There were no devices of the Austrian brand First Austria in our reviews before. We will start our acquaintance with the brand with a nice First Austria FA-5273-5 device. This is an immersion blender equipped with a turbo function, smooth speed control and three nozzles: for mixing, chopping and whipping various products.

Characteristics

Manufacturer	First Austria
Model	FA-5273-5
Type	immersion blender
Country of Origin	China
Warranty	1 year
Life time*	3 years
Max power	600 W
blender head material	metal (two-bladed knife)
bowl material	plastic
Housing material	plastic
Case color	black, silver
Control	mechanical (push-button, rotary)
Smooth gear shifting	there is
Number of speeds	2
nozzles	blender attachment, chopper, whisk
Splash-proof tumbler lid	No
Measuring cup volume	700 ml
Chopper bowl volume	450 ml
Motor protection against overheating and overload	there is
The weight	450 g (motor block)
Blender dimensions (W×H×D)	37×5.5×5.5 cm
Weight of packing	1.3 kg
Packing dimensions (W×H×D)	24×24×12.5 cm
Network cable length	92 cm
Retail offers

^* Contrary to common misconception, this is not the period after which the device will definitely break. However, after this period, the manufacturer ceases to bear any responsibility for its performance and has the right to refuse to repair it, even for a fee.

Equipment

The First Austria FA-5273-5 immersion blender arrived in a small rectangular box without a handle. On the front side of the package – images of all three nozzles of the device: blender, whisk and chopper. Nearby are bright icons indicating the presence of turbo mode, indicating the volume of the glass and bowl of the chopper, as well as the maximum power of the device. On the side faces – a description of the capabilities of the device and technical information in 12 languages, including Russian. A close inspection of the packaging is enough to get a complete picture of the blender.

Opening the box, inside we found:

• motor block
• attachment blender
• whisk attachment
• mixing glass
• two-blade chopper knife
• chopper bowl with lid
• user manual and warranty card

All components of the blender are packed in plastic bags and separated by thick cardboard inserts.

At first sight

Beautiful, strict body First Austria FA-5273-5 is made of black glossy plastic with metallic inserts.

The weighty motor block has a traditional cylindrical shape with a slight taper in the grip area, which makes it comfortable in the hand and does not slip. Large buttons with a ribbed surface fall right under the thumb. In the upper part of the motor block, under the adjustment ring with a pointer strip, there is a scale for switching speeds from 1 to 7, in the form of a series of increasing dots. The ring rotates smoothly, without clicks.

On the back of the motor unit there is a sticker with technical information and a place for attaching the power cord, protected by a casing about 2 cm long made of thick rubber. The attachment socket is made of plastic. To fix the nozzle, you need to combine it with the connector and turn it clockwise, focusing on the drawings of the open and closed lock on the nozzle itself and the mark on the motor block body.

The blender attachment is made of stainless steel. The diameter of the hemisphere in which the knife is hidden is 6 cm, the depth is about 2.5 cm. There are four oval cutouts and four “legs” protruding under them in the side walls. The knife block consists of two blades arranged horizontally.

The mixing glass with a capacity of 700 ml is made of plastic that is quite durable in appearance and touch. On the outer wall of the container there is a matte insert with designations of the volume of the loaded product in ml and ounces (fl.oz), in increments of 50 ml and 4 oz.

The stainless steel chopper blade looks standard. The blades are curved in an arc and have small round holes on the widest part.

The bowl of the grinder up to the Max mark holds 450 ml, the total volume of the bowl is 700. The knife is mounted on a metal shaft at the base of the bowl. The black plastic lid is firmly fixed due to the faceted shape of the top of the bowl and the lid itself. The plastic of the bowl, like the mixing glass, looks sturdy.

The whisk attachment is made of plastic with a removable metal part, which consists of six intersecting metal arcs, 4.5 cm in diameter at the widest part.

All parts of the blender are made of high quality materials. The nozzles connect to the motor unit easily, do not play and look neat.

Instruction

The First Austria FA-5273-5 Immersion Blender User Manual is presented in 12 languages in a small 26-page black and white brochure.

Information in Russian is printed at the very end of the document and takes up only three pages. After reviewing the concise text, we learned about the design of the device, the purpose of each of the nozzles, recommendations for the operation and care of the device. On the last page of the manual are schematic images of the device, all nozzles and parts.

Control

The operation of the First Austria FA-5273-5, like most other immersion blenders, is extremely simple. After connecting to the network, the device is turned on by pressing and holding the required button.

The upper one starts the device at a speed regulated by a rotary ring. The speed in the range from 1 to 7 can be changed directly during operation by scrolling the ring to the required mark. The course of the regulator is free, without stepping. Below is the turbo mode button, which turns on the device immediately at maximum power. In this case, speed control is not possible.

Exploitation

The instructions do not say anything about preparing the blender for the first run, so we did as usual – we washed all the nozzles and glasses, wiped the motor unit with a damp and then dry cloth.

First Austria FA-5273-5 nozzles have different maximum continuous operation time:

• blender – 30 seconds (break – 3 minutes)
• whisk – 60 seconds (break – 3 minutes)
• chopper – 15 seconds (break – 3 minutes).

When preparing cranberry mousse, we significantly exceeded the recommended whisk time several times without stopping (2-3 minutes of whipping per cycle), but the device continued to work quietly, only barely warming up in the handle area. In the test with chopping broccoli, the time was also exceeded (up to 25 seconds per cycle), but this did not turn out to be anything unpleasant for us.

