[eddie]

I am researching all leads trying to pick a replacement for my failed Sunbeam Electronic Food Processing Center which lasted over 20 years but I can no longer find parts. I think its a circuit board problem but hesitate to get into replacing SCRs and etc being unsure of the outcome.

I have noticed that several brands claim that KA accessories will fit and all that use the planetary drive seem to picture a near identical flat blade, dough hook and wire whisk. I am tempted to go for the Cuisinart as everythingkitchens has a deal on it now that includes a free blender and a rebate for a food processor all for $249. But I am concerned about reliability and parts availability.KA has so many refurbished units available on Ebay that it scares me a bit, but KA repair parts are readily available.

In my search I also note that the Waring 7 Qt Commercial unit is identical in appearance and features  to the Cuisinart SM-70 so that adds another brand name to the mix.

 

[eddie]

Will any other brands bowls work with the Cuisinart? I purchased the Cuisinart 5.5 quart mixer from everythingkitchens.com and got a good deal, the mixer with blender attachment and an offer to get a free food processor all for $249 with free shipping. I would like a smaller bowl for whipping if someone elses bowl will fit the bowl lock in the base.

 

[riverwalk]

After reading this thread, especially Boar d laze's post, I looked up the Electrolux Assistent and viewed the demo video at electroluxmixerdemostration.wmv I have to say that I would never buy the KA or Cuisinart mixer after seeing that workhorse. I definitely want one. It's the first home use mixer I have seen that looks like it won't overheat and break with heavy doughs/breads. The attachment videos following the mixer demo just went on and on, there are soo many attachments and they look so seriously well made!

 

[thegreatfixer]

while i agree the Electrolux Assistant is the best mixer anyone here mentioned
it excels with large loads but its expensive

in truth the absolute best dough mixer i ever used (for smaller loads) is the Dough Only Mode on my bread maker (i happen to have a 20 year old DAK catalog bread maker) the advantage is that any if not all bread makers mix just fine (up to 3 cups of flour or more for some models) and make the best bread that is light and fluffy (even with 100% whole wheat, that's all i use) it mixes then stops lets the dough rise while turning on a small amount of heat to help it rise (just enough for it rise no more its like putting the dough near a warm oven) then it mixes it again and so on when its done i simply take out the dough and braid it into Challot and bake it in the oven

and i have a Kenwood and a Electrolux Assistant but for small loads i use the brad maker for dough

 

[eddie]

The Electrolux does look very good, however for my use the cost adds too swiftly.

 

[johnny h]

For what it is worth, I am a casual cook and even more casual baker.  Three years to the day, mid November, 2007,  I purchased a Kitchen Aid 600 Pro. (6 Quart, 575 Watts....I am not saying how much power it actually has, I am just saying that is what the manual says....lol) In those three years I have baked approximately 30 loaves of bread and enough dough to make about 35 to 40 pizzas.  Other than the occasional times that it was used to mash potatoes or similarly light to medium duty tasks 2 or 3 times a month, that was all the use it received.  On Thanksgiving Morning 2010 while preparing bread for our big feast, the Kitchen Aid bit the dust. (The gear/gear housing situation) I guess I just assumed that Kitchen Aid was "The Brand" and it had all metal gears!  Obviously, there are still issues with the Kitchen Aid.

I don't pretend to know or even care about who owned what company, when it was sold and whether or not the parts are interchangeable.  I also really don't care to understand the details of why some electric motors are more efficient than others.  Not that there is anything wrong with knowing that information if  you are so inclined, but for me it is VERY simple.  When I buy a product will it do what I want/need it to do and will it last a reasonable time if I give it reasonably good treatment.  To my way of thinking, the Kitchen Aid failed the reasonable time test.  I know what you might be thinking.  Did I abuse it?  Did I overload it?  Perhaps I did, but I don't believe so.  I read the owners manual and never did anything including load it more than was recommended.  In fact 90% of the bread and pizza dough that I made were from the recipes that came in the cook book with the machine.  Since I am NOT a real cook or baker I follow the recipes to the nth degree.

