A quick look at the table top wet grinder from Santha – “Maestro”.

Image Courtesy : santhagrinders.com

Product Brief

It is a sleek, sturdy and compact contemporary grinder. 

• Far-ranging wet and dry grinding applications
• Efficient, elegant and easy-to-use
• Overheating avoided due to the high motor rating
• See-through lid
• Components made from Black Granite

Technical Specification

Model : Table Top
Capacity :  1.5 Liter (2 Ltr Optional)
Voltage : 220 V (110 V Optional)
Motor : 1/6 hp
Weight :  14 Kgs (approx)
RPM :  960
Guarantee : One Year

Accessories

a) Juicer : Helps make a variety of thirst quenchers, suited to add more energy, health and zest.

Image Courtesy : santhagrinders.com

b) Grater : Suited for making rich kurmas, tasty sweets, chutneys, puttu, poriyal and extraction of coconut milk. 

Image Courtesy : santhagrinders.com

About Santha

Where to buy?

Image courtesy : preethi.biz

The model shown above is Preethi CHEFPRO Plus.

Key features: 

• Unique Grind n’ Store
• 110 & 220 Volts Models

The specifications of the product are given below:

Voltage:  230V AC 50 Hz
Power Consumption:  750 Watts
Insulation:  Class F
Protection:  Class I
Rating:  30 Minutes

Motor:  Universal 750 Watts High Power Motor. No load speed 20,000 RPM (approx)
With load speed 11,500 RPM (approx) 

Material of Body: A.B.S.
Material of Jar:  Stainless Steel ASI 304 Grade
Material of Dome:  Polycarbonate Food Grade
Blade Assemblies:  Stainless Steel, Machine Ground and Polished.
Speed Controls:  360° Rotary Switch with 3 Speeds and Incher Switch.
Flex Cord:  PVC approx.1.6 metres long with 6Amps3-pin Plug.
Gross Weight: 6.0 kgs (approx.)
Size of Carton:  40cm(L)x24cm(W)x37cm(H)
Guarantee: 2 Years
Jar Capacity : (click on the image below)

[source : http://www.preethi.biz/mixies.htm#]

Wet Grinders are an indispensable part of south Indian kitchens. To make delicious “dosas”, or steaming hot “idlies”, the primary requirement is the batter. Wet Grinders are labelled so as they grind water, dal and rice and produce the batter used for preparing south Indian delicacies.

Few decades ago, electric grinders were still unheard of. People used stone grinders where manual work was involved to prepare the batter. A sample pic is shown below. Click on the image to enlarge.

Image Courtesy: songbirdgardens.co.nz

But times have now changed. People realized that simple mixer grinders were not powerful enough to handle rice, dal combination. Companies saw an opportunity here and the modern wet grinder was born. Every year new innovations and patents are happening in this field. The product that is being reviewed here is “Ultra Grinder” from ELGI industries. The picture is shown below. Please click on it to enlarge.

Image Courtesy: elgiultra.com

Features

• 2 litre model available in 220V and 110V
• Sturdy and durable motor from General Electric
• Designed for efficiency and exemplary performance
• Patented Conical grinding stones – which results in better batter and less wear and tear of the stone
• Table top convenience
• Made of food grade plastic, SS304 stainless steel drum and rust proof materials
• Noiseless and vibration free operation
• Optional attachments – Atta Kneader & Coconut Scraper
• New unique Easy-Cleaner for easy removal of batter
• Service at your doorstep in India
• Only Grinder with 5 year warranty in India

For more information please visit : http://www.elgiultra.com/homeapp/modelgrind.htm

Review

Reviewed by Ms. Prabha from Chennai.

I purchased this grinder in 2007 from S.S. Annamalai stores in Thiruvanmiyur Chennai. At the time of purchase I think we paid around 6900 rupees for this model. Today it may be cheaper than that amount.

Along with the grinder we also purchased a stand for the unit which cost us an additional 1500 550 rupees. The stand ensured that we do not have to place the grinder in difficult to reach places. The bonus of the stand was that it had wheels and makes it easy to push around the grinder.

The stand also gives a good grip to the grinder even while in operation. The unit’s grinding capabilities are good. Cleaning the grinder after usage is fairly easy. The plastics on the unit could have a better quality and finish to it.

One disadvantage that I notice while using the Grinder is that at the time of opening the lid, the purple plastic part falls off. The manufacturers could have implemented a mechanism to hold it in place.

The motor in the unit is silent and smooth in operation. It handles the load well without getting stuck like conventional wet/tilting grinders. The unit heats up a bit but then again this is common in many grinders.

We did not purchase any accessories like Atta dough maker or coconut scrapper simply because it wasn’t available at the time of purchase.

