Primary uses: making milk shakes, turning cooked vegetables into mush to add back into soup for those who don't much care for vegetables

Under $40 would be nice.

TIA

For the veg, Philips Braun though expected life is said to be low. Have a number of them, last was obtained at a "freecycle" stand at a municipal dump. If you prefer to eliminate stringy texture, a food mill is much better but more clean up..

The immersion blenders do require a certain depth of fluid otherwise it'll spray everywhere. Not sure if it'd be good for milk shakes (never tried).

was having this conversation just yesterday. No recommendation but do not buy the Cuisinart Smart Stick. I hate mine...really hard to hold the button down while using it.

I like my Mueller ultra-stick. I have no idea how it's rated against others. Got it several years ago, and it works well, very sturdy. I mainly use it for soups and sauces. Probably would use the regular blender for a milk shake. Looks like it's about $35 on Amazon.

Most <$40 immersion blenders that I've tried have lasted less than a year. I moved on to Kitchenaid immersion blenders and have been very happy, though they've discontinued the model that I like. (My first last 5+ years, and my second is probably approaching its 5th birthday.) I suspect our next one will be a Vitamix immersion blender, which has gotten enthusiastic early reviews (but is nearly 4x your preferred price point).

I suspect it'll be a case of "you get what you pay for" and that $40 is on the cheap side.

I have had a Cuisinart for years that works well, but I don't use it for much besides the occasional protein shake. The mini food processor attachment also comes in handy sometimes.

The is under $40 and got great reviews. My daughter has one and so does a fellow moderator. Both are very happy with it.

Our Philips lasted for years .
Been unable to find similar from them for awhile now . Bought a Kitchenaid recently which is heavier & larger though still hand held . Prefer our old faithful , hope that they are not discontinued .
Will buy a few when they are back in stock , was not pricey back then , IIRC . Makes good gift too .

Anyone reading this knows where / which stores one can be found ?
Perhaps available in other countries like Australia ?

Waiting patiently to fly across the oceans ..

Amazon basics with attachments and steel blender arm

I am surprised that M�ller can make it in Austria at that price point.

And correction to my post above, I have Braun and not Philips sticks. Only used every 2-3 months at most (tend to use the manual food mill). The Brauns do not whip cream, at all.

I've got thias Breville

https://www.breville.com/au/en/produ...rs/bsb530.html

It's a bit more than an immersion blender but it does everything I need and means no need for a seperate food processor.

I don't think any blender will whip cream. It has to have air beaten into it. If your immersion has a whisk type attachment it should work.

That's right. The Mueller I have, and others have mentioned, comes with the whisk attachment included.

I have a President's Choice (Loblaw's private label) immersion blender that I got for about CAN $10 from Loblaws supermarket in Toronto. I'm not sure if they make it anymore but my first one that I got about 15 years ago is still working well. Then I got a second one for my travel trailer about 10 years ago at that same price. The body is white plastic. There are no accessories, speed controls nor attachments. I use it daily for yoghurt drinks, making hummus and to make pureed veggies for mash and for soup.

This appears to be their current version in Stainless and features 2 speeds. I have not tried this one as my 2 are still working well for what I need them for. There is a version of the same one with attachments and accessories.

Many thanks to all of you!!