When shopping for food processors, I had trouble finding much information on
the Magimix fps for sale in the US. There are currently 5 models available
from 3 retailers. I purchased the Magimix 5150 ($500), with a 16 cup main
bowl, from Chef's. It seems to be a mix of the 5100 and 5200 models, with
the base of the 5100 and the bowls and blades of the 5200. Chef's also
carries a smaller version, the 3150 ($350), with a 12 cup main bowl.
Williams Sonoma has the 4200XL wide-feed ($350, $400/chrome), the 12 cup
model of Magimix's current European line (3200, 4200, 5200). And Napa Style
carries two versions of the 16 cup 5100 (with Michael Chiarella's name on
them), one with juicer and juice extractor ($495) and one without ($398). I
got what Chef's calls the chrome finish, though the brushed steel
description on the Magimix website is more appropriate.

The Magimix arrived with damage. There was a break or tear in the plastic on
the top of the main power unit, as well as some small cracks in the top
surface. There was nothing about the box that would indicate that kind of
damage, so I guess it was packed up that way. The replacement unit had a
broken storage box. Fortunately, they are going to replace just the box, I
don't have to send the whole thing back again. Still, either Magimix or
Chef's needs to work on quality control!

Chef's website is unclear about which discs are included with the 5150. It
came with a reversible 2mm slicer/shredder, a small julienne disc, and the
parmesan/chocolate grater. They included a bonus disc (packaged separately),
a 4mm slicer/shredder. As well, it came with a dough blade, a citrus juicer,
a juice extractor, an egg/cream whisk, and the standard blades for both the
large and small bowls. The blades are not marked Sabatier, though Chef's
says they are. There are three bowls, the big 16 cup main bowl, a 9 cup midi
bowl, and a small chopper bowl. You have to have the main bowl in place to
use either of the smaller bowls. You can use the small chopper bowl with or
without the midi bowl in place. The large blade only fits the main bowl, not
the midi. The midi is only for using the discs. You can also use the discs
with the main bowl, but you are more likely to get irregular chunks because
the bowl is bigger than the discs and bigger pieces can fall over the sides
rather than going through the disc.

The bowls do not leak from one to another when using dry ingredients. I did
have a bit of liquid leak from the small bowl to the midi. I've had no
leakage problems with the main bowl. The bowls are a colorless lexan, and
seem very heavy duty. The handle has openings in the hollow plastic along
the bowl. This allows liquid to get inside the handle, and there's not way
to open it up and clean it. Personally I would have designed the fp without
the midi bowl. A few modifications to the lid and the discs would work just
as well with the large bowl. But it's a minor complaint and I might learn to
like having the extra bowl. Otherwise I like the bowl design, they wash
easily and seem really heavy duty.

I've used both the citrus juicer and the juice extractor, and they seem to
work well. Just to check, I put the pulp from the Magimix into a ricer and
gave it a hard squeeze, and I couldn't get any more juice out. But, the
extractor is difficult to clean. I doubt that I will use it on a routine
basis for that reason. I do see a lot of use for it processing vegetables
from my garden. I will being doing a lot more juicing at one time, better
justifying the cleanup. The citrus juicer works well, leaving just the
juicer and the bowl for cleanup. I'll probably use it if juicing more than
one lemon or other citrus at a time. Both attachments seem very heavy duty.

The egg/cream whipper work well. They warn you to leave the pusher out of
the feed tube when you use it, so that air can be sucked in. I haven't done
a side-by-side comparison, but I think I probably get lighter cream and
eggwhites with a mixer, but there's not a significant difference. Which I
use would probably depend on whether I was already using the Magimix. The
5150 comes with a whipper that fits only with the large bowl. The 5100
appears to have the whipper that fits into the midi bowl.

I've only used the dough blade a few times for pizza crust, but I was very
happy with the way the machine handled the dough. There wasn't any struggle,
the Magimix seemed to have plenty of power. I'll try it with some breads
eventually, after I've had a chance to research some new recipes. I'll try
and do some comparisons between the Magimix and my bread machine.

The small chopper blade works extremely well. Magimix boasts that it is so
precise, it will mince a single clove of garlic. It passed the test, mincing
the clove very evenly. My old chopper needed several cloves to mince evenly.
It is a little harder to clean than my old chopper, since I have to clean
the big lid and pusher, as well as the bowl and blade. This is the bowl I'll
probably be using on a daily basis.

The main blade in the main bowl is incredibly sharp. It chops evenly and
quickly. I've used it quite a bit making pastry and pie crusts--the primary
reason I decided to add a fp to my kitchen. It does a great job, my crusts
are noticeably improves, and it seems so much easier than doing it by hand.
The huge bowl lets me double and triple recipes. I could really feed a crowd
with this thing.

I've used all the discs several times now. The only other fps I've ever used
were low-end department store models, and the slicers and shredders have
never worked well. Vegetables just seem to fall right through the blades
with this one. It slices smoothly, precisely, with no tearing. I do wish
they had made it with a two part pusher, so that items such as a single
carrot would not fall over sideways at the end. I might have to design some
jig to narrow the feed tube when slicing single vegetables. I know, if you
just have one carrot, you're usually just going to use a knife. I have good
knives and good knife skills, and I don't anticipate using this for day to
day slicing. But, when prepping a lot of different vegetables and having
everything in use already, it would be nice be able to do single vegetables
more easily. Both hard and soft cheeses shred easily, and the parmesan
grater is really nice--not a fine shred but an actual grating blade. The
blades are so sharp that they are a little intimidating to clean. I bought a
tooth brush for this to keep my fingers at a distance.

The power base is big and heavy. I really like the chrome/brushed steel
finish. It's a lot more smudge-resistant that real stainless. I like the
switches a lot. They are flush with the surface for easy cleaning, but they
are real, solid mechanical switches. They have a nice feel. It has a very
heavy duty power cord and nice rubber foot pads. Magimix lists wattage for
some of their models, but I wasn't able to find the wattage of this
particular machine. I think it is likely to be 950 watts like the 5100,
rather than the 1100 watts of the 5200. The bottom of the machine says '10
amp maximum'. Ultimately, it has plenty of power. The Magimixes, oddly
enough, seem much more powerful than the commercial Robot Coupes.

Ultimately, I am very happy with the Magimix. The problems with the initial
unit put a bit of a damper on my excitement, but, now that I have a new
machine, I'm loving it again. It is a really nice piece of equipment. I
think it will be around my kitchen for a long time. It is really big--I
don't think I needed one quite this big. The 12 cup model would have suited
me just as well, but I was swayed by the extra attachments of this one. Time
will tell if I actually use them, but I think they may come in handy at
harvest time. That alone will justify the extra cost. If I could have
purchased a new Kitchenaid 670 (it came with all the same attachments as the
5100/5150/5200), made by Robot Coupe, rather than the new KA 12 cup model
made in China, I would have taken that option. As a serious foodie, just
knowing there's a Robot Coupe on my counter is worth the extra cost.