The motor unit lies comfortably in the hand, its weight is practically not felt. The buttons are easy to press.

First Austria FA-5273-5 is a simple, clear device, interaction with which brings exceptional comfort and pleasure.

Care

There is no information in the instructions about whether the blender parts can be washed in the dishwasher. It is recommended to wash the nozzles under running water, avoiding water ingress into the gearboxes. The motor unit, chopper lid and whisk adapter may be wiped with a damp cloth.

Our measurements

During testing, we measured power consumption using a wattmeter. The maximum recorded power was:

• chopping tomatoes (blender) – 120 W
• chopping dill (chopper) – 15 W
• chopping onions and broccoli (chopper) – 19 and 44 W
• whipping cranberry mousse (whisk) – 34 W
• smoothies from bananas and kefir (blender) – 96 W

The noise level, according to subjective sensations, is average.

practice tests

To evaluate the performance of the First Austria FA-5273-5, we ran a series of tests:

• crushed tomatoes in a blender
• chopped dill with a chopper
• made broccoli patties with a chopper
• whipped cranberry mousse with a blender and whisk
• smoothies made from bananas and kefir in a blender

Chopped tomatoes

For the test, we took almost 400 g of cream tomatoes. They were cut into four parts and placed in a mixing glass, filling it in this way to the 600 ml mark.

It took 20 seconds to grind to a smooth texture at medium speed in normal mode and another minute in turbo mode. The tomatoes turned into a puree, but bits of skin and seeds remained.

We continued blending in Turbo mode for another 20 seconds. The puree became more airy, the pieces of the skin became smaller, but not completely crushed.

Another 20 seconds of running the blender in “Turbo” mode did not change the situation.

Result: good.

Dill

It took us 15 seconds to chop the dill at medium speed.

Result: excellent.

Broccoli cutlets

Ingredients: broccoli – 400 g, one onion, two eggs, salt and black pepper – to taste

We sorted out the broccoli inflorescences, washed them under running water and cut them into small pieces. Then it was placed in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, after which it was thrown into a colander and temporarily set aside.

The onions were peeled, cut into four pieces and turned into porridge with the help of a chopper attachment in the “Turbo” mode in 15 seconds.

After the onion, we returned to the broccoli. The chopping glass is not as big as we would like, so we chopped the vegetables in two batches of 200 g each. The bowl was filled above the Max mark, but this did not stop the device from chopping the contents in just 25 seconds. For the first 10 seconds, the chopper worked at medium speed, then we increased it to maximum.

Broccoli, onion and two raw eggs were mixed in a separate bowl. Salt and ground black pepper were added to the resulting mass and again everything was thoroughly mixed. We formed small cutlets, put them on a baking sheet and put them in an oven preheated to 200 ° C for 30 minutes.

Result: excellent.

Cranberry mousse

Ingredients: cranberries – 500 g, semolina – 7 tbsp. l. , sugar – 350 g, drinking water – 1.3 l

We mashed cranberries thawed at room temperature with a blender almost to the state of porridge. The berries were divided into two halves. 250 g were processed in 20 seconds at medium speed.

The crushed berries were transferred to a saucepan and brought to a boil, cooked over moderate heat for 5 minutes. The resulting broth was passed through a sieve and the cranberry puree was returned to the pan again. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and add sugar. Stirring continuously, semolina was introduced in a thin stream. Without ceasing to interfere, the mass was cooked for about 5 minutes. The resulting “jelly” was cooled and started beating.

For the first 40 seconds, the whisk worked at medium speed, but it became clear that the power needed to be increased. We switched the device to the “Turbo” mode and continued to beat. In total, whipping almost 2 liters of cranberry mass took 15 minutes of pure work time. Since the whisk is not designed for long work without a break, we made 5 stops for 2-3 minutes, while, in fact, still exceeding the maximum time of operation of the device in one cycle. During this time, the device did not turn off and only slightly warmed up in the area of the handle.

During whipping, the cranberry mass, as expected, doubled in size, turned a little white and acquired the necessary airiness. Favorite dessert from childhood – a success!

We reduce the rating only for forced rest stops.

Result: good.

Smoothies from bananas and kefir

A couple of bananas were cut into pieces of a suitable size, placed in a glass for grinding and poured with kefir. The blender worked for 10 seconds at medium speed and 20 at maximum.

30 seconds – and we have a thick, homogeneous smoothie.

Result: excellent.

findings

In all tests, the First Austria FA-5273-5 performed very well. It is not designed for long-term work without interruptions, and this is an absolute minus, but as practice has shown, this can only be felt when working with a whisk. The blender and chopper quickly enough cope with the processing of products and the need simply does not arise to exceed the allowed operating time (and slightly, as our practice has shown, it is possible).

In the test with cranberry mousse, the task for the whisk, admittedly, was not the easiest: turning almost two liters of thick berry mass into an airy dessert is almost always not quick. Although with the need for stops, the device coped with its task well. Let’s not forget that we still have an immersion blender from the budget category.

Based on the results of operation, First Austria FA-5273-5 was noted by us as a convenient, simple and very useful device for standard tasks with small volumes of products.

Pros:

• Beautiful design
• build quality and materials
• smooth speed control in the range from 1 to 7

Minuses:

• The device is not designed for long-term continuous operation.