So here is the bottom line.  I am VERY disappointed in the Kitchen Aid.  They have obviously had lots of issues. and after doing a lot of research, reading lots of forums and generally becoming more confused than ever, I decided that I would buy the 7 Quart Cuisinart Mixer.  My wife likes the way it looks and it has a 5 year motor warranty and 3 year warranty on everything else.  It was also the least expensive of the ones we considered.  It came down to the new big Bosh Universal, a 7 quart Viking and the Cuisinart.  (Had I read here first I might have gone with the Electrolux but I checked their website and it did not show that they still made mixers).  So we have at least a warranty that is considerably longer than a Kitchen Aid and if they all wear out in about 3 years....we are loosing the least amount of money since it required the smallest investment to purchase initially.     

 

[boar_d_laze]

Well, well, well.  We just replaced our old, broken KA (from the era when they had plastic gear housings) which could not be repaired with... wait for it... a KA 600 Pro.  We have too many KA attachments to make the change to another brand, do too many other things with a mixer besides making large batches of bread to pony up the change for an Electrolux Assistent, found the KA for $229 (after rebate) at Amazon, and I'm not the only decision maker in the house. 

If this one bites the dust three years to the day, I suppose an Electrolux or a Bosch will be next.   

Geeze, I've spend a lot on appliances in the past few days. 

BDL

 

[tylerm713]

We were given a Cuisinart mixer a few weeks ago as a wedding present, so I've been experimenting with it for a little while. I haven't had the chance to use any attachments with it, but so far the performance has been good. Prior to getting this mixer, I used a KA that my fiance's family had. It was over 10 years old and worked great. I think for most people, the KA is so iconic that they are drawn to it. And for good reason. KA makes some good mixers. The jury is still out on the new Cuisinart, but so far so good.

 

[kyheirloomer]

Johnny, I found your post particularly interesting, because we must have bought our Pro 6 mixers within days of each other. But I've had the opposite experience.

In the three years (plus one month, now /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif) I have never had a lick of trouble with mine. The motor hasn't even overheated, let alone quit. And that's with fairly heavy-duty use: I make bread at least once a week, including whole-grain breads, as well as using it for other purposes. I'm wondering if you didn't get an older machine, as when we bought them was about the transition time and there could have still been some of the poorly designed units on retail shelves.

As an aside, do you really use a stand mixer to make mashed potatoes? Whatever for?

 

[boar_d_laze]

Tyler -- Mazel tov!

KY -- I'm lovin' your words, brother.

Johnny -- Why didn't you get your KA repaired? The machines which created the bad repuation have been off the market for years, while the new KA seems to be well liked in serious baking forums like The Fresh Loaf. One of the problems with internet research is that the reputation of the old machine is attached to the new one by people who are unaware of the changes. On the other hand, internet or no internet, that's reputation for you.

Here's hoping my third KA -- which should be arriving in time for Kwanzaa -- is as good as KY's current miser. The first one, more than twenty years old, is still going strong with my daughter who inherited it from her mother (my previous wife). The second, one of the first generation Whirlpool's with the now thankfully obsolete plastic gear housng, died a horrible death after a few years of light use -- outside of warranty and without the possibility of repair.

There was no getting around replacing it with another KA, despite the shining example of a friend's Elextrolux. There are just too many attachments already in our defunt KA's storage crypt. I couldn't pass up the great deal on the KA which seems to have been offered because the color, meringue, seemingly is discontinued (who knew shades of plain white mattered?). If anyone's in the market, Amazon is selling them for $229 (after rebate). That's a good price.

One does like a bargain -- especially considering how much one spent on a new espresso machine (should be here Monday and plumbed in on Tuesday), it's companion big-deal grinder, the regular coffee machine (our old one is dying -- right on cue), and the tea machine (?!) one's significant other gave herself. If one is not asking, How many ways can one make hot water? one is a better man than one is, Gunga Din.

Wotthehell, wotthehell, it really does look like a heck of a HanuKwanzMas -- that is, if you like appliances. Don't hate me for being beautiful (and broke), I can't help it.

BDL

 

[heika]

I intend to acquire my first stand mixer and today have read this thread discussion with great interest in the hope of assisting me to make a purchase decision. It was Amazon's to-good-to-refuse-offer of a KA Pro 600 Meringue ($229.99 after $50 rebate) that spurred me to compare the Cuisinart 5.5 with the KA Pro model at a local retailer.

