The 9 Best Concrete Mixers

For a patio pad, a row of fence posts or a set of footings, the YardMax YM0115 is the drum mixer to start with. Its steel drum holds four cubic feet, which works out to about one bag of mix per batch. The motor and gears sit in a sealed box built to shrug off a hose rinse, and the low frame pours into a wheelbarrow. One person can assemble it. The steel drum rusts if it's put away wet.

Buyers who want a drum mixer without paying much should look at the BILT HARD 550W. It pairs a four-cubic-foot steel drum with a wide mouth, so dumping in dry mix makes less of a mess, and a locking tilt handle holds the drum steady while it turns. Over a long pour it can work through a whole stack of heavy bags, one batch after another. Assembly takes patience, and some drums arrive with a bent rim.

The Stark USA 67001 suits bigger jobs, like a shed slab or a long garden path, where a five-cubic-foot drum saves trips back to the pile of bags. Two lighter bags of mix fit in one batch. A push button starts it, a long handle tilts the drum for a controlled pour, and big wheels help it roll across a yard. The printed instructions are thin, so set aside extra time for assembly, and parts can bend under rough use.

For a bag or two of concrete, or mortar and thinset, a strong drill with a paddle beats hauling out a drum, and the DeWalt DW130V has been a mainstay on job sites for years. It turns slowly with plenty of twist, which a thick mix needs, and it runs in reverse to help keep air bubbles out. Two handles give both hands a grip. The paddle is sold separately, and it tires your arms over a long session.

Crews who already own Milwaukee batteries can leave the extension cord in the truck with the Milwaukee M18 Mud Mixer. A dial sets the speed range, the trigger fine-tunes it, and the handle swings to whatever angle suits your back. A small light shows the inside of the bucket in a dim basement. Milwaukee says a large battery mixes about 15 buckets on one charge. It comes as a bare tool, so the battery and charger cost extra.

A plastic drum won't rust or dent, and dried concrete pops right off it, which is the case for the BILT HARD Poly Drum. It rides on a wheelbarrow-style frame with handles at the back and tires that never need air, so you can push it to the forms and tip it there. Each batch fills only about half the drum. That easier cleanup costs a good deal more than a steel drum of the same size.

Everything for bucket mixing comes in one bag with the MAXXT R6169: the drill, two spiral paddles, an adapter and a chuck key. Its slow, geared motor suits mortar, thinset and drywall mud, the side handle turns all the way around to fit either hand, and a lock button rests your trigger finger on long batches. It drills holes, too. The plastic housing at the back can crack with hard use.

The QEP Brutus 21665Q is made for tile setters who mix thinset and grout all day. It's built only for mixing, with a two-handed grip that keeps a heavy bucket from spinning the tool, two speed ranges and a dial that starts slowly so wet mix doesn't splash out. A paddle comes in the box. It can't drill holes, and it's a heavy tool to hold through a long day.

Anyone who already owns a sturdy drill can turn it into a bucket mixer with the ABN Thinset Mixer, a chrome-plated steel paddle with a cage-shaped head. It stirs mortar, grout, thinset, self-leveler and small batches of concrete in an ordinary bucket, and wet mix rinses off the plating. A small cordless drill will struggle and can burn out, so pair it with a heavy corded or high-torque drill at low speed.