Yoo hoo! Any new stand mixer comments?

There are new rebates from KA for both stand mixers & attachments so I'm ready to take the plunge!

Here is a link that might be useful: KA rebates of the moment

I've had my Kitchen Aid K5SS mixer for 20.5 years and it still works as well as the day my dh gave it to me. The finish is still bright, the attachments are original and in excellent condition. It's one of those appliances that's definitely worth every penny you spend on it!

athomein1914 you may want to go over to the cooking forum to ask about mixers. They have some good threads on stand mixers and would answer any questions about mixers for you.

athomein

Wattage does not equal power output, wattage is how much electricity an appliance draws from the outlet, not the amount of power produced by the mixer.

A 500 watt appliance that is belt driven, may not produce as much actual torque as a 150 watt gear driven appliance.

If you are going to be doing a lot of heavy doughs, or doughs that need to be mixed for a longer time, you need a more powerful mixer measured in actual torque.

I suggest you buy a new or a used commercial 5 qt mixer -- a Hobart N-50. You will burn up a KA no matter how high a wattage you get. Of course a new Hobart N-50 will cost you $1,500, and a good used on on Ebay will cost you $300 to $500, but it will be money well spent, without the frustration of frequent break downs. Even a used one will last a home user a lifetime -- 4 or 5 times longer than a KA.

I own a 1947 Hobart N-50 mixer, and it handles everything I can throw at it with ease!

And the Hub port of a Hobart N-50 will accept all KA attachments new or vintage! The bowl is a 5qt narrow bowl can use your K5A extra bowls, colander and seive, copper bowl insert, etc. Only the beaters are not interchangeable, cause the KA beaters are smaller.

seattlepioneer

You have a KA 4B mixer -- in my honest opinion you have the most powerful and durable tilt head mixer Kitchenaid ever produced.

You absolutely can't buy a stainless steel bowl -- they were never produced for this model, the K45 bowl will not work! You will need your bowl re-tinned.

However, the K-45 or the KA classic beaters are a perfect fit for a 4B if you need beaters.

From the Kitchenaid forum dated 02/14/2005 to 3/7/2005

"I phoned Oregon Re-Tinners and they quoted me $12 to strip and retin a 4 1/2 Quart bowl. I thought it would cost a lot more. I'll let you know how it turned out when I get it back."

"I just got my 4 1/2 quart bowl back from getting retinned.....ITS GORGEOUS!!! Cost $15.00 USD total. Only takes a couple of days.

Here is the company's address info:

Oregon Re-Tinners
2712 N. Mississippi Avenue
Portland, OR
97227 USA

Phone: 503-287-7696

I am very pleased with the finished product!!"

I hope this helps.

We have a K4.5 that we bought in 1978 and just used it to make a lot of Christmas goodies. We did have a problem with the bottom bowl plate. The bowl kept coming off but DH just bent down the metal sides that hold the bowl and it worked fine after that. I did a search and noticed there are lots of places that sell replacement parts like that plate and new bowls and mixing tools.

We did strip the gears in 1982 because we were using it to knead all WW bread. But we got it fixed and haven't had a problem since then. And we stopped using it on WW bread. I later got a bread machine for that. I plan on keeping it forever.
Clare

>Yoo hoo! Any new stand mixer comments? My Pro 600 is about six weeks old. True, that's not much time in grade. But so far I love it. It's been used two or three times a week since I bought it.

I had originally decided on the Pro 5 Plus, just for cost reasons. Had to be one or the other, because we used to have an Oster Kitchen Center, and I learned to despise tilt-head mixers.

Bed Bath & Beyond had the Pro 600 for only $399, though. With an automatic $50 KA rebate, and a 20% off coupon (thanks, again, Jessy) it brought the price to $269---about 30 bucks less than I was prepared to pay for the Pro 5.

I have only one criticism. If you only make one loaf of bread at a time, a 6-quart bowl is overly large. And you have to scrape-down the sides more often than is suggested by KA's literature. I have not used the wire whip for anything, yet, so don't know how that will work.

Surprisingly, I like the collar & pour chute (comes standard with the 600). Looking at it I thought it was merely a gimmick, but it turns out to be quite useful; particularly when adding ingrediets while the machine is running.

