Kitchenaid Mixers ...

I have an ordinary KitchenAid mixer-the first one died on the second or third use so I sent it back to the factory and they sent me a new one. So far, so good, but I don't use a mixer much.
I think they must be lighter weight and less reliable than the earlier ones.
Isn't Hobart the original that became KitchenAid or something like that?

The KitchenAid Professional mixer is different than all the brightly colored ones you often see in the department stores.

Mine (KitchenAid Pro) has 350 Watts, and comes with metal beaters including the dough hook. The department store ones generally have less. If on yours the mixer part flips up, you definitely have a lower power model. If the bowl drops down and the upper part stays fixed, you may have a Professional.

Costco has a great deal on the Professional about once or twice a year. When I got mine there it was a $50 off coupon, off an already way cheaper price. My aunt has been waiting at her Costco for the coupon and it just happened this week and it was $75 off.

Now I don't know if by now these are lesser versions of the Professional machine compared with the year I got mine, to address that part of your question. I'll check hers out when I go there.

When I got my Professional KitchenAid, it only came in white, then later it came in black also, now my aunt tells me it comes in white, black, red, and "car paint" silver-grey.

My husband tells me there is another KitchenAid now with more power than the Professional, but I'm not up on it. Mine's been great in spite of really pushing my luck with it, though I have to confess I overburdened my first Pro KitchenAid, (fortunately in the last week of its warranty, so I got a new one, and in black).

KitchenAid does seem to be licensing out there name on all sorts of cheaper goods, hopefully they won't cheapen that Pro mixer too much. I'm still hanging on to my old Cuisinart made in France in the 1970s, I've tossed quite a number of other newer Cuisinart appliances since then.

Not counting cosmetics, there are three models in the Pro line, and a whole bunch of others. Plus there are a slew of specially made models for specific stores, such as Williams Sonoma.

One of the Pro models is, indeed, a tilt-head version. So that's not really a test.

Of the commonly available ones, there is the Classic and the Artisan. The Classic is specifically built for box stores so it can be sold cheaply. It has plastic gears and parts, and will not hold up to serious work, like kneading dough.

The Artisan is the most commonly purchased of the KA models. It's a good, general purpose workhorse. But is not up to heavy duty work, like a lot of bread making. For that you need one of the Pro models.

I went with the Pro 600 when I bought mine, because I have an antipathy to tilt-head mixers, and wanted a bowl-lift mechanism instead. So far I have no kick.

KA and Hobart no longer have any relationship with each other. KA originally was Hobart's home appliance line, until they sold it off.

I've been researching mixers for about a good month now. If do a google for reconditioned stand mixers you will find most of them are KAs. KA is now a subsidary of Whirlpool. I've settled on a Viking 7qt, reconditioned. There is a place in Detroit that sells reconditioned ones for $299. It is called McNichols Electric. Now don't everyone go get one till I get mine LOLOL

Mike

[QUOTE][One of the Pro models is, indeed, a tilt-head version. So that's not really a test.
/QUOTE]

I forgot that, that came later, sorry for the old info. When I first got mine and only the white was available in the Pro, all the Pros were drop bowl. So change that to if yours is pink, it's not a pro;):p I think...:o

As I said I'm not up on the latest info, and my hubby said something about an ultra pro or a pro with even more power.

I find the Pro I have is adequate for bread, just adequate, but I sure don't feel like there's power and strength to spare.

Does anyone know what's available for home that might be a little more brawnier, as shel originally put it so well.

Kitchenaid

Hi Shel,
Go to the kitchenaid outlet store. I believe they are what you are looking for.
Also, everything pretty much isn't made the way it used to be. Plastic gears and other parts were introduced and they just don't hold up to the same amount of stress as steel ones used to. It makes for a lighter to handle product, but I miss the durability.
Hope that I was of some help.
Happy kitchen!
realistic cook

OK ya'll...I just got back from Target with my new KitchenAid mixer. I bought the UltraPower model. Better than classic but the Artisan Model.

And....I am very diappointed. The unit itself is very heavy and nice, but the attachments are garbage. I can just see them snapping in half the first time I try to make bread. They are like chrome painted plastic---extremely lightweight. I just know they won't hold up.

I am debating on taking it back, that is how disappointed I am. At the bakery I worked at in NC we had one and I thought I was buying the same one. But after reading the comments here, it must have been a PRO line because I now remember that it had a drop down bowl and not a tilt head.

Has anyone bought one lately? Are your dough hook and flat beater holding up? Maybe I should go ahead up grade to the Artisan one. I haven't seen the PRO ones for sale at stores. Where can you get it?