There is no question that the KA has classic Art-Deco lines and the Cuisinart reminds me more of a sewing machine. However, once I opened the hood and sat in the driver's seat without starting the engine so to speak, I was baffled by the procedure for insertion and removal of the bowl on the KA Pro. It seemed to me that a blade or whisk had to be attached after the bowl was placed, and then detached prior to removing the bowl.

To me this appeared very awkward and was made more so if one wanted to use the rather ill fitting splash guard. The Cuisinart, on the other hand, came with a spring loaded pivot arm that was activated for release by depressing a lever. Presumably the arm rotates sufficiently far enough that the bowl can be removed without having to detach an accessory. Additionally, the splash guard lifted out of the way with the arm. These were my observations and the KA's good looks withdrew.

Is using a KA Pro 600 as awkward as it appears to me? While we tend to adjust to shortcomings, I would prefer not to start out purchasing a product knowing it has them.

 

[foodpump]

Huh?

The K.A. has two "ears" and a ball at the back of the bowl.  The ball goes into a socket at the back and the two ears hook into the sides.  This is how virtually all profefssional larger machines work too. 

The whisk or flat beater is placed into the bowl prior to hooking the bowl in, then attaching it to the shaft, and removed after lowering the the bowl.

 

[kyheirloomer]

Heika, you really make the KA sound awkward to use. But it's not.

The bowl hangs on what amounts to being gambrel hooks, and locks to the frame at the back, as Foodpump describes. The various mixing tools (whisk, paddle, dough hook) lock onto the rotating arm merely by turning in a keyway---the same as with a tilt-head model. That's the whole deal. Takes less time to accomplish than to describe.

As to the splash guard/pouring spout. I don't know anyone who uses it after the first day or two. And the one that comes with the Pro 6 is about 10X better than the one on the smaller machines.

 

[heika]

foodpump & KYHeirloomer,

Appreciate your response...makes me feel the KA Pro is again a purchase option. Happy Holidays!

 

[thegreatfixer]

Hi all just an FYI Amazon has the Cuisinart SM-55 5-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer on sale for $250 this is the lowest i found for a NEW ONE NOT REFURB with FREE SHIPPING AND NO TAX

is on sale

 

[quinkcooker]

I have read through all of your comments with great interest.  I have had lousy luck with small appliances, including mixers, coffee makers, etc., and am getting increasingly frustrated.  Most recently, I ran into the problem of not being able to get my appliances repaired, including my Cuisinart.  My repair shop has informed me that Cuisinarts are not repairable.  I've heard the same for KitchenAid.  Viking appears to still be repairable.  My most recent stand mixer stripped its gears making frosting (!), so I am in the market for a new one.  However, I really want to get one that can be repaired, preferably locally.  I hate our throw-away culture and don't want to participate, if possible.  I am not a bread maker.

You all seem like the most knowledgeable bunch I've come across, so any suggestions, recommendations, warning, etc.  Quink

 

[joolz]

Just chiming in with my Kitchenaid experience.  I have had my 400W KA Accolade (5 qt tilt head) for just over 3 yrs and a few weeks ago it recieved its death sentence from a local repair shop.  Symptoms were clunking sound with any medium duty use and the repair shop described the problem as "crack in gear transmission" which I'm now assuming may well be the plastic gear housing that is documented in this thread?  Does anyone know if the Accolade from 2007 would have been made with the plastic gear box?  I called Kitchenaid and they are unwilling to do anything for me stating that I should have purchased the extended warranty.  If I had known that their product was liable to end up in the landfill after 3 yrs without an extended warranty I certainly wouldn't have purchased it at all.

My dilemna now, is...do I take what sounds like a similar risk on Cuisinart which sounds like they have plenty of failing units themselves, or do I capitalize on the accessories I already have for KA and enjoy having a 2nd bowl for it which I always wanted from the start anyway.  Or do I upgrade to a Professional model KA which would presumably not have the plastic gear box?? (also negating the 2nd bowl benefit, because it would use the bowl lift system).  I'm so disappointed that I'm in this situation especially after reading KA's website about their 'long-lasting all metal gear construction'...hogwash! 