BTW, to compare relative power output of KA mixers Kitchen Aide uses a "cups of flour" index. This refers to how many cups of flour in a dough the machine can handle. The Pro 600, for instance, is rated at 12 cups. If I recall correctly, the Artisan rates 7 (but don't quote me on that). The Classic is rated at 5. This info, along with comparative charts, can all be found at their website.

Never count on your memory when there are ways to check.

I went to the KA website, and here are the comparative strengths of various stand mixer models, in their "flour power" index:

Pro 600: 14 cups
Pro 5: 12 cups
Artisan (the most commonly purchased model, btw): 9 cups.
Classic: 8 cups

Just got a new KA Custom (325w, 4.3 L bowl). Should creaming 1/2 cup of chilled butter (not rock hard) and 2 cups of sugar cause the motor to power down?!! As soon as I started adding the liquid it got back to normal BUT it was a considerable drop. This was the second time using it...the first time, making pancake batter, left quite a bit of unmixed flour in the bottom (I checked the clearance and it looks as close as it can be to the bottom).

So so far not a great experience :(

Any thoughts?

Okay, I took the plunge: Kitchen Aid Pro 600. Love it. Also added the pasta roller set (3 roller). Love the rollers too. Bread and pasta are now insanely easy!

I decided on the 600 after talking with Kitchen Aid customer service and learning that the "14 cup" capacity translates to 8, maybe 9, cups if I'm using whole grains. Since we use mainly whole grains here & I knew I was interested in adding attachments I decided this would be the safest bet.

I appreciate there are monster mixers out there but I have more modest expectations in my kitchen. So far the Pro 600 is more than meeting my expectations. I have a hunch this will be my only mixer -- good thing I held out for the color I really wanted!

gardenlad, I use the chute thing as well. The only quibble I have with the mixer is that I have to be careful adding ingredients so they don't spill everywhere, guess I'll get used to that.

Thumbs up.

I have a twenty year-old K5SS that works just like it did when new. It is always on the baking counter of my kitchen. My only quarrel with it is that the paint (almond, I think they called it) looks a little rusty below where the bowl is. I'm trying to get DH to touch it up. I can't justify getting another just because it doesn't look as good as it did 20 years ago (neither do I). I was in Wms-Sonoma last week. They had a new KA model that--I think I saw this right--was $899.00. Was I hallucinating?

If so, it was WS ripping people off. If you go to the KitchenAid website, the highest list price shown is $545 for the Commercial 5 model.

On the other hand, the Pro 600 is being shown everywhere for $399. Maybe that's what you saw, and misread it?

All in all, still a bunch of bucks which I, for one, wouldn't spend merely for cosmetic reasons. Stick with your K5SS until it ceases to do the job.

Just checked W-S online because this was bugging me. It's a Pro-620 and, as far as I can tell, the only difference between it and the 600 is an 11-tine whisk attachment that would cost $30 to buy by itself and two metallic exterior finish choices that the other models don't come in (brushed nickel and a new version of copper). I just don't get this!

Curiouser and curiouser.

I'm wondering if this isn't a W-S exclusive, because the 620 is not listed in the KA catalog.

From the write-up I gather you can do 20% more dough at one time than in the 600---whatever that actually means. And the housings are actually made of the two metals, rather than just finished in those colors. But otherwise samee-samee.

Are those differences worth $500 to anyone? W-S must think so. But considering I could get a second 600 and still have a hundred bucks left over, there's no way I'd even consider it.

If you're a subscriber to Cook's Illustrated you can check out their reviews. If I remember right, they say the KA 600 is best, NOT the Artisan and definitely not the KA 250. A close second to the KA 600 is the DeLonghi DSM5.

I'm not sure what "best" means in these circumstances. I got the Pro 600 because it met my needs at a price I was willing to pay.

However, that's how we'd define "value," rather than "best." You have to balance out desired features, ability of the product to do what it's supposed to do, longevity of the product, and purchase price.

So, I don't know about best or not. But I do know that they sell more Artisan's than any other model. It's the one most retailers offer, and combines the features most people seem to want at a price they're willing to pay.

In my case, I have an antipathy towards tilt-head mixers. So the Artisan wouldn't meet my needs. If I didn't feel that way, however, the Artisan would probably have been my first choice.