There is some interesting dialog in customer reviews on Amazon, maybe this pinpoints the original problem Shel was asking about (check out the negative reviews, there's a detailed review by an engineer). Raises issues about a plastic gearbox, sounds like this might have been resolved, I'm not sure.

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: KitchenAid? Professional 600 6-Quart Mixer Blue Steel

Lana, my aunt just bought a Pro at Costco a few weeks ago, the coupon was $100 off, not $75 like I thought. The Pro at Costco comes with full metal beaters, solid metal dough hook, says it's all metal construction.

Costco - KitchenAid 5-quart 475-watt Stand Mixer=

Lana, if you're going to bake bread, IMO you will need a strong motor and full metal beaters that the Pro lines offer.

Now Costco's pro is 475 watt, there are some Pros that are above that too. I understand the Pro600 as KYH mentioned is 575 watts.

My old Pros are only 350 watts, but solid. I did manage to ruin one of them years back after much abuse (hard dough at 8-10 with a dough hook:blush:), but in general, they've been standing up great, haven't had any other problems, haven't had a need to replace.

I would say if you're expecting it to take serious abuse, check with the manufacturer as to which specific model doesn't have that plastic gear case those negative reviews are referring to.

7-qt. Reconditioned Viking Professional Mixer [VSM700] - $299.95 : Welcome To McNichols Electric Service

This Viking is a KA on steroids. I've had mine aprox. a month now. It's made three batches of bread dough with 3#s of flour, if I remember right. It went through a double batch of choc cookie dough like there was nuttin in the bowl. A recon for the price w/ the one year warrenty can't be beat. The one I got had some scratches on it that's why it was returned, or at least that's what I was told.

Mike

I honestly can't say - have had my 5qt at home for 16 years (was a wedding gift) and still performs perfectly. It's my favorite kitchen appliance (yes, even better than my MagicBullet ;) ) I've been using a 6 qt at work (relatively new) and have had no durability issues, but today was my last day there - my new job (new restaurant starting from scratch) is ordering me a commercial 5 qt KA and a 20 qt Hobart (both new :cool: ) .... can't wait to get it up and running ("work" starts tomorrow, but restaurant needs a couple of weeks to get totally sorted before grand opening. I'm excited as all get out :crazy:

- shoe

I have gone through 4 kitchenaid mixers in 2 years where I work, it's always the gears that go and I'm just wondering if the kitchenaids are made in China now? I have an older model at home and I have had it for 6 years no problems but it was made in USA

All the tilt head models have the plastic gears/gearbox, this is straight from my latest conversation with KA customer service in Dec 2010.

shel:

I called KitchenAid many years ago, and was informed that their mixers utilize nylon gears, whereas Hobart mixers utilize metal gears. The Professional 600 Series mixers were merely a product line name. It was not made for commercial-use. The Pro-Line Series mixers have steel-gears. The Pro-500 Series mixers have a 5-qt. bowl. The Commercial-5 Series mixers are NSF and UL Certified for commercial-use.

Refurbished KitchenAid mixers

Viking Professional Stand Mixers:

7-Quart Stand Mixer

5-Quart Stand Mixer

 

KitchenAid Just Doesn't Give a Damn by Chad Ward

 

I will not be buying KitchenAid mixers.

Edited by TheUnknownCook - 2/8/11 at 4:00pm

Hi Lana,

I tend not to talk about KitchenAid much.  I got one about 12 years ago, replacing my hardworking but still good Sumbeam stand mixer (old, old, old).  I fully expected to love the KA, but found I didn't like it at all.  It was so big and heavy and much harder to use than my old Sunbeam stand mixer.  I mean futzing with that paddle thing all the time was awful.  And when you wanted to push down the stuff on the sides of the bowl, you had to stop it and contort things to get into the bowl and do it.  The "oldie" allwed me to just stand there with my rubber spatula against the side of the bowl while it turned and presto, it was done.  Plus I didn't see one bit of difference in the ability of the 2 mixers to do the job.  In fact, I got better results with my old Sunbeam - but that could be just because I was used to it.

 

The KA is in the basement with all it's attachments.  I pull it out and use the meat grinder thing occasionally - I make my own sausages sometimes. (edit) I forgot that I used to use it in canning season - it has a vegetable strainer that I used for tomatoe sauce/juice, but now days I simply freeze tomatoes in season for later use.[end of edit]   But that is all it is ever used for. 

 

The old Sunbeam is still going strong, and I put it to some serious tests.  I make souffle type cheesecake, double recipes of stiff buttercream frosting and other stuff that taxes most mixers.   But it has handled it all for decades now.  I keep thinking I'll save the KA for when the SB goes.  But so far it has not been necessary.  EDIT: I have made bread dough in this, but now days I usually make around 6 cups of flour at a time with bread dough, and the Sunbeam does not have that much capacity.   I could pull the KA out of the basement, but mostly I use no-knead method now days.

