FOX Paddle Mixer – Mixing Made


There is a very urgent cementing job that I need to do before the wet weather returns, which will hopefully prevent my workshop floor from being an inch deep in water the next time it rains very hard. Hence, I was keen to try out the FOX 1300W


paddle mixer. My own one, that I had lent to someone a while back, appeared to have been burnt out. Something, the person I lent it to, had failed to mention when it was returned. This experience tends to highlight the problem


with paddle mixers – they are very useful tools and many plasterers and builders own them. With a big gorilla tub and a paddle mixer, lots of general siteworkers can save the expense and bulk of a cement mixer – and they fit nicely into the back of a van too. They are a perfect solution in most ways. But, in my experience, paddle mixers are often


abused. I have seen builders mix up whole gorilla tubs of mortar with a paddle mixer, without thinking twice about the strain being put on the motor in the stiff, sandy mixture. So it was against this background that I had a


close look at the FOX 1300W mixer. It follows a similar pattern in layout to many other paddle mixers, with a central motor and gearbox attached to two loop handles which are set wide enough to control the torque that is inevitably generated when mixing. The FOX machine seems to me to be very


neatly and carefully assembled with no rough edges and a good finish. The motor housing above the loop handles is sort of squarish and quite small, and it doesn’t get in the way of the user when mixing. Beneath the loop handles the crackle-coated alloy motor and gearbox housing is made of a strong alloy casting that is also quite slimline. On the right side of the gearbox housing is a big


black slider switch to select either of the two gears. This switch is easily movable (even with a gloved hand) and is contained within a couple of raised alloy edges that provide robust protection for it. The geared speeds available are 180-460rpm and 300-700rpm and are well suited to the mixing jobs for which the tool is intended. The textured plastic loop handles are large and


well-spaced. At the extremities of the handles are two rubberized patches of overmould that provide maximum grip at the key points. On the left hand grip is a small wheel switch that controls the variable speed of


the mixer and this can be used easily, even when the machine is in use. So, from a soft start, as the mix progresses and becomes more “plastic”, the speed of the mixer can be increased for greater efficiency. The right hand handle has a trigger and lock-on switch. These switches are


again easy to use, large enough for a gloved hand and are well out of the way of splatter. The paddle provided with the mixer is 140mm in diameter and the mixer paddles extend about 180mm up the shaft, thus providing a decent working depth


of mortar or plaster, without overstraining the motor. It takes a matter of minutes to attach the paddle onto the thread on the base of


the motor in the usual way. Two spanners are provided so that the locknuts can be tightened against each other in order to prevent the paddle from loosening during operation. Interestingly, the whole machine can be stood on the paddle in the mix and it balances quite well, which could be a useful feature if you don’t want to spread plaster etc all over the floor of the working area by leaning it over. It will also do so if you have the foresight to have a piece of scrap MDF or OSB nearby to stand it on when the mortar mix is done. A two metre length of cord with a robust plastic plug is supplied as standard,


but potential purchasers should know that the mixer is also available in 110V for those worksites where 110V is compulsory.


6 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE


www.toolbusiness.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32