Youre going to have to wait another year and a half for a reply
I will write down some thoughts. I hesitate to let this be viewed as anything other than impressions. I have not used enough immersion blenders to really call this a "review".
My reason for seeking out a robust stick blender was that my previous two had broken quickly. The first was a cheap no name brand - I did not have any high expectations, so perhaps that data point should be removed. The second was a Breville:
Our most recent one that died was a basic two speed Breville. The motor was actually fine! It was the little plastic coupling that attaches the motor to the drive spindle of the blending arm. It cracked open, preventing it from transferring torque - just a nasty buzzing sound instead. I tried a hack fix but it didnt last long.
The electrics were fine! I suppose if I had been a better recycler, I may have found the correct replacement parts online. Anyway... off the back of this thread, I decided to get the Waring Light Duty Quik Stix. A local store had a promotion running that knocked $20 off the price. My reasons for looking at light duty commercial options were that I wanted a single purpose device that was durable. The Waring does appear to serve this role.
What you get in the box
If you want no frills, the Waring is about as simple as it gets! This could be a positive or a negative. The unit does not disassemble and allow different heads/bells to be mounted. There are no fancy attachments in the box. All you get is the blender....
Aesthetics
When we aren't using our immersion blender we store it in the back of a cupboard. To this end... I dont really care what it looks like. I would not call it outright ugly... but it is not winning any beauty contests either... or coming third place for that matter. In many ways it is quite neural looking. The black plastic, aluminium and polished steel create a fairly minimal looking tool. Each to their own...
Build quality
What I will say, is that they have not poured their budget into finish quality.
The plastic housing round the drive motor feels cheap. There is a big seam where the two halves join but it is rigid enough. With reasonable force, I cannot cause it to creek or flex. It is not indestructible either. The unit is top heavy (more on that later). It was standing upright in our drying rack and was predictably knocked over. It landed on one of the ribs in the steel rack and developed a small crack in the plastic where it meets the (cast?) aluminium cone that feeds into the stainless steel drive unit.
The switch mechanism activating the high and low settings produces a nice reassuring click. It gives the impression of being a quality component. However, I would say the rocker switch itself feels a little chintzy and plasticy. That said; I have had no problems with it.
The fact that it is an integrated unit makes things simple. There are no detachable parts (apart from the replaceable blade). For this reason, I expect the drive train to last a long while. This was the main reason our previous Breville failed - the star coupling that drove the shaft in the detachable head split in two. I cant imagine something similar happening inside the Waring. Because it is a single unit, the bell and neck is very, very solidly attached. There is absolutely zero wiggle or play. I can't imagine it ever coming loose.
Design
There is not much to this unit.
It is chorded to mains power. I like that. I was looking for that. It means you get endless power and dont have to worry about a battery dying on you in 3-5 years. For some, this might be a disadvantage. I measure the chord to be a little less than two metres long - more than enough for the two kitchens I have used it in. It comes with a handy, plastic cable tie installed on the chord. If you have the patience, you can tidy up the chord for storage.
The depression wrapping around the blender at the switch is useful. It is deep enough that I can touch my thumb and index finger while holding the Waring. It is not particularly ergonomic but it is not uncomfortable either. It gives you a secure grasp of the device.
The rocker switch provides you with two power levels. A fidgeter and fusser might want more control over their speed but I have never felt the need to have more fine grained control. You have to hold the button down to activate the blender - it is a dead man's switch. There is no way to lock the button down into unsupervised activity. I have not found this to be an issue either. Although it might be annoying.... it is safer.
In my experience the shaft length is long enough for home stock pots. I have made 6-8L of soup at a time. For larger volumes and stockpots, you might start not be able to reach the bottom of the pot.
The biggest downside to it being an integrated unit is that it makes it more difficult to clean. You have to be careful not to get water into the drive housing. It is also a little unwieldy... You are trying to clean a small surface with 800g on the other side of a 20cm lever arm. But honestly, this is a small niggle. To clean it I
unplug** the device and wipe the blade and bell with a sponge (**careful of your fingers). After that I plug it in and run it in a jug of detergent water. Unplug; rinse the bell under the tap... wipe dry. The key is to wash it as soon as possible. Dont let anything dry or get sticky on the bell. The seal at the drive shaft is very tight. I do not get the impression any liquid is finding its way into the drive system.
One last thing.... the blender does emit a
slight 'electric motor' smell. It does not smell like imminent failure (melting plastic or rubber). It might be something like oil burning off the motor coils or perhaps ozone from the brushes...
Performance
I would love to compare it to other well known brands like Bamix, Kitchenaid, Braun... or Cuisinart... but I can't! I have not had the chance to use these brands. It is the most powerful immersion blender I have used. In a narrow enough volume - like a jug or measuring cup, it produces an impressive amount of suction. It has not complained about any of the tasks I have thrown at it. We have used it to blend soup (e.g. pumpkin/squash), make some dips (e.g. hommus) and mix up salad dressing. We havent tried to crush ice or make sticky viscous things - nor are we likely to. We have also never had the need to run it more than 5-10 minutes at a time.
The whole reason I purchased the unit was out of hope that Waring's reputation as a commercial kitchen supplier would translate into a domestic unit. Again... time will tell. I have owned it for about a year and a half. It is not showing any early Waring (
) signs of failure.
Verdict
I am happy with it. It does the jobs I ask it to. It is simple. While it is not a cheap product... it is not priced at super premium levels either. It is a bit of an ugly duckling and has a strange mixture between feeling solid and cheap. I would be very happy if (and am hoping) the majority of the budget has gone into durable internals and not aesthetics or marketing. Time will tell... I have not owned it long enough...
I would cautiously recommend it if you are after a simple, no-frills immersion blender. My only hesitation comes from the slight impression that they have cut corners on some parts. Again; if it is in the right places, that is a win for the consumer. If it is an indication that 1 out of every 10 units might be problematic.... I am less keen! But so far *I* am satisfied!