Looks like a big part of the price difference between the the 600 and the 620 at WS is the "custom metallic finish." On the KA website the price for the 325 watt smaller load mixer is $529.99 in similar finishes.

KA seems to make special mixers for WS -- just as they do for big box stores. I bought my 600 there just to get "Empire Red" which didn't seem to be available in the Pro 600 series anywhere else, include KA online. It was 399.99 before rebates.

There probably are folks interested in paying more for the look -- true for clothes, cars, kitchen renovations, whatever -- though we all have our limits. The 620 makes my purchase look "thrifty" in comparision! (And to think I considered my own purchase a major investment!!!)

As gardenlad says, you have to balance your own needs/wants with your own pocketbook. (At least that's how I read this!) I also prefer the bowl lift. The 600 does everything I want without complaining, fits its planned countertop corner and slides out for action, and has a color that makes me smile. Of course, none of that mattered a few years ago when my purse was leaner!

Sounds like Hobart is great if you want a beast of a mixer, KA provides great color. Interesting that KA outranked Delonghi in Cooks Illustrated.

An aside--I've been finding that I don't always agree with Cooks Illustrated review results. They don't test a wide enough spectrum and their opinions don't always coincide with my own experience of their most highly recommended items. Also, you cannot get all of their current reviews online even if you are a subscriber to their magazine. They emailed me their reasons for this and I was unimpressed. I will not be renewing my subscription after this year.

You are indeed a kitchen detective! I have similar complaints about Consumer Reports reviews.

Gardenlad, I'm checking in to report that I tried the whisk yesterday on both egg whites and heavy cream & was most happy with performance. Of course I don't make such recipes often but the KA made the recipe a snap.

We've used the whip, too, since my last comments on it. Friend Wife made some coconut macaroons, and they came out great.

Again, though, I think that one recipe doesn't take full advantge of the machine's abilities. I notice when I double up on bread dough the mixer is much more efficient.

Same with the whisk. The more of it that's submerged the better job it willdo.

This shouldn't be taken as a criticism, it's not. Just an observation.

Good point, small amounts really don't make best use of the set up. Yet with whole grain flours I'm told the smaller mixers won't have the power. Hmmmm.

Wish the mixer accepted both small and large bowls (like the one I grew up with!). If I do much baking I may want to pick up a 2nd bowl but I hesitate to purchase a second giant bowl.

A friend of mine received the Artisan for Christmas, along with the pasta attachment. She killed the artisan making pasta for lasagna a few weeks ago. The motor burned out. KitchenAid has a quick replacement policy, but it's still annoying.

I have a 17-year-old K5SS. It died on me 2 years ago when I was kneading bread dough. I had it fixed, but I don't like to use it for kneading bread--as I'm adding flour, it tends to spin the dough around the hook. I have to keep stopping to rearrange the dough every minute or so. It's much easier, and less frustrating, to knead by hand.

I'm thinking of replacing it, but really would love to find some place that I could try out different models before plunking down the money. I certainly got my money's worth with it, but I'm not certain that I'm going KitchenAid this time around.

sharon - I have a Viking 5-qt. stand mixer which replaced an old KA (K45SS?). I, too, had the same problem with mixing dough. The motor strained so much during kneading that the solid motor grease packing (for lack of a better word) turned to liquid and started leaking out the head into the bowl during use. After having it serviced twice, to the tune of $35.00-$45.00, over the course of a few years I finally said "enough". It also had difficulties processing/mixing/kneading anything heavier than cake batter. I've had my Viking for a little over a year and use it a few times a week for bread and it's a champ. I also know the DeLonghi got very good reviews, as well as the Electrolux and Bosch. I purchased the Viking from Baker's Catalog. They have a one-year guarantee, and if for any reason you're not satisfied with it, you can return it. I kept mine ;o)

Thanks so much for the review of your Viking. I'm going to take a serious look at it. I would love to be able to test drive these machines someplace!

gardenlad et al, I perused the KA forum and noticed chit-chat about a new small bowl to fit the Pro 600. Apparently it exists in a warehouse somewhere but is yet to hit the market. A small bowl would be infinitely more useful in my kitchen than a 2nd large bowl. And as you point out, it would make better use of the whisk etc working with small amounts.