 

Both of these, BTW are older models.  My KA definitely says "made by Hobart".  It is all stainless stell, not colored at all.   The SB (also stainless steel) is circa 1950's.  My mother used it before me!   The KA served a church which closed it's doors and sold all the stuff.   I was so excited to get the KA, then so disappointed in it.

Donna

Edited by IndyGal - 7/31/12 at 7:29am

Any thoughts on the Cuisinart 1000 watt, 7 qt. bowl stand mixer???

Try www.kitchencollection.com and search refurbished. They have a nice selection of kitchen aid mixers.

If you're going to spend $5-600 on a mixer, why not get a real but nicely used/refurbed Hobart N50 on ebay for around $450-$600 and forget the domestic stuff.

I bought my Kitchenaid 4.5 on sale from a K-mart in 1980 for $125.00 and never had any problems

I just went through another mixer.

This time, it lasted only 10 months.

The directions are very clear on the speed needed for kneading bread, so I followed them.

No more than 2nd speed.

Fine .........Slower speed means longer knead time.

12 minutes on 2nd speed, done daily or semi-daily apparently is still too much for this mixer and she sounds like the gears are meshing......

Top of the line piece of crap.

I wish I could still physically knead dough by hand, and now am using the food processor with the dough blade until I have the courage to tell the boss about the mixer.

Don't tell..........

I have to admit that my kitchenaid only was used  daily for only Cake Batters, Icings and Salad Dressings during the first 3 years at my restaurant. After that I took it home and it ony had to make a bread dough every 2 weeks or so. It really never had to do any heavy duty mixing at all. Maybe that's why I did not experience any proplems during all these long years of use. ?

 

If you can grab an N50 in good shape in that price range it's a no brainer IMO. My KA is about 18 years old now and still kicking.

 

Dave

 

Here's one that didn't sell and it looks great:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/350583452814?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

The older KA's were built with way more durability than the new ones.  Go to ebay, search on Hobart N 50.  When the results pop up, click on advanced search.  On the new page that displays, simply click on "COMPLETED LISTINGS" to show what the N50 has sold for in the past.  Every week I make and knead by hand a 6C loaf of rye bread and were I in the market for a mixer I'd definitely spring for a good used N50.

Bought a "regular" white KA stand mixer after SIL RAVED about hers and FORCED me to take it home one Thanksgiviing Day... with the condition that it came BACK the following weekend.  AFter cranking out double batches of cookie dough for 5-6 different holiday treats... I was sold.  Think it was around $200... and had a rub-off coupon that got me 20% off.  It came with dough hook, paddle amd whisk... tilt top model.  I don't bake a lot but have NO regrets about that SPLURGE.

 

A year or so ago, found a "vintage" KA stand mixer at Good Will.  Kinda faded yellow, crank up/down, whisk/paddle/dough hook included. When I hauled it to an outlet... ran well.  Price was $39.99... BUT on that day, it was half price.  Just couldn't pass it up.  Has larger capacity bowl than newer on.  It was relatively clean... just a bit dusty from where ever it had been.  I cleaned it up really well, taped everything off, and spray painted it flat black with paint meant for outdoor gass grill carcasses.

 

During cooler months, probably use it once a week to make home-made pizza dough.  Just have to WATCH heavy cookie doughs come together... no sore arms/hands from wrestling with a big wooden spoon.  Had niece over for a weekend of holiday preparation when she was about 11-12... decorating and EATING!  Made BUTTER from cream... she thought I was a wizard.... or maybe a WITCH!?!

 

Good luck,

BDL

In response to the O.P., Shel,  here are a few answers.

 

K.A. is made by Whirlpool.  If you can find a Whirlpool appliance repair center, you will find refurbished mixers there.  I bought mine there, and after talking to the guys there, the only reason the mixer was returned is because the customer didn't like the colour.  Yes, Costco has an excellent return policy, doesn't it?

 

Stay away from the tilt-head models.  The guts are plastic and crud gets lodged in the bowl lock and the tilt mechanism.

 

I have had great luck with the professional series.  The first one lasted me 10 years and was used daily in a commerical kitchen.  The second one is going on 5 years now, still used daily in a commercial kitchen.

 

I have not used a 6 qt model yet, I bought the 2nd 5 qt because it had the same bowl and and agitators, having a second bowl is like having a second mixer.

FoodPump,

 

Don't bother with Shel, he's been gone for four years.  No matter who you were addressing, your suggestion about buying used from a repair center was helpful and on the money. 

 

BDL 

 

 

IIR that's the case with all of the Artisan series. I've had excellent results with the pro series as well and have seen those small mixers take a ton of abuse in many commercial settings.

 

Dave