Cement & Mortar Mixers

A forced action mixer works differently from the drum mixer most people picture. Instead of tumbling the material, paddles drive through it inside a fixed pan, which is what lets it mix tile adhesive, screed and render properly rather than just rolling it around.

The range currently covers the Baron E120L forced action mixer.

Forced action or drum

A drum mixer tumbles. That suits concrete, where there is enough aggregate and water for gravity to do the work. Put tile adhesive or a dry screed in one and it packs into the back of the drum and comes out inconsistent.

A forced action mixer holds the pan still and moves paddles through the material. It handles stiff, low-water mixes — adhesive, screed, render, grout, epoxy — and produces the same consistency from the first batch to the last.

Capacity is quoted in litres of mixed material rather than bags. A 120 litre pan is sized for a floor screed or a full day of adhesive on a tiling job, rather than for a bathroom's worth of grout.

Check the power supply before ordering. Machines this size are usually single phase but they draw more than a domestic power board will comfortably carry, so a dedicated outlet is worth having.

Adhesive spreading and levelling gear is in Levelling Systems, cutting gear in Wet Saws, and the rest in Tools. Ordered through Builders Warehouse Online.