I'd love to hear reviews of different mixers -- I have a friend looking ahead to her own new purchase & she bakes quite a bit. Maybe there should be a separate "mixer review" thread to interest more cooks with other brands. DeLonghi/Bosch/Viking/Hobartetc owners might not check out the KA thread.

For anyone considering a KA purchase I must say I'm having a great experience with my 600. I use it daily & mainly use whole grain flour. I make all of our bread & pasta so it sees some heavy doughs. However, we don't "knead" large quantities so I'm usually throwing about a pound of flour in to start a typical batch in this house. One reason I went with KA was that I liked the idea of using many attachments with one machine. I called KA customer service & was told if that was my plan I should stick with the 600. In addition, the 600 is meant to handle around 8 cups of whole grain, rather than the 14 cups it's "rated."

I never feel that my KA is under any strain whatsoever. Of course, she's only months old so time may tell a different story. I'm quite careful as this was a hefty purchase for me & as others point out, even if KA has a great return policy, I don't want the hassle. My teen daughter & pals use the mixer when I'm gone and still no trouble.

Boy was I fooled! I thought KA was the standard, but quality, dependability, power and customer service are nowhere to be found. KA is coasting on old glory and is not all the box says it is. I got the 6 quart stand mixer which on the box is rated for 14 cups of flour but I never even used half that and after two light duty uses in less than three months it sounded like there was broken metal crashing around in the head. I took it back to the store and got it replaced and was told the new unit came with a new warranty. After a few more months and less than a dozen uses- none of which were more than medium duty the motor again sounded like something was seriously wrong. This time I took it to the service technician at the "authorized service depot" and now it has been over six months and I still don't have a mixer! The technician was waiting for parts, then he said it was no good- that he had six or seven mixers- all the same KA make and model with the same problem and he was waiting for Kitchenaid to send replacements because there was a design flaw or manufacturing defect and as soon as he replaced the parts they would break. After this back and forth for over six months I started calling KA. They kept promising to get back to me, but I always had to call them. In the end they wouldn't do anything for me. The mixer costs over $800.00 after taxes in Canada and that's too much money for something that won't do what it says and can't be fixed when it's broken! On top of that they even said that the warranty did not reset with the replacement but went back to the first unit! Shame on you KA! Buyer beware!

I've heard that this brand is much better than others. So I abandoned my almost 3-year-old Pansonic breadmaker and just bought a Kitchenaid stand mixer (KSM150PSWW) on sale.
At first they placed a larger dough hook in my package and the coating wore off. I called them they replaced it with a right one (smaller).
BTW, they were not as nice as you expect on the phone. When I am complaining about their carelessness the manager said:¡±Do you want to keep it or not¡±. It really sounded he was threatening me. Since I bought it on sale I really want to give it a shot. So I kept it even though I am a littler bit worried about the quality of their product.
Until now I've used the mixer three times to make some yeast dough. I start to see a small spot on the dough hook where the coating seems gone. I kept asking myself ¡°Do I call them again or just return it? ¡±
So I went online and found this webpage. After I read all those comments I¡¯ve made my decision: I don¡¯t want it. Go to hell!
I cannot agree more with ¡°sour_cherries¡±. It seems like their quality is not as good as it used to be. What they make today is completely different from what they made 10 or 20 years ago. This sucks. I remember My grandma and mom used to say:¡± I ¡®ve used this or that almost for my whole life and it is still perfect¡±.

My husband bought a Cuisinart stand mixer for me for my birthday in June. My Sunbeam stand mixer bit the dust after approx. 10 yrs. of use for just cake mixes, frosting, meringue, potatoes. I wanted something more substantial to mix up cookie dough and quick breads. After researching thoroughly between the KA artisian and pro 600 or the Cuisinart, I decided on Cusinart and have no regrets whatsoever. It could not handle my huge base batter for choc. chip cookies but it has 9 c. flour plus 4 c. sugar and shortening, so not a big deal. Husband did adjust the beater height so it reached all the way into the bottom of the bowl, works fine now. It is fabulous and even has a fold button and a timer. Mine was purchased at LNT w/ their 20% coupons, saved $70. I would highly recommend this stand mixer!