 

[johnny h]

Here is a follow-up to my original post from about 7 weeks ago.  We bought the Cuisinart and so for so good.  We have used it for various tasks...the same sorts of things that we had previously used our Kitchenaid, before the demise of the gear box.  I will attempt to tell you the things I like about it and the things that I don't.

First, off it is a heavy machine, similar to the Kitchenaid so it stays in place.  Again,my wife likes the way it looks and so do I.  I know that really doesn't matter in the broad scheme of things, but we still like it.   

The bowl is very deep and the beaters do a reasonably good job of clearing the sides of dough or whatever.  The bowl attaches completely different than the Kitchenaid.  Very securely in fact, almost too securely.  It twists on the bottom.  It can be difficult to twist off. My wife has some difficulty with it as do I.  You have to twist very hard and very quickly or the entire mixer moves.  The kitchenaid has the advantage there, but you can take the bowl off of the Cusinart without removing the beaters.  Advantage Cuisinart.  That it is possible because the Cuisinart tilts back.  Sounds silly, but with the Kitchenaid you can slowly raise the beaters with the lever while they are running and they will somewhat clean themselves as they will whip the mixture on the sides of the bowl.  I know, maybe not the safest thing to do, but it works!  Because the Cuisinart tilts and it will still run as you tilt it and the beats will still throw the mixture off, helping to clean them.  However, the mixture will not remain inside the bowl, which is not good!  Advantage Kitchenaid.  Also the Cuisnart when tilted in the upright position hits the top of my upper cabinets when the mixer is on the counter top.  I have to scoot it so the front of the mixer is as close to the front of the counter as it will go.  In this respect it actually takes up more counter space than the Kitchenaid because you cannot use the space behind the mixer very effectively.  To me, it means I can't set ingredients etc., in front of the machine.  Advantage Kitchenaid as I just don't have as much work space as I need as it is.

The spill guard/pour spout is worthless on the KItchenaid.  The one on the Cuisinart works very nicely and I actually use it.  It snaps down and keeps stuff from flying out and you can actually add ingredients without making a mess.  Advantage Cuisinart.

The Cuisinart has more speeds and seems to run faster than the Kitchenaid on high, which is rarely used by me but still a factor.  Advantage Cuisinart.  The Cuisinart has a timer which I never thought I would use but I have used it a couple of times and it is useful.

I know this is an unusual review as I have not covered, power, capacity and your other basics, but that information is readily available from the manufacturers sites.  The things I have wrote about are the things that I noticed.  Hopefully they will be helpful to someone.

I have made bread and pizza dough and various other things and it is running fine and so far handles big load without any difficulty.  Of course so did the Kitchenaid till it broke.  For now I like the Cuisinart and am happy with my purchase. If I was buying one today based on what I currently know, I would buy the Cuisinart.  Primarily because the Kitchenaid didn't last. But the proof in the pudding will be how long the Cuisinart lasts.  That is yet to be determined but I will keep you posted. 

 

[kelliq81]

I have the KA Pro on the stand from the early 80's - never had a moments trouble with it. It's white and we just redid our kitchen so I thought I would upgrade to the KA 600 in red. Ordered it in the fall - looked fab in our black and white kitchen. From the get go, the bowl was very finiky about staying put but I just lived with it. We've been on a grilled pizza kick so lots of pizza dough getting made. On December 23, thankfully after all of the holiday baking was done, I was making pizza dough, almost through, and the mixer just quit. Then it started smoking. It died a very early death. Unfortuntally we were renovating and our tried and true orginial mixer was literally buried along with the new KA box so I just recently sent the KA back to Surlatable. Then this morning on the Today show Jack Bishop from American's Test Kitchen was on and he recommended the Cuisinart 5.5 qt stand mixer SM55-BC for $299. Now I'm torn. Doesn't come in red! LOL! However, it does sound like a fine mixer and all of the researsh that I've done on the KA Pro 600 is iffy at best, which I knew going in in the change out, but was willing to try it out.

Does anyone have any input on the Cuisinart mixer?

Thanks!

Kelli

 

[love-to-eat]

after reading all the reviews,i got more confused which to buy..im thinking of buying a ka 5ss 2005 model...as it is on sale..can anyone tell me if it falls on the times when plastic was use on some parts of the mixer?..thank you!!!