Kitchen Aid stand mixer, yay, or nay?

[retired trucker]

I am in the market for a good heavy duty stand mixer. Our old one ( 25 + years old ) is about to give up the ghost. It is a Oyster, and is a light duty mixer. I have done some research, and know that several of you have the Kitchen Aid. I don't need the sausage grinder or probably most of the accessories available for the Kitchen Aid. On the reviews on Amazon, there are a lot of complaints about the reliability of this unit. To be fair, most of the negative remarks are from people trying to mix heavy bread dough, which apparently it struggles with.

I have a separate bread machine, so this is not a deciding factor. I have also looked at the Hamilton Beach that only cost's about $150 and comes with a 3 year warranty, compared to the KA's 1 year warranty. The Hamilton Beach has good reviews re: bread dough and the power to mix it.

However, down the road I may need/want other accessories that the KA offers that the Hamilton does not. So I guess the question I have for you, is about your experience with either of these machines, and how reliable they have been for you. Given the cost, I don't want to buy something I will have to replace before leaving this world for greener pastures and Gold lined streets! :clap2::clap2:

Omar

 

[cpw]

I've used mine to mix bread dough, and as far as I can recall, I didn't have any issues. I'm very happy with mine.

 

[16Adams]

There is a retail Kitchen Aid and then there is a retail Commercial Grade with a bigger motor and a few bells. Sounds funny, but the best deals I see on them is Sears-around Christmas. Our Kitchen Aid is 35. May be made in. Different country now. Never an issue.

 

[Richard1233]

I have a kitchen aid and both my wife and I love it!

 

[BoLiles]

yay. best kitchen purchase we have for both our uses.

 

[Jason TQ]

My wife loves hers for baking and I use it all the time for pizza dough. Kitchenaid is tops when it comes to mixers. A very useful tool.

 

[Smokin69th]

I make breads and cakes with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer all the time. I've had it for 7 years. Love it.

 

[jimithing78]

I have a 10 year old Kitchen Aid Artisan series mixer and it's been solid. We use it maybe 15-20 times a year for simple stuff like cookies and dough. I do have a meat grinder attachment for it that I've used a couple of times - that part is just okay. But the mixer part is great.

One thing I will say is that I'm a little annoyed by the paddle it comes with. It doesn't adequately get all the way to the bottom and all the way to the sides of the mixer. So if you use the factory paddle you'll have to stop and scrap down the sides. I ended up getting the paddle below and it works much better.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Design-Beater-KitchenAid-Tilt-Head-Models/dp/B002KAPN8W/ref=pd_sim_79_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1KH0AP9J1RJK9DV5YKD1"]Amazon.com: New Metro Design Beater Blade for KitchenAid Tilt-Head Models, 4.5 and 5 Quart - Red Blades: Electric Mixer Replacement Parts: Kitchen & Dining@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4110Zv%2BQ9PL.@@AMEPARAM@@4110Zv%2BQ9PL[/ame]

Maybe this isn't a problem with the lift mixers that are a little more pricey. I dunno.

 

[Teleking]

Got the wife the KA Pro 600. The thing is a beast. I had to replace the switch due to operator error gumming it up mixing powdered seasoning into sausage.

Parts readily available on line.

 

[jakel]

I love my Pro 600 but for your use consider one of the tilt head models. Either way you can't go wrong.

THH

 

[MrDsmoker]

I agree with these guys. I bought one for my wife 2 years ago and haven't had any issues. it does great with breads, batters, pizza dough, etc. Not to mention the variety of colors available can add a little pop to your kitchen. If you get one you'll be very happy.

 

[dwfisk]

We have the Pro600 with the bigger mixing bowl and bigger motor. I would not say we use it a lot but when we do it really performs great. Highly recommend it if you need one.

 

[Schooly D]

Kitchen Aid used to be owned by Hobart, which is a manufacturer of commercial-grade equipment. Many old KA users were used to their "built like a tank" Hobart offspring.

Fast forward a couple of decades and Kitchen Aid is sold (to Whirlpool?) and all production goes overseas. The rock solid reputation gets marred with broken gears, burned out motors, etc. They've slowly gotten their act together and on the better machines (professional line) they are mostly metal gear construction with the exception of an ABS gear that will fail intentionally if it's jammed/locked up.

KAs will also shut down if overworked with stiff doughs or heavy jobs at high speeds. As long as you follow the recommendations (speed 4 or so for most heavy jobs) you'll be fine. I have the Pro 600 and use it for bread, cookies, batters, and mixing sausage. I don't use any grinding attachments or do any super large batch stuff. I'd probably stay away from the lower power units, I've heard so-so things about the Artisan and other of the more "value" lines.

 

[dport7]

Wife said she loves hers, it's a hand me down from my Mother. Its gotta be 35 years or better, old.

Can't say about the new ones.

 

[Wickedcajun]

Yay... Definetly.... Use mine at least once a week

 

[yakdung]

May want to dig a little deeper on the KA. I went in a different direction as I read somewhere they have shifted to plastic gearing. Purchased one of these. It has a count down timer and auto shutoff.
http://www.cuisinart.com/products/stand_mixer.html
Good luck,

 

[Bob C Cue]

I have had the artisan 5 qt for about a year and really like it. Do bread and pizza dough fairly often. I think the folks who have trouble with the motor are those who mix their dough above the recommended speed of 2. Great for so many other things as well.

 

[HarrynVegas]

+1 on getting that beater that scrapes down the sides. It works great. I've had my KA for about 30 years.

 

[Teleking]

I have had the artisan 5 qt for about a year and really like it. Do bread and pizza dough fairly often. I think the folks who have trouble with the motor are those who mix their dough above the recommended speed of 2. Great for so many other things as well.

Pro series still all metal direct drive but it's over $500

 

[nmeyer414]

http://www.kitchenrestock.com/product.asp?itemid=4977&gclid=CJ22trHI-cUCFZGDaQodk6MAYA

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/hobart-n50-5-qt-mixer-with-accessories-120v-1-6-hp/425N50%20%20%20%20%20%20GY.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=CO2G6rLI-cUCFQiOaQodYWkAJQ

I am a big KA fan, but truly after seeing that Hobart makes a countertop model, I may have to get me one.........?