I've been researching mixers for a while. I decided to come to this forum, and, lo and behold, a thread dedicated to KA mixers! After reading through the thread, I decided to purchase a KA 5 QT from my local big box store. I will test it next weekend.

One difficulty is that most of the more powerful rebadged Kenwood designs like Viking, Cuisinart, Delonghi, Hamilton Beach, Kenmore, etc as well as the larger Kitchen Aid units can't deal very well with smaller batches.

If real power is the need in a smaller machine the choice narrows to bosch, electrolux, hobart, varimixer w5a, and a few others.

The Varimixer "Teddy" runs around $1100us, gray only, arm lift only, and has a loud knock as it beats dough into submission. Power in a small package with a stainless steel dough hook that won't take no for an answer!

I am debating in getting a KA or a Cusiniart Mixer with my Airmiles.. Has anyone used one and then changed to the other? currently I have a Sunbeam which does not stand up to olibollen.. I've already had to repair the plastic gears.. they sure don't make things like they use to!

I can't decide on the tilt up or the rotate up and down.
The tilt up has a narrower fit, harder to get in there and stir, fiddle and scrape
The rotate up and down is much more roomy
however
when you want to get in there and scrape etc. the tilt head is rotated up out of the way and the rotate up and down leaves the mixer in - which could be and advantage I suppose if there's something you can't stop mixing while you scrape....hmmmm maybe I'll never be able to make the decision and just keep doing without:)

I just realized that I live near Kitchenaide central in Greenville OH. Their websites say they give tours?
If I go anyone want me to look at anything?

last christmas me and some friends went to the black friday sale after thanksgiving and a kitchenaid mixer is one of the items we picked up. we got it at a really reduced price of less than half price. look for them sales.

Hope my respond is not too late. Like CarolJ, I too had purchased a Cuisinart 7qt. mixer last October. I love it and with some minor adjustment, it does quite well with small batch mixing.

I believe, DeLonghi made this model for Cuisinart. It resembles their model but for a lesser price. It comes in 3 colors, white, silver and black.

I too purchased it at LnT with a 25% discount which came out about $337.50. Yes, 25%, it was a Family & Friends discounted week with 25% on total purchase. If you're not in a hurry to get one, it's worth waiting for this discount. I believe, it comes out twice a year.

Btw, there's also a Cuisinart 5.5qt. mixer too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuisinart 7qt. Mixer

I found the KA 600 Pro at Dillard's on clearance for $199 in the copper pearl color. There is also a $30 rebate and an extra $24 rebate if you reject the 2 magazine subscriptions in the rebate for a total of $54 in rebates. So, it cost me $145 for the KA Pro 600. I would suggest you check and see if your Dillard's has any left as they have an extra percentage off clearance this weekend if they have any left. I bought the last one at our store before the extra percentage off clearance sale, but I am not complaining. I love the copper pearl color as I use copper accents in my kitchen. I don't leave it out on the counter though, but I still like the color.

Hope this helps someone.

I have a Kitchenaid Stand mixer 4-C which still works wonderfully. However, when I got it there were no whips, beaters or anything like that with it(yard sale, 3.50 I think)
All the accessories for the front port (pasta maker, grinder) are interchangeable with the new machines but I can't find the whips or beaters to fit it. Does anyone know if any of the other model accessories work or where I might find those items? I tried Ebay. they had 1 and it cost more than I paid for the mixer.

Thanks
rfcc1

I have a Kitchenaid Stand mixer 4-C which after 30 yr it still works great but I am having trouble finding a dough hook will any of the new ones fit?

HELP

Thanks

Dale

Dale...the new attachments fit the old kitchenaid as well as the hobarts. I have the old Hobart N-50 that my mom bought MANNNNNY years ago, used. What a machine!!! The new 6 qt pro model I got for my daughter burned out kneading dough...piece of JUNK!

MY advice to anyone looking for a new mixer...get an old one on ebay or craigs list. I also hear good things about the Bosch mixers.

Wow all these stories!

