to buy?
The Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-179 lists for $59.95 on Cuisinart.com, the lowest price of the three, though it ships with fewer attachments than the Braun or KitchenAid.
What’s the most common complaint about immersion blenders?
Across retailer listings, the recurring gripes are blade guards clogging on stringy vegetables like celery and cords that keep you tethered close to the outlet — worth checking the specific listing’s cord length before you buy.
