this beater is better than what normally comes with your kitchen aid mixer - the flex edge scrapes the side of the bowl so that you dont have to do that yourself in-between mixes (like you would with a normal beater).  its not going to get everything but i think it does a good job. its dishwasher safe according to the product description on here (couldnt find those words on the package) but ive put it in the dishwasher a couple times now and no problem. i would recommend this for someone who plans to use their mixer a lot.