The purpose of this blog post is to describe the differences in three different milk frothers: one from Ikea, one “high-end”, and one homemade.
Ikea
The frother from Ikea was relatively lightweight and appeared cheaply made, but ultimately performed it’s designed function quite well: the milk was frothed to over over three times it’s original volume. However, the cheap plastic and lack of instructions made it hard to insert batteries, which is a major drawback of the design. The body of the frother is silver and the battery cover and switch are both black. The switch is quite simple and it is easily identifiable to the user. Strengths of the Ikea frother include function, ease of use, and an incredibly cheap price of $2.79. Weaknesses include estimated durability over time based on the cheap materials used and battery accessibility. The simple design of the device paired with the quality of it’s function gives it a #1 rank among the three frothers
| Part # | Part Name | Qty | Cost Estimation | Function | Material | Interaction |
| 1 | Battery closure | 1 | $0.01 | Keep batteries from falling out | Plastic | Hinged between bodies |
| 2 | Contact points (for battery) | 1 | $0.05 | Allow batteries to function | Aluminum | Snapped into top of battery closure |
| 3 | Body (L) | 1 | $0.01 | Enclose device | Plastic | Snaps together with counterpart |
| 4 | Body (R) | 1 | $0.01 | — | — | — |
| 5 | Switch | 1 | $0.01 | Turn device on | Plastic | Held between body |
| 6 | Contacts for batteries | 2 | $0.05 | Allow batteries to function | Aluminum | Wedged into body |
| 7 | Motor | 1 | $0.20 | Generate movement | Plastic/aluminum | Held by plastic parameters in body |
| 8 | Guard | 1 | $0.01 | Keep plastic part of motor from contacting with body | Plastic (silicon?) | Slid on frothing apparatus and motor |
| 9 | Frothing apparatus | 1 | $0.15 | Frothing | Metal, wire | Connected to motor and guard |
| Total: $0.50 |
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“High-End”
Overall, the high end frother was a major disappointment. Though the materials were noticeably of higher quality, the function did not live up to the more expensive cost (our group had an unidentified frother which we weren’t able to find the price of). When used, the milk remained in liquid form with very little bubbles and no noticeable change in volume. However, the design of the frother was much nicer than that of Ikea’s. The switch was on top rather than on the side, which made it more unnatural (harder) to turn on while holding it in your palm. Furthermore, the apparatus used to actually froth the milk seemingly vibrated back and forth and the movement rendered the device ineffective. A strength of this frother was the ‘not cheap’ feeling of the plastic. Weaknesses of this frother include overall function, and a lack of a visible explanation for inserting batteries making this the weakest frother of the bunch.
| Part # | Part Name | Qty | Cost Estimation | Function | Material | Interaction |
| 1 | Frother | 1 | $0.15 | To froth milk | Metal | Connects ot motor, held by body |
| 2 | Body (L) | 1 | $0.03 | Enclose device | Hard plastic | Snaps together with counterpart |
| 3 | Body (R) | 1 | $0.03 | — | — | — |
| 4 | Motor | 1 | $0.35 | Generate movement | Metal | Connects to frother, held by body |
| 5 | Switch | 1 | $0.05 | Turn device on | Plastic | Conects to batter cover, metal connectors |
| 6 | Metal connector for switch+batteries | 1 | $0.05 | Creates conection between switch (when engaged) and batteries | Aluminum | Connected to battery cover, works in tandem with switch |
| 7 | Battery cover | 1 | $0.15 | Protect batteries and enable switch | Plastic | Snaps into body |
| Total: $0.81 |
Homemade: ~the little frother that could~
Our (Hunter and I) little guy soared above and beyond our expectations in regards to function. Not only did it froth milk, it’s also motorless which makes it even cheaper to produce. To generate enough speed, the handle must be rolled back and forth between one’s palms to create a frothing effect. In two trial runs, bubbles appeared and the volume of the milk increased for a short period of time. However, the design looks a bit futuristic and to a customer, they probably wouldn’t know the function of the device. We would want to create a tag or label of some sort for a next prototype. Several strengths of our frother include simplicity in design, cheap cost to produce, and ease of use. Weaknesses include labeling and ease of use if an individual were to have a condition like arthritis.
To better improve this device, we’d use stronger wire for the coils at the bottom of the pole and have a stronger support system in the middle and throughout the coils.
Conclusion:
If I were in the market for a milk frother, I would end up buying the Ikea model (even if I am partial to our own design) simply because even if the product breaks, the cost is so cheap to replace it almost becomes menial.