Customer Reviews:
 This Product is Fantastic February 13, 2008
Loves to Cook!
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have had this immersion blender for almost a year now and i agree with the reviewer that says how powerful it is. I also use it mostly for soups and in seconds its smooth. I would also like to address the other reviewer who is afraid to use it on his pots. I sue this with my Le Creuset cast iron, and there is a never even a mark on the enamel. I highly recommend this product.
 Needs work. January 17, 2008
Marjica (Santa Cruz, CA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I bought this because of the positive review here and a confidence in the Viking name. However, I did not even want to start using this because the bottom section that would be coming into contact with a pan, or whatever container being used, is so sharp, there's no way it wouldn't scratch them. I'm surprised that such a significant part of an immersion blender would be so overlooked by a company like Viking.
Amazingly powerful motor, solid construction December 23, 2007
David Barzelay
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've used several other hand blenders from Braun and Kitchen-Aid, and while some of those models were very capable, this is in a completely different class. This isn't just an "upgrade," it's an entirely different device. The Kitchen-Aid and certain Braun models are fine for most tasks, but they are like kids' toys compared to the Viking. This hand blender has so much more power than those models, which makes it much quicker and more efficient at its tasks. I mostly use it for pureeing soups, a task that takes forever with those lesser brands, and never comes out perfectly smooth. My practice was always to strain the soups through a fine-mesh sieve after blending, because it was always necessary--there would be little fibrous chunks left over, and the puree would never be as silky as I wanted. But with the Viking that's completely unnecessary. For a big pot of butternut squash bisque, for instance, it takes about 15 seconds with the Viking to get the entire thing silky smooth, whereas with one of Braun's "professional" models, I'd have to blend for a minute, then wait for the unit to cool down, then blend more, then finally force the puree through a sieve. I should note that the Viking's manual also recommends only one minute of continuous use--the difference is that I can't imagine anything taking more than a minute with this thing.
This Viking model creates such a vortex in the pot that it ensures no chunks are left by cycling through all of the liquid very rapidly. For the same reason, the puree gets silky smooth in almost no time.
You know how there's a big difference between the power of a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer and a Kitchen-Aid hand mixer? Well, it's the same way between a really nice consumer blender and a Kitchen-Aid or Braun hand blender. With the Viking, there is no such difference. This is as powerful as any consumer-level blender I've used.
In addition, the construction feels extremely solid. It's heavy, and it's stainless steel, which also means the business end can go in the dishwasher, if that's your thing. But it's still ergonomically designed so that it feels great in your hand. My one complaint is that you have to hold the button as long as you want to keep it going. I wish there were a way to set it to stay on a particular speed setting.
Powerful and reliable - from a pro cook December 6, 2007
Kate Heyhoe (Wimberley, TX USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I've had only great experiences with the Viking Pro Han Blender. I use it several times a week. The dual speeds work fine, the motor is powerful enough to chop even very hard foods, and after many months, I've not had any problems. I've tried at least 5 other brands, and this one is a solid piece of equipment. Another reviewer had problems with his/her unit and customer service, but I've had only great performance from it (buy the optional chopping attachment to get the best use of it).
 Disappointing on every level. November 5, 2007
E-Shopper (Chicago, IL)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I recently purchased the Viking Hand Immersion Blender with Chopper Attachment to replace my existing Kitchen Aid Immersion Blender. It was perfectly fine, I just thought I would "upgrade". I was sorely disappointed when I took it for a test run. First of all, it only has two speeds (which I knew going into it), unfortunately only 1 speed worked! On top of that it was very difficult to remove the attachments from the "stick" . I promptly returned the obviously defective product and anxiously awaited it's replacement. Alas, more disappointment...brand new (not refurbished) unit had the exact same problem - only 1 speed worked! On top of that the company that services Viking's countertop products (which is independent of viking) was miserable at customer service and the folks at Viking didn't really seem to care either. After that I called it quits, got my money refunded and bought the chopper and whisk attachments for my existing Kitchen Aid Hand Immersion Blender and I couldn't be happier. My KA quite simply rocks!
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