Customer Reviews

Red Lion RLX-3 3-1/2 Cubic Feet Multi-Purpose Mixer

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Red Lion did not return my email regarding a fix for the noise problem. The ultra high noise level on this chain drive and cast iron gear could literally revive the dead. Ear protection is required. The housing enclosing the chain and steel sprocket is made of thin sheet metal that flexes and vibrates quite a bit during operation causing the chain to disengage many times during the middle of a pouring. It would have been a disaster would it not for me to disassemble and reinstall the chain very quickly out of necessity.

The handle could be stronger. During one operation the handle flexed so much that the stop plate did not engage causing the concrete to dump to the ground instead of into the wheelbarrow. Loosing a load of concrete is no big deal but the thought of loosing control of this thing where the stop plat acts like a guillotine whereby the thought of loosing some fingers or a hand frightens me. Both hands on the handle no matter what.

This mixer needed to be raised about 4" off the ground so that it could clear the wheelbarrow for dumping.

It could do only about 1.5 cubic feet of concrete per dump. That limits me to a pour of about 60 sq. ft. by 3.5" thick pad - YMMV. A working capacity of 2 to 2.5 cubic feet per dump would be nicer.

Since I only have a station wagon for now, moving this mixer from job site to job site is not graceful without a truck or a van.

I've poured about 20 yards with this mixer so far but the noise and the gear jumping out of the sprocket have been a pain. If I had to do it all over again, I would look at the Minuteman Multimixer which has a larger capacity, stronger motor and could be taken apart in three pieces and be fitted into a car for about the same price.

In all fairness I did get my money's worth many times over with this mixer relative to the projects completed. When I have the time, I will change it to a belt drive and weld a reinforcing piece to the handle. Still waiting a reply from Red Lion - not holding my breath.

After mixing about one yard of cement, the drum stopped turning. There was a flaw in the yolk. The store I bought it from gave me a new one. Now after mixing about six more yards, the drum stopped again because of the yolk. I also think the handle should be stronger. There should be a switch to turn the mixer on and off, rather than unplugging the cord. The bolt that holds the drum to the yolk should have a roll pin to take the pressure off the threads. I had to do that after mixing about three yards.

The Mixer came poorly packed. The box that contained the motor was light-weight and packed with many parts with sharp edges. As a result, the power cord was cut and needed to be replaced. After about two hours of assembly I found that the drum would bind up as it would rotate. I contacted customer service at Red Lion and found that the cast iron part of the drum had a casting flaw and was out of round. They transfered me to a supervisors voice mail and I left a message. As of today I have not received a return call and I have a 200 pound piece of junk in the garage. If you want to avoid a hassel I suggest you choose a different brand.

MIXING BARREL WOULD NOT STAY UP AFTER 3 HOURS OF USE FROM THE FIRST TIME I BEGIN USE IT. THERE SHOULD BE A MANUFACTURER RECALL ON THIS PRODUCT. I HAVE TO USE C-CLAMP TO KEEP THE BARREL FROM TILTING OVER.

The directions were in several different languages, I would have prefered only one set in English. The number of nuts and bolts and parts initially overwhelmed me, but with a little patience and some simple tools it took me less than two hours to have the mixer up and running. I like its sturdy construction. I mixed about two cubic yards of concrete today, continuously running the mixer for four hours. It worked like a charm. It is convenient because you can set up next to your materials and fill, then dump the mixed product in your wheelbarrow on the opposite side. It should be about six inches taller, but you can compensate for its short height by setting it on blocks or bricks. It's convenient to have my own mixer for small jobs.

Good light job mixer - Walls/mortar/footers/etc. Have to put on 8" blocks to be able to dump into a wheelbarrow. Wouldn't recommend for a driveway size project. Patio might be pushing it. The handle has worked fine. The stop plate looks small, double check before loading, but works. I think it's designed for about 1/4 bag at a time (80# bag).

I just recently purchased the Red Lion mixer and I am very pleased. The instructions that it came with were staight forword and easy to follow. I put the mixer together in just under 3 hours (be sure to grease the areas recommended). I have used the mixer on several different occasions and from start to finish the job could not get any easier. Washing the mixer is really easy, just fill the mixer with water and let it run, the water will break down the cement to sand and you are done and clean!!! Really nice product.

I've owned this mixer now for probably ten years and have done a heck of alot of small time pours. It works fine, though noisy, and a little top heavy. I've never had the problem of the chain coming off the sprocket, as some folks have, nor have the drum stops ever come out of line. One of the stop bolts sheared once, but that was because my brother in law was laying a bag of concrete in the mouth of the drum and then opening it by stabbing it with a dull shovel. The drum holds 2 bags of 80lb. mix or 3 of 60lb. mix. The option of pouring from either side is handy, as I've had to build platforms up to 5 feet high to pour into tall forms. This is much easier than bucketing. The capacity limits the project to small footings, stairs, deck post supports, or fence posts. I wouldn't recommend trying to use it for slabs or driveways.

The mixer works great for bags of cement, but is a little out of the right angle to mix mortar. But then its probably for cement only anyway.

Purchased this mixer a year ago and found it was easy to assemble and did good job mixing concrete. Easy to clean and it more than paid for itself.