KitchenAid Mixer Advice Needed

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
My mixer is old and dying. It's leaking oil, the Saudi Arabian type and because of its age I don't want to mess with it. I've been mousing around the KitchenAid site and all of their equipment looks good to me but it's Fran who uses mixers most and I don't know much about them.

Any advice on what to get? The KitchenAid brand is not a requirement. Thanks.
 

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
I only have experience with KitchenAid so I can only speak to that. If you plan on using it to make a lot dough, I would get the 6qt model. I have that one, and it has never balked at even double batches of bread dough. (It has the most wattage of the KA line.)
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
I agree with FM on this though I have an very old model it is going strong though I've don't make bread dough. We mix cake batters, pasta dough and pizza doughs with it. I also use the meat grinder on it more than any other item. Ours has to be about 15 to 20 years old at this point. I actually used it today to mix up a pound of garlic butter.
 

SilverSage

Resident Crone
I got my KA in 1983. I don't make bread dough, so it has done everything I've ever wanted with only one exception. Because it has the tilt head instead of the lift head, I can't put an ice jacket on it.

If you need an ice jacket for baking, or you make a lot of dough, get the 600 Pro. Otherwise, the tilt head is easier to maneuver, and will probably last a lifetime. Just make sure it's the Artisan, not the classic. Big difference in power.
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Yes I have the tilt head classic myself and wouldn't recommend it for very heavy duty things like bread doughs. It is great for what we use it however. Mine is about only 300 watt unit. Now sure what the 600 Pro are but they are more powerful.
 

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
That's the one I have, SS - the 600 Pro. Amazon has sales on this model regularly, if you aren't set on a particular color. The black one and the white one are the 2 that are most often on sale - sometimes for as little as $270.
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
If you need an ice jacket for baking, or you make a lot of dough, get the 600 Pro. Otherwise, the tilt head is easier to maneuver, and will probably last a lifetime. Just make sure it's the Artisan, not the classic. Big difference in power.

Classic 250 watts
Artisan 325
Pro Line or Pro 600 575

Big difference among them. I'll never be doing any "big" jobs so maybe I don't need the more powerful (and more expensive) models.....
 

FryBoy

New member
I have the 600 Pro and would not consider any lesser model. Of course, I paid only $50 for it, brand new in the box, from Macy's. CLICKY

I used to have a tilt-head Kitchenaid, but I like the 600 a lot more. The bowl is wider and it's thus easier to add ingredients.

You might want to consider these threads:

http://netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3380&highlight=kitchenaid

http://netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5291&highlight=kitchenaid

The BeaterBlade virtually eliminates the need to stop and scrape the bowl, at least with cake and cookie batters, and the CombiBowl is very handy for mixing smaller quantities.

BTW, ignore any comments that you may hear about plastic gears -- the gears and gear box in the 600 Pro are all metal.
 
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Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
Amazon has the 600Pro in white right now for $325.
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KP26M1XNP-Professional-6-Quart-Nickel/dp/B0002Y5X9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1252866234&sr=1-1[/ame]

You have to click the first color (plain white) in the row of color choices.
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
And as Doug said pick up a beater blade for it regardless of the model you decide on. I even have one from mine which I got from Cutlery and More about a year ago. They really work great.
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
Mmmmm. Found this.

Scroll down and the Pro 600 is $283 after $40 mail in rebate. And there is this on the same page:
KitchenAids are powerful, beautiful and versatile too, with a whole line of great KitchenAid attachments, including the popular pasta roller, the aforementioned combo attachment pack (*$119.99*, list $179!), the food grinder, ice cream maker, and a whole lot more!

Good deals or not?
 

smoke king

Banned
I don't do a lot of bread dough, but I do some, and my KA Artisan (tilt-head) has never let me down. During the holidays, it gets a lot of use, every day and doesn't even flinch. I'd be lost without it.

That being said, those commercial quality Vikings are pretty awesