Magimix CS 4200 XL /18404 Cream > Reviews (5)

I'll put this simply. If you're looking for a new food processor, buy the Magimix 4200. And no, I don't work for them.
For various reasons I've been without any kind of food processor for a couple of years even though I cook everything from scratch. So I spent ages researching different models, wanting to get it right. Eventually I decided on the Magimix 4200 because there seemed to be a good ratio between cost and features and reports suggested good reliability.
So what do you get? There is 950 watt base unit with three bowls of varying sizes that can be stored on the unit. A variety of cutters and blenders come in a separate, compact container that can be stored alongside or in a cupboard.
There are only three functions on the base unit: On, Off and Pulse so it's simple to use.
The different sized bowls mean if you are processing smaller amounts, you use the smaller bowl and there is less wastage. On the other hand, there is an extra wide feed funnel for large items such as potatoes and whole fruit. And the largest bowl copes with processing something such as soup for a four person family quite happily.
The unit is very quiet - it's actually possible to talk to someone else in the kitchen while you're using it.
Blades included are: 2 x slicing discs; 2 x grating discs; a French fry disc; 2 x Sabatier blades; 1 x egg whisk and 1 x dough blade. The latter is interesting because I've only ever used dough hooks before and I find myself still doing most of the kneading by hand. But the blade certainly gets the dough together ready for kneading in less than a minute.
It comes with a simple instruction booklet.
So why might you decide not to buy this processor?
I would only advise this if you have space to leave the base unit on the kitchen work surface because it's quite heavy and bulky. And it has suction pads underneath that Spiderman would be proud of. Once it's in position, it's only moving with a fight. For me, that's an advantage because it means I use it almost without thinking but if you're short of surface space, I think it would be annoying (although excellent exercise) to be putting it away and taking it out every time you wanted to use it.
The container for the cutters is too small to take the largest blade and it can't stay in the bowl when all three bowls are stacked. It's a small but irritating point.
The blade seems to sit quite high in the bowl, meaning that, depending on what you're doing, a lot of food can be left unprocessed.
The simplicity of the base unit might be a drawback to someone used to manual speed selection.
It's not very forgiving. If you are tempted to overfill the bowl with liquid, it will get its own back by spurting the contents over a surprisingly large distance. That's not a criticism because I know it was my fault but other processors I've used have had a bit more tolerance.
I can't comment on how it will cope with bad treatment - unusually I haven't dropped or burned any part of it (yet!).
I've tried to be objective and look at some of the disadvantages but to be honest, I'm really happy with it