5 Things To Look For Before Buying a Milk Frother

Choosing a Milk Frother - Here's What You Need To Know

Milk frothers can be extremely useful, in our other article we highlighted 8 things you can use a milk frother for.

Finding a milk frother is very easy, however, finding a milk frother that lasts can be a bit more difficult. The last thing you want is to spend money on something that simply can't perform or that breaks easily before you really get any use out of it.

Over the years we've went through half a dozen milk frothers that couldn't live up to the challenge. We don't want you to waste your money so we put together this simple list of 5 things you should be looking for when buying a high-quality milk frother. 

1. Build Quality & Weight:

Many Inexpensive frothers will be very light weight and have a low build quality. The body of the frother is often made of thin plastic that can bend and even crack under a small amount of pressure. With these frothers it is common for the front and back body panels to separate and begin to split.

This can expose both the battery and motor which poses a risk of malfunctioning or even an electric shock. 

When looking for a frother be sure to look for a strong outer body, one that will not easily crack or separate over time. Many of the higher quality frothers will feature a heavier weight, ergonomic handle that features supports on the inside to prevent cracking.

These supports create a sturdy grip that will hold up over time. The image below shows the common supports inside of a higher-quality frother. 

The weight of the frother usually indicates it's quality, so be sure to look for something with substantial weight.

2. The Materials Used:

In order for a frother to last it must be built with high quality materials. Lower quality frothers will use thin plastics and even thinner metal. The most common place for frothers to break is on the wand. This is because cheap frothers have much skinnier wand thicknesses. 

The thickness of the wand is very important. A thicker wand will prevent it from breaking, bending, or even snapping off. Another important feature is the type of metal used.

You should be looking for high grade materials like 304 Stainless steel. Stainless steel is incredibly important as it keeps the frother from developing rust over time. Without stainless steel your frother could begin to rust on both the whisk, wand, and even internally in the motor.

You want your frother to last a long time and through many uses, that is why it is important to look for a frother with stainless steel and other high quality materials. 

3. Motor Power and Speed:

We've come across many frothers that just don't have enough power to do what you need them to do. From whipping milk and making lattes, to blending powders and supplements, it's important to get a frother powerful enough to go through anything.

We recommend a minimum of 15,000 RPM motor to whip up simple things like milk, powders, and supplements. These usually blend fairly easily as the thickness usually remains very low.

However, in order to mix heavier powders and thicker mixtures we recommend at least 19,000 RPM motor with 3V of power. This will ensure you have enough power to mix just about anything from milk, lattes, and even sauces and marinades. 

In terms of power and speed, the faster the frother head can spin, the more air it can whip down into the mixture to mix it up. More speed = better mixing

4. Critical connection point: 

Another common place many frothers break is where the wand connects to the body of the frother. This part is a common failing point because the wand can put a lot of pressure on the connecting piece when it spins at high speeds. It can also break if too much sideways pressure is put on the wand, snapping directly at the base.

A premium milk frother should have a strong connecting piece that can handle the abuse. The photo below shows a supporting piece that is thicker than the wand, ensuring it can withstand high speeds and sideways pressure without breaking.

You can see the piece is also made of steel, which will be much more durable than plastic over time. Stronger components means that it will last longer and hold up to the wear and tear of everyday abuse. 

5. Battery Size

This one sounds like something that wouldn't be significant, but battery life and battery power are important for many reasons. For one, a strong motor takes more power, and, in turn, bigger batteries.

A powerful milk frother should run on two AA batteries. These AA batteries will supply enough power and for much longer than smaller AAA batteries. If you are using the frother everyday, which many people do, smaller batteries can drain extremely fast.

Getting new batteries and replacing the old ones isn't a huge deal, but it can be aggravating if you have to replace them once every two weeks, which can happen with smaller battery frothers.  

Our Recommendation:

You should look for a frother that meets your needs but doesn't blow the budget. We have found frothers that have the most value are in the $14 to $22 range. At this price you should be able to get a frother that has a strong and stable build that uses premium materials like 304 stainless steel, as well as a powerful motor and strong connecting points.

Anything that goes below the $14 price point generally does not meet our suggested quality standards and has a high likelihood of cracking, splitting apart, breaking at the wand, or just doesn't have adequate power for mixing. 

The Power Frother is a great combination of all things quality and affordability. You can find it for as little as $14.95 on Amazon, or here for $19.95 (with free shipping). The Power Frother comes with a well built, reinforced ergonomic rubber body, a powerful 19,000 RPM motor, and high quality 304 stainless steel components. It also comes with a stainless steel stand for easy and stylish storing. 



The Power Frother is tough enough to handle every day jobs like frothing milk, blending protein powder, greens, or pre-workout powders. It takes 2 AA battery that will last for months and have enough power to handle any job.