Help with mixer/grinder!

[Bob_McBob]

Hi guys, I've been looking for somewhere where I might get more information on Indian "mixie" mixer/grinders. Hopefully there are a few people posting here who have used them

At the end of July, I ordered a Sumeet "Asia Kitchen Machine" from the North American distributor at sumeet.net. They are actually only about an hour from me here in Ontario, so I assumed things would go fairly smoothly. I was promised delivery in a few weeks, then at the beginning of September, end of September, and beginning of October. Now they are no longer replying to e-mail or answering their phone. I know they're still around since their phone message changes now and then, but it is often forwarded to a voice mail system that is regularly full (of complaints, no doubt). I have left a couple of messages and they never call me back. Anyhow, it is not looking promising. Unfortunately, the Asia Kitchen Machine seems to be out of stock pretty much everywhere in North America, and everywhere has been expecting stock "in a few weeks" for the past three months.

When I originally started looking for an Indian mixer/grinder, I decided the Sumeet was probably the best for my needs. I cook a lot of Indian food, and I need to be able to grind anything from a few teaspoons of dry spices to large quantities of wet nut pastes and things like that. I like how the Sumeet has the stirring lid on even the small spice grinder. However, if I can't buy it, then it's not much good to me. I looked at the "Sumeet mixie" post on here and found posts dating back a couple of years detailing how poor Sumeet's customer service is: waiting six months for replacement parts, poor warranty service, mixers breaking down after only a year, etc. I heard from someone's Indian wife that they apparently have a bad reputation in India now as they recently switched motor manufacturers to someone cheaper. Apparently it is hard to get them even in India. Given how poor Sumeet's *pre-sale* customer service is, I don't fancy my chances if anything went wrong with the mixer.

Anyhow, I just started going through the alternatives available in North America. I was told by the same person's wife that of all the brands available in North America (Sumeet, Premier, Preethi, Butterfly, Innomix, Relin, etc.), the only one with a good reputation in India is Rico. Unfortunately, they don't really have much of a presence in North America, with only a single place (in Texas) stocking them. That is a bit concerning as I don't know what I would do if anything went wrong. Their mixers do look good, though.

The other option I've been considering is the Relin "Megamix" model. Relin, like Sumeet, has made a serious effort to enter the North American market. They have obtained the correct Canadian safety approval, and their distributor is also only about an hour from me here in Ontario. They have been extremely good about replying to e-mails and answering their phone. They tell me they have their model in stock and available for immediate shipping, so I could have it by Tuesday if I ordered now. However, I can't find anything about their Megamix model, even on Usenet. They seem to be a fairly new company by Indian standards (early 80s), and I don't know if they have a decent reputation for quality.

So, based on everything I've written, what do you think I should do? The Rico model is actually $30 cheaper than the Relin, but I would have to either pay $40 to have it shipped here, or have it shipped to my dad when he is down in the States next week. Is it worth the extra hassle over the Relin model, especially considering Rico has no actual presence in North America and Relin has a distributor right by me? I suppose my main concern is the lack of any info on Relin other than their own advertising.

I hope someone here can help me out. If not, I would really appreciate if you could direct me to another newsgroup, forum, etc. The question is somewhat time-sensitive as the Relin model is apparently "on special" until the end of the weekend. Please check out the links below for more info.

Sumeet: http://sumeet.net/Models/ModelsNew.htm
Rico: http://appliances.safeshopper.com/150/1367.htm?710
Relin: http://www.relin.com/item1.htm

Thanks so much!