PreethiEco Twin Jar Mixer Grinder, 550-Watt

Good quality and great durability ,moderate power consumption

I’m writing this review after a month of use, especially for Indian cooking.Warning: It’s a long review.I researched a lot before buying a mixer grinder and I concluded that Vitamix would be a good fit but I decided to not buy it just because it didn’t seem reasonable to splurge that much on a mixer.So I decided to go ahead with the next reasonable choice (based on thousands of reviews and videos) : Ninja. I was pretty excited for it and had soaked some urad dal in anticipation too. Believe me when I say that it did not go well.I ended up returning it after using it once.Reasons to return it: Plastic body (felt too weak and scratch prone)Height of the pot: it was too high and kept touching the cabinets above my platform while taking it out of the base.Poor performance: after spending over an hour grinding one cup of soaked dal, the result was disappointing.I finally went ahead and bought my third option of the lot: Preethi Eco twin jar. In my opinion the two jar option is quite self-sufficient and I didn’t have enough space to keep a third one :p.Reasons to buy Preethi eco twin jar mixer and grinder:Metal body: feels sturdy and is low maintenance compared to a plastic bodySharp blades: I have tried grinding almost everything in this (coconut, dals, frozen berries etc) and the end results were always ‘fine’.The extra lids provided are pretty useful when you want to convert the big jar into a medium. Instead of the original dome shaped lid, the spare lid goes into the body of the jar transforming it into a medium sized one.I had read a few reviews that it makes a lot of noise but which mixer doesn’t (I found the other brands louder than this one).Overall performance has been beyond my expectations.The only extra step I would suggest to prolong its life is to take the blade off after every use while cleaning it. The overall body is smooth and easy to clean without too many crevices or ridges.Would definitely recommend it!

**New Review After three years of ownership:I had a terrible first impression of this machine and my first one died very quickly. It did the job so well that I ended up buying a second one and three years later the machine is doing very well and I am still very pleased. I used it several times a week and I have found endless uses for it. It is highly imperfect but it is still the best I have used and I have bought a dozen different processors/juicers/grinders and blenders.First the bad so that you are warned:-It is very loud. So I used to warn my toddler and I still warn everyone when I start that it is going to be loud. If not you can really scare the little ones and startle the older ones.-The parts that hook the top to the bottom "coupler" are very fragile. You have to make sure fit the top to the bottom correctly, and if you hear the motor struggling you should stop. After my first machine died this way, I had to buy twice in three years the replacement parts to replace the dead parts. I think also that the reason they make it cheap plastic is that they break rather than the motor dying. So it is like a cheap protection for the motor. You can find a couple of videos on Youtube that show you how to change them.-You cannot overfill the jars, or use something very liquid in the small jar. If you do the water sloshes out of the jar even if you try and press on it. The jar does nor seal fully. So do not use something very liquid in the small jar and do not fill it over 2/3 of the jar and better yet keep it at less than 1/2 full.-The rubber that seals the lid is a pain to take out. And you will have to take it out as the food gets under it. Use a knife with a sharp tip to do so.-The handle screws catch the food and get loose. So I use a fine knife blade to clear the food out and then tighten back. It is very awkward to do and will be to be done periodically to keep the handle from rattling and the food from coming out of the screw hole.-The small jar is small and cannot be filled as I said. So I break a big batch into several loads.-The big jar is relatively useless. Although recently I figured a use for it: Brazilian cheese bread dough. The dough is liquid enough that it works and actually works well.So why would anyone in their sane minds keep the machines? Well here are the good stuff:IT GRINDS ANYTHING and VERY WELL and better than machines priced 6 times more - even after buying two replacement couplers:I have made flour (from wheat, millet, buckwheat, ..) and when I sift it there is hardly any big bits and it become very fine.I have made dough/patties from soaked grains-the Indian way (soaked buckwheat, lentils, beans, rice..). You name it. Just soak your favorite grain. Here is one recipe: Strain liquid and grind into a fine or coarse paste/however you like it. Add enough liquid to give it the consistency you like and then leave in a warm place. Your dough will rise and you have a nice tortilla or bread dough.I have made fresh nut butter: peanuts, walnuts, sesame, sunflower seed). You might need to add a drop of oil at the beginning to help it.I made all kind of raw goodies (coconut chocolate balls - ground my own cocoa beans, dates balls, ..). Except for the really dry fruit like dates that will need to be soaked, you will get an amazing paste. It will even grind the very dates but it will sound like explosions rippling through the house and you will need to put all your weight on the lid to keep it from flying off.The hubby used it to make burgers and as long as he kept the quantity small, it ground meat cubes, onions and herbs into patties.It grind 3/4 ice with fruit into a smoothie- but I rarely use it that way.I remembered to update this review since I just bought extra attachments to it (a bigger small jar, a chutney jar and a juice extractor). Once I use them I will try and update with that information.** Old reviewI had this mixer for 6 months and have loved it. It does what few others can do: efficiently grind spices, nuts - with a little liquid added; soaked grains. The blade sits very low so really gets at very little things. I even made tahini using sesame seeds!Beautiful! Yes?Well it is beautiful until you realize that the "grinder mixer motor coupler" or basically the part that helps the mixer latch to the motor is not just made of plastic but the worse quality. Probably the company did not spend more than 10 cents on the part! This part wears out with use and will likely wear out faster if you make a mistake and overload the machine.Of course you can replace it. In fact when I went to Ghandi Appliances - which sells part- the first image that popped was the "PREETHI MIXER GRINDER MOTOR COUPLER " at $8.99 and free shipping. So clearly it is a common problem. Several reviewers also complained directly or indirectly about the issue (basically if the motor is running and the blade is not turning - you likely have the same problem).Another flaw in design is the handles. They are attached with SCREWS! Well these often loosen up due to the shaking and then they are really hard to tighten.And of course if you are reading the reviews you know it is very loud but since all appliances are imperfect it was a flaw I could live with. I am just too busy however to deal with an appliance that is going to break down periodically.Sadly, considering a previous blender used to electrocute me, and another used to constantly leak because the base was impossible to tighten.. it is still better than most out there if you are willing to deal with replacing that 9 dollar part periodically. If you use the machine relatively little you may be fine.