Overall maintenance is easy and the grinding stones can be removed for cleaning. The container where the dough/batter is ground also serves as the storage unit. After the grinding job is completed, the entire container can be kept in the refrigerator for storage.

Update : The stand is NOT manufactured by ELGI.

Price of a 2 litre model as on 20 Feb 2008 from SS Annamalai is rupees 5700 after discount.

Today we step into the kitchen to cover a user review from one of our readers – Ms. Prabha from Chennai. Thanks to her for her inputs which would help many homemakers possibly choose this product.  

Image Courtesy: panasonic.co.in

The features of the product are mentioned below: 

Super Mixer Grinder

• 3 Jars – Blender, Mill, Chutney Jar
• 550W long lasting motor
• Samurai Edge
• Original hardened Salem SS blades
• Magic Seal protection
• Ultimate Grinding efficiency
• Flow Breaker jars
• Circuit Breaker protection

Review :

” I purchased this product from S.S. Annamalai stores in Thiruvanmiyur Chennai approximately 5 years back. At that time it cost me around 3000 rupees but today it should cost between 4000 to 5000 rupees.

The unit is compact in construction and offers good overall performance. The motor is of real good quality and has not given us any problems whatsoever. The operating knobs/switches are still intact and have not come off or feel loosened up. The unit operates with optimum noise. The key to reducing sound is that we should grind the right stuff and not overload the mixer.

It has 3 jars and the unit can store/dock 2 at a time. This is convenient in my opinion. There are no blades to change and no accessories to loose. 3 jars offer different purposes and keep the task simple and practical. The lid closes properly and doesn’t allow spillage of the item which is being ground. Again overloading can result in overflow. The rubber gaskets are of good quality and I have not changed them even once since I bought it.

I use the grinder for various purpose about 5 times a week. A lot of my review would reflect this amount of usage. At the rear of the unit, there is a nice wire management system by which you can wrap the power chord when not in use.

The unit is kind of pearl or off-white and has not faded over the years. The placement on table is rigid and the foot of the unit is well designed to operate without much vibration. The jars are easy to wash and the unit is easy to maintain.

Blades are of good quality. I really cannot think of any disadvantage for this unit except maybe the price. Overall the unit offers excellent value for money.”

Today we got a query from Vinoth.

“I have planned to replace my existing mixer grinder with Preeti Blue leaf model – I could not find much comments about the model on the net

can anyone help me out in this matter”

We decided to dig deep for helping Vinoth out and realized first that Preethi does not have a very popular web site. After some detailed searches we landed on their url :

http://www.preethi.biz/index.htm (we feel it is odd for the company to have a .biz extension, which is perhaps the reason why they are not popular with search engines)

Strangely enough , the model which Vinoth mentioned was not listed on their homepage.

This is what we got from the internet.

New range of mixer-grinder launched

Courtesy: UNI

Preethi, the largest selling mixer-grinder brand in India, today launched its new range that would lead the company’s pan-India market expansion and was planning to enter into the wet grinder market in the next 12 months.

The first piece of the new product, ‘Preethi Blue Leaf’, was handed over to noted businessman and Vasanth and Company chain of stores owner H V Vasanth Kumar by Mr Vijay Srinivasan, Director, Marketing, Maya Appliances Private Limited, which owns the Preeti Brand.

Speaking at the launch function, Mr Vijay Srinivasan said the new mixer-grinder from its Manufacturing facility in Himachal Pradesh, was designed on a ‘leaf motif’, hitherto the convention ‘L’ shaped mixer-grinders.

The new range comes in two models — the Blue Leaf Platinum priced at Rs 3,970 and the Blue Leaf Gold at Rs 3691, and would hit the market during the Deepavali season.

The product occupies reduced table top footprint and the platinum range comes packaged with Preethi’s patented super extractor and “Grind” and “Store” attachments along with their silent 750 Watts motors, the first one to get the ISI approval in the category.

Replying to questions, the new product was expected to contribute 22 per cent in the first year in the overall sales volume, and the company has targeted to touch one million units by 2010.

The company has invested about Rs 10 crore at the Himachal Pradesh plant to support the company’s expansion in the northern region.

Unveiling the company’s plans to roll out wetgrinders and gas stoves, Mr Vijay said the table-top wet grinders would hit the market in the next 12 months.

”The design is out of the drawing table and a final decision is yet to be taken whether to manufacture it in Himachal Pradesh plant or in its two manufacturing facilities in Chennai”, he added.
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Vinoth, if you could tell us the following it would help us answer you better:

a) Which city are you from?

b) What is the current brand of mixer grinder that you own?

c) What prompted you to choose Preethi’s Blue lead model?

d) Are you already in touch with a dealer for price information? If so can you share it with us?

I request our fellow readers to help Vinoth if you own the same model or have seen it in action.