Cheftronic Stand Mixer SM-986 Review

In every chef and baker’s life, there are few things more vital in the kitchen than a good mixer. While some name brands are the go-to for shoppers, oftentimes they come with a hefty price tag to boot.

So, what are some other options for the at-home baker, which are still reliable? What is the best stand mixer for dough? What about mixing cookies? Whipped cream frostings? Mashed potatoes?

Well, there are a lot of options available, so let’s narrow it down. Our testers are looking at the Cheftronic SM-986 Stand Mixer.

Cheftronic is made by Dongguan Top Chef Technology Co., a leading manufacturer of kitchen appliances.

Established in 2002 in China, they strive to make high quality products delivered quickly to you, all while maintaining high customer service standards. They sell throughout Europe, North America and South America.

But does this edition stand up to the test of a hardy kitchen?

Here we break down all the details – good and bad – so you can make the best buying decision.

Cheftronic Stand Mixer SM-986: The Details

In a Nutshell

• Weight: 12 lbs, 14 lbs with accessories added
• Size: 14.5” x 9” x 13.75”
• Capacity: 5.5 quart
• Speeds: Six
• Bowl type: Stainless steel
• Motor: 650W/120V
• Warranty: Two years

Features

The Cheftronic SM-986 has a nice little bundle to get your kitchen started.

Durable and Powerful

Its stainless steel bowl is 5.5qts, big enough to hold 2kg of ingredients at a time. That’s enough to make nine dozen cookies in one batch!

Its powerful motor has six speeds which include a pulse function, giving you the versatility you need to beat, whip, blend, knead, or mix.

Adjustable, Steady, and Easy to Clean

The Cheftronic SM-986  has a tilt-head to make the process of adding ingredients easier, and the silicone suction cups on the bottom keep it secure to your counter even at its highest speeds.

A detachable transparent splash guard helps keep your counters clean while still allowing you to see the progress on your mix.

Multiple Accessories

It’s not shy in the accessory department, either; it comes with four different mixing attachments.

A wire whip, a dough hook, a flat beater, and a flex edge beater are all included, and the flex edge beater can double as a spatula to scrape the bowl when you’re finished.

The dough hook is definitely a personal favorite—after having to hand-knead bread doughs, it’s a joy to save your arms and let this powerful little mixer do all the hard work.

All of this comes with a two-year warranty and Cheftronic’s history of customer service.

A pretty package, but what did our testers think when they put it to use? Let’s take a look.

Cheftronic Stand Mixer SM-986 Review

The Positives

Safety

When it comes to kitchen appliances, one of the first concerns is always safety.

The Cheftronic covers that with a safety protection built in; if the motor overheats, the machine automatically shuts off. This means no blown circuits and no dead machine.

The silicone suction cups on the bottom also do a good job of holding the machine in place, even at its top speeds, so you won’t have to worry about the annoying destruction that comes with a mixer walking off the counter.

Easy to Use and Lightweight

The machine is intuitive and easy to use, and even better, it’s easy to maintain.

Beginner chefs and bakers won’t have to worry about a huge learning curve when it comes to starting on or switching to the Cheftronic Stand Mixer SM-986.

Although the exterior body is plastic, it weighs less than some stainless steel or ceramic bodies on other stand mixers.

This makes it easy to move around in small spaces or should you need a little more flexibility in your kitchen.

 

Functionality

Aside from aesthetics, it works well too. The attachments reach to the bottom of the bowl, so less scraping is necessary than other stand mixers. This way you’ll get all that delicious dough into your recipe, and you’ll save time on cleaning.

The motor is powerful, but runs quiet, so you can still carry on a conversation while it’s working, and you won’t wake up your household if you decide on a midnight baking binge.

The mixing bowl locks in, and the easy open feature allows you to tip open the top and add more ingredients without creating a big mess.

All these functions make it easier and much more efficient to try out new recipes in your kitchen.

Customer Service 

The mixer comes complete with a two-year warranty, and our testers that needed to contact customer service found their representatives to be efficient and polite.

The two-year warranty covers repairs and returns for the stand mixer while there is an additional 6 month warranty on the accessories included with the stand mixer.

