FRIGIDAIRE ESTM020 4.5L/4.75QT Retro Stand Mixer Review

FRIGIDAIRE ESTM020 is retro styled stand mixer with 300 watt motor and 4.5 liter (4.75-quart) mixing bowl. It’s budget priced stand mixer so how does it compare to more expensive models?

Performance

At this price point it’s all about realistic expectations. At the end of the day FRIGIDAIRE ESTM020 does the job but not as well as high-end models. So what are the main differences?

The motor is less powerful. It’s plenty powerful to tackle most of the stuff just fine however it sometimes will struggle a bit with thick and stiff doughs.

According to manual you can’t mix continuously as long as you like. Manual states that after mixing for 6 minutes you have to let the stand mixer to cool down for 10 minutes. You won’t be able to finish every mixing job in 6 minutes or less so losing 10 minutes for nothing is a nuisance.

Another flaw has to do with attachments. They don’t cover the whole bowl so some of the stuff on sides and bottom can remain unmixed so you might have to stop and scrape. This is a very common flaw with stand mixers but it’s more pronounced on cheaper models. What’s not common on high-end stand mixers is dough climbing up the hook which sometimes happens when using FRIGIDAIRE ESTM020.

Another difference compared to high-end models is the range of speeds. On high-end models slowest speed is slower than FRIGIDAIRE ESTM020’s slowest speed yet fastest speed is faster. Again, this is not a massive issue, but those small flaws add up making up for worse user experience.

There are some positive surprises though. FRIGIDAIRE ESTM020 is a planetary mixer meaning attachments move around the bowl which makes mixing more efficient as opposed to most similarly priced models which typically are stationary mixers with attachments spinning without moving around the mixing bowl.

As you can see FRIGIDAIRE ESTM020 doesn’t work nowhere near as well as higher-end stand mixers like KitchenAid KSM150PS Artisan do however the FRIGIDAIRE is very affordable and performance for the money is not bad.

Quality

The build quality obviously isn’t as good as you see on more expensive models but it’s not terrible. The housing is made of ABS plastic which is lighter and not as sturdy as diecast metal you often see on high-end models.

Lighter weight is advantage and disadvantage at the same time. On one hand it makes stand mixer easier to carry, on the other hand it will be less stable when mixing.

Attachments

FRIGIDAIRE ESTM020 comes with non-stick flat beater, dough hook and whisk. They are dishwasher safe as is the mixing bowl.

Features

FRIGIDAIRE ESTM020 stand mixer has features like lifting mechanism (however it would be nice if it would lift further) and anti-slip feet.

Verdict

Overall for the money FRIGIDAIRE ESTM020 is not a bad stand mixer. It’s far from perfect but that’s to be expected from a budget priced model. What’s the most important is that it works, not perfectly, but it does the job done. High-end stand mixers like KitchenAid KSM150PS Artisan are a lot better but they are also a lot more expensive.

FRIGIDAIRE ESTM020 4.5L/4.75QT Retro Stand Mixer Specifications:

• Voltage: 120V
• Frequency: 50/60HZ
• Power: 300W
• Speed settings: 8
• Dimensions (L x W x H): 14.4” x 9.3” x 11.7” / 365 mm x 234 mm x 297 mm