Paddle Mixer/Hand Mix Mortar

[Dave1UK]

I own a Erbauer paddle mixer and have previously used it to mix loads of soil cement buckets with small chunks of hardcore and it mixes very well. It has a variable speed setting.

I am going to need to mix mortar for a full cement bed for laying my slabs about 25m2 will be doing this across several days.

I have seen a lot of posts here as well as generally online stating that using a paddler mixer for mortar isn't a good idea? Why is that the case especially a dedicated one not an attachment for your drill etc?

I have mixed both by hand and using the paddle mixer, the mixer seems to get a better consistency although it's true it may be a bit difficult in the beginning to gauge how much water to use as long as you go slow you generally get the consistency you need?

Any advise or explanation appreciated as may be missing something I'm unaware of.

 

[Wayners]

I'm doing the same. I hired a cement mixer for £40 a week but took it back.

I now use a Aldi £30 paddle mixer in a yellow Wickes tub.
4 buckets of sharp sand and and just under one cement. Just easier than a cement mixer which was 6 buckets of sand and cement. Slashed everywhere. Hard work loading and pouring made a mess.
Better mix with paddle mixer I thought

 

[foxhole]

Edit

 

[foxhole]

It can put excessive load on motor which is intended to mix smoother mixes like plaster .
I use one of these to mix a bucket of mortar , surprisingly quick and efficient , even in a cordless drill will mix a bucket in under 60 secs.

https://amzn.eu/d/gjuJGkx

 

[Dave1UK]

I'm doing the same. I hired a cement mixer for £40 a week but took it back.

I now use a Aldi £30 paddle mixer in a yellow Wickes tub.
4 buckets of sharp sand and and just under one cement. Just easier than a cement mixer which was 6 buckets of sand and cement. Slashed everywhere. Hard work loading and pouring made a mess.
Better mix with paddle mixer I thought

Yeah I contemplated on hiring a cement mixer would be around £70 a week where I am. However now its been raining half the week so wouldn't be able to get full use, not to mention I wouldn't be able to fully utilise it anyway as I am taking my time complete beginner.

It can put excessive load on motor which is intended to mix smoother mixes like plaster .

Fair enough, I'm not too worried about that, if it burns out it burns out as got it second hand anyway. Been mixing other things with it which wouldn't be as smooth as mortar mix earlier and so far held up pretty well.

I would only be mixing smaller batches anyway for 2-3 slabs at a time ~30mm depth nothing massive that could burn it out.

I was just thinking whether there is something inherently wrong with mixing it with a paddle and high speeds, as with shovel or cement mixer itself, you sort of/the mixer mixes it by layer on top of layer sort of process. The paddle mixer would give it a way better mix/finer, not sure whether that could lead to a curing issue or something?

 

[cdbe]

I do, built my extension and rendered my house with one. But I bought a decent Vitrex one. The Aldi thing I started with died halfway through the second bucket.