We should mention the warranty doesn’t include shipping fees, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have to foot the bill for shipping your mixer back to China. There are repair locations in the US, Spain, the UK, and Germany.

Your warranty also includes a lifetime of live technical support should you discover any issues or concerns throughout and after your warranty.

The customer service department is quick and helpful and ready to answer any number of questions or concerns that may arise.

You’ll also have 30 days after your purchase to get a full refund or return with no questions asked.

Compact and Attractive

It also is compact, with a smaller footprint on the counter leaving you more space to prep and work.

The lighter weight and compact size makes it easy to tuck away in a cupboard or pantry if you’re not a frequent user, or to save on overall counter space.

That plastic body also comes in multiple colors, so you can be sure it’s an attractive addition to your kitchen as well as functional.

Those keen on coordinating colors and designs in their kitchen will have another piece to work in with this mixer.

The video below shows what the Cheftronic Stand Mixer SM-986 looks like out of the box.

Price

At a price point that’s much lower than some other well-known stand mixer brands, the Cheftronic certainly looks like a good deal.

For those on a budget, or those just looking to bake their first cake, you won’t need to dig too far into your savings to start.

Just because the price is affordable, doesn’t mean that you won’t get a solid product either. While it may have some flaws, this stand mixer performs with power and durability.

It’s also a powerful machine for the price, as it really stands up to heavy doughs, and performs continuously should you have to make up for time on those batches of Christmas cookies.

The Negatives

Arrived Dirty

Unfortunately, there were some downsides to this stand mixer.

Many of our testers found that when the machine arrived, everything had to be washed well before the first use, as the accessories arrived dirty from packing and shipping.

Not a huge quip, but expect to give your mixer and accessories a clean before using.

Poorly Written Instructions

It was a good thing that the machine was very intuitive to use, because the instructions were not well-written and did not cover everything about the product.

Some information on the instructions about registering the mixer were inaccurate also, but a quick call to customer service fixed the issue.

Functionality Issues

In terms of use, some testers found that the splash guard had too tight a fit and it was difficult to remove. The mixing bowl, too, was a very tight fit for some users.

Others did not like the fact that there was no handle on the bowl, making it a little more awkward to take out and use outside of the stand.

While the accessories did reach the bottom of the bowl, they did not always mix the content on the bottom as well as the rest of the bowl, so scraping was still necessary depending on what was being combined.

Options

The Cheftronic also does not have as much versatility as some other, more expensive stand mixers, as the attachments that come with it are more for mixing.

There aren’t options to add on things like a pasta maker or meat grinder, but it does cover all of your basic needs for a stand mixer, which is great if you’re not looking for an all-in-one machine.

Failure to Start

The biggest problem we found: some testers experienced the machine shutting itself off and refusing to turn back on.

Although a call to customer service had the company offering replacement options at no additional cost, having a machine suddenly quit on them left some of our testers wary about getting a replacement.

Even those that took a refund instead of a replacement, however, said that the customer service experience was pleasant.

This is a company based out of China, so before you reach out to customer service, make sure that they are open in local operating hours.

Overall Verdict

With its very competitive price point, the Cheftronic Stand Mixer SM-986 is definitely worth a try.

While it doesn’t have as many accessories and features as some more expensive mixers, it’s a solid little machine for the home baker.

With a small counter footprint, a quiet motor, and easy clean and care, it’s a great starter for those first learning to experiment, or even the casual but seasoned home baker.

Although some testers had issues with the machine, a two-year warranty and seasoned customer service representatives make it worth taking a shot on the Cheftronic SM-986.

After all, if you don’t love it, you can always return it and try another product. But, as with most of our testers, we think you’ll find it worth keeping around.

Where to Buy the Cheftronic Stand Mixer SM-986

Cheftronic has definitely been making bakers happy by offering an affordable solution to at home baking.

The Cheftronic Stand Mixer SM-986 is a popular choice, though it can be tricky to fish out in your local retail stores and online.

You can start by checking their website:

• Cheftronic (from $139)

And it’s also available for purchase on Amazon.

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That’s it for our review on the Cheftronic Stand Mixer SM-986, tempted to give it a spin?