Differences in
Vintage Sunbeam Mixmaster Beaters
I get a lot of questions and see a lot of Mixmaster beater auctions
on Ebay that suggest that this subject is pretty confusing, so I thought
it might be helpful to explain the main differences in Mixmaster beaters
used in the model 10, 11, and 12 vs those made for the later 1970's
models like the MMA, MMB, 1-7A, 1-8B, etc.
These two beaters styles are the same size, and both have the Nylon
drive button on the bottom of the rounded "bowl fit" (outboard) beater.
Because they look nearly identical it's often assumed they'll
interchange. And they'll fit both mixer model series, but...
In the photo below, note the location of the tiny retainer rings in
the grooves of the beater shafts. Those tiny spring steel rings
may not look important, but they're responsible for making sure the
beaters stay up in the spindles where they belong while mixing. They do
that by engaging corresponding grooves up inside the mixer spindles, and
their location is what's crucial. In order for the beaters to stay in
place, they must be in the right position to drop into the grooves or
the beaters will just fall out.
In the model 10, 11, and 12, these retainers are approx 5/32" above
the collar on each beater. Later 70's models' grooves are 5/16" above
the collars.
Just to confuse things, there were "universal" beaters made that have
both sets of rings as shown on the right in the photo, and can be
used with both mixer series. Those aren't too commonly seen these days,
though.

I hope that helps clear this subject up a bit.
Note: To get an idea what year your Mixmaster was
manufactured, visit
this page.
I hope that's of some help. As always, if you have
any questions about your Mixmaster, please feel free to
drop me an email any time.
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