I work in Oregon as a garbageman and one rainy night (work graveyard commercial recycle) I was behind a strip mall dumping containers as usual. I noticed a KitchenAid Classic sitting in a puddle of water outside of the back of a restaurant next to a dumpster. WOW, I thought! That's a KitchenAid mixer and I have always wanted one!

Obviously this restaurant discarded it out there so I grabbed it and put in my truck. When I got home I let it dry out for a couple of days and finally plugged it in. Well it took right off and hummed like it was happy to be home! That lasted about a minute till I turned it off, then it wouldn't restart. I pulled out the brushes and saw they were half worn down and thinking that was the problem I ordered new ones for $8. When I installed them, turned it on, it sat there quietly doing nothing! I fiddled with the brushes, installing them and taking them out over and over....still nothing. So now I figured, well I got it for free I might as well tear into it and see if anything was noticeable that would keep it from working. There was.

Inside the gear compartment the company put a baseball size wad of gear grease to keep the gears lubricated. Unfortunately on the model I had dissected on my kitchen counter, not enough grease made it to the shaft that protrudes out of the front of the machine and the attachments hook to. You could see it was dry and even a little discolored from minor heat build up from the friction. So I took a little of the ball of grease, put it thoroughly around the shaft and in the bushing it goes into. While I had it apart I scrubbed and polished every part before reassembly. When I got it all together and plugged it in, it ran like a new machine! I was so happy! Now I need to get a bowl and attachments (Ebay) to use this baby.

Let me tell you these machines are made to last. The insides are constructed with heavy metal gearing (there is a nylon gear or two) and the motor is well built. KitchenAid is built on the principle of "Old School" American quality! No foreign country could build it any better. If you own on of these machines you own quality dependability! If you have a problem get it fixed, it may be a minor thing that will prolong the life of your machine 10 fold.

OK I'm off my soap box, Happy Mixing!

We have a Pro 5 that tipped over during our move. A large puddle of clear looking oil leaked out. When my wife ran the mixer it started to stink.
How do I replace the oil/grease and what type do I use?

Mike, I suspect that you have a broken seal, and no matter how much oil you replace, you have a broken machine.

I bought a Kitchenaid Ultra Power but received the Kitchenaid Classic Plus, anyone know what the difference is. The mxer came with aluminum and not coated attachments. Do the aluminum attachments work just as well?

WOW!!!! I was the original poster back in--------May 2002??!!!! Can't believe this is still going!

For the "rest of the story"-----I never did purchase a KA stand mixer after giving it much thought, but ended up buying a very nice GE hand mixer which I have been happy with and for me, seems to be all I need. I use a bread maker just to knead my bread and then I shape the kneaded dough, let rise, and bake in the oven.

Glad my original question has been useful for comment for so many others in the last 10 1/2 years. I really appreciate all of these forums on GardenWeb and have learned so much over the years from all of you.

I have a KitchenAid 4.5 qt that I bought in 2003 at a department store.. Love it. But on two different whisk blades a couple of the tines have popped out. Anyone else experience this?

Also, I had someone in the profession tell me once that the machines sold at Walmart are an inferior quality. This person said that the WM KA's are made to be sold cheaply.

is that with the "Artisan" with 325 watts of power, or the "Professional" with 525 watts of power? I prefer Artisan. Professional 600 is not as good as the KitchenAid Artisan at smaller jobs, but excellent at mixing heavy doughs and batters.

I wrote this KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer Review last summer and can tell you that it's the best mixer I've ever used! I hope it's of help to people and it's in gorgeous terracotta colour!

Question...would any of you suggest the Breville mixer over the Kitchen Aid? Here is the link to the model I'm looking at: Breville Scraper Mixer Pro . My grandmother had a Kitchen Aid so I really grew up with one, but I ADORE my Breville toaster, coffee maker and toaster oven. Any feedback?? Thanks in advance!

We haven't tried this Breville one, it looks very capable. Although a tad digitally gimmicky, but some of the functionality would be useful. It comes with the scraper tool which the KitchenAid does not, however we haven't ever found this to be much of a concern. As the KitchenAid Artisan mixer usually pulls all the contents in from the sides with ease, even sticky doughs. Additionally the KitchenAid Artisan can have accessories attached like pasta cutters and juciers, which could swing it for some?

I like the the KA has attachments, so functionally it's a multi-tasker.