Black & Decker Helix Performance Premium Hand Mixer, 5-Speed Mixer

Why I reached for the Helix mixer

I wanted a compact, affordable hand mixer that could handle weeknight batters without covering my countertop in splatter, and that wouldn’t turn my wrist into mush after a few minutes. The Helix mixer from Black+Decker promised a few things I value in this category: a genuinely slow start, a simple turbo for brief bursts of power, and a storage solution that keeps the attachments from vanishing into a drawer. After several weeks of cakes, cookies, whipped cream, and—yes—mashed potatoes, here’s how it fared.

Design, build, and attachments

The standout feature is the pair of helix beaters. They’re reinforced nylon, not metal, with a spiral profile that increases surface area and overlap. In practice, that geometry engages more batter per rotation, which reduces the “dead zones” you sometimes get with traditional open-wire beaters. The set also includes two metal dough hooks and a metal wire whisk. All attachments are dishwasher-safe.

At the top of the handle, speed is controlled by a thumb slider with five steps. There’s a momentary turbo button just ahead of it. The heel and bowl rest is simple but genuinely useful; when you pause to scrape a bowl, the mixer perches securely without tipping forward or dragging a cord into batter. The auto-eject button has a decisive click and, on my main unit, released attachments cleanly every time.

A quick note on fit: the helix beaters require a firm push and proper orientation to latch. On a second loaner unit I tried, one socket didn’t positively catch a beater; it spun, but without the satisfying lock. Exchanging it solved the issue, but it’s worth making sure you feel that click.

Power, speed control, and noise

Power is rated at 250 watts, and the tuning favors control over brute force—which is exactly what you want in a hand mixer. The reduced starting speed is excellent. I could sink the beaters into a bowl of dry ingredients, pull the trigger on speed 1, and the mixture would “wet out” with minimal dust. The ramp from 1 through 3 is smooth; 4 and 5 add more aeration and speed rather than torque. The turbo button gives a brief bump that’s handy for finishing peaks or breaking up a stubborn pocket of butter.

Noise is moderate. At higher speeds, the gearbox note gets a little coarse—more mechanical whir than high-pitched whine—but it’s not shout-over-the-motor loud. After five minutes creaming butter and sugar on 4 with occasional turbo, the housing was warm to the touch, not hot, and there was no overheating odor.

Mixing performance

• Cake batters and quick breads: This is where the Helix mixer earns its keep. The spiral beaters pull ingredients together quickly, and because they sweep more of the bowl than straighter wires, I found myself scraping down the sides less often. For a standard 9x13 cake batter, speeds 2–3 did most of the work; a brief turbo at the end smoothed everything out without overmixing.

• Cookies: Creaming 1 cup each of butter and sugar for drop cookies took about 3–4 minutes to reach fluffy. On denser doughs (peanut butter, oatmeal), the nylon beaters flex slightly under load. That flex helps prevent stalling but also transmits a little vibration into the handle. It never felt out of control, but you are reminded this is a hand mixer, not a stand mixer.

• Whipped cream and egg whites: The wire whisk works well for small to medium volumes. I consistently hit soft peaks in 2–3 minutes and firm peaks in 4–5 at speed 5. For a single cup of cream, I preferred the whisk; for larger batches (2+ cups), the helix beaters incorporated air faster.

• Mashed potatoes and dense purees: This is a weak spot. The helix design excels at combining and aerating, but it doesn’t “cut” through dense, sticky mixtures as effectively as traditional metal beaters with tighter wire spacing. Using the helix beaters on boiled russets produced potatoes that were mixed and slightly aerated, yet still had small lumps even after extended time at higher speeds. The solution that worked for me was to mash first with a handheld masher or ricer, then use the mixer briefly on low to incorporate butter and cream. If your goal is perfectly smooth potatoes using only a hand mixer, this wouldn’t be my first pick.

• Bread and pizza doughs: The metal dough hooks are fine for light doughs and small batches. I mixed a single 10–12 inch pizza dough to a shaggy mass on 2–3, then finished kneading by hand. Pushing much beyond that felt like asking too much of the motor and my wrist. For regular bread work, a stand mixer is still the better tool.

Ergonomics and handling

The handle is neutral and comfortable with a slightly forward balance once the cord is routed away from the bowl. The reduced starting speed makes a bigger difference than spec sheets suggest; it’s low enough to fold in dry ingredients without flinging flour. The heel/bowl rest, while simple, keeps the beaters elevated so drips go back into the bowl. Vibration is minimal at speeds 1–3; it increases at 4–5 especially with stiffer mixtures, but never to the point of numb fingers.

The helix beaters are somewhat shorter than average. In deeper bowls, you’ll need to tilt the mixer to keep both beaters fully submerged, or switch to a shallower mixing bowl. That’s not unusual for compact hand mixers but is worth noting if you regularly mix large volumes.

Cleaning and storage

Attachments rinse clean easily and have held up fine in the dishwasher’s top rack. The mixer body wipes down without trapping batter in crevices. The snap-on storage case corrals all attachments plus the cord, and the mixer sits on top as the lid. It’s a clever space-saver, but the latch is not bombproof. If you grab the whole unit by the handle and swing it from a shelf, the case can pop open. I had better luck storing it horizontally and carrying it from the base.

Reliability and warranty

Over several weeks, my primary unit performed consistently. The beater sockets felt secure with a clear click on insertion and a clean eject. As mentioned, I did encounter a separate sample whose one socket didn’t latch positively. That seems like a quality-control blip rather than a design choice, but it underscores a simple tip: insert both beaters fully and give them a tug test before the first use. The 3-year limited warranty is generous for the price bracket.

What it’s best at, and where it falls short

Best at:
- Everyday batters, frostings, and quick breads
- Controlled low-speed starts that keep the kitchen clean
- Small to medium whipping tasks
- Compact storage with all attachments in one place

Falls short at:
- Smoothing dense, starchy mixtures like potatoes without a pre-mash
- Large-volume mixing in deep bowls due to beater length
- Heavy doughs that demand sustained torque

Who should buy it

If you’re outfitting a small kitchen, baking a few times a week, and want a mixer that’s easy to control and easy to store, the Helix mixer fits nicely. It’s particularly friendly for novice bakers because it won’t blast to full speed and paint your backsplash with batter. If your routine includes weekly bread or you insist on perfectly silky potatoes using only a mixer, you’ll want a different tool—either a more robust hand mixer with metal beaters and higher torque, or a stand mixer for dough.

Recommendation

I recommend the Helix mixer for light to medium kitchen work: cakes, brownies, cookies, whipped cream, and everyday mixing where splatter control and simplicity matter. The helix beaters shine at incorporating ingredients evenly with fewer bowl scrapings, and the slow start is genuinely useful. Be mindful of its limits—especially with dense mixtures and large volumes—and give the beater sockets a quick “click-and-tug” check out of the box. For the price and footprint, it’s a practical, well-thought-out companion for routine baking tasks, just not a heavy-duty or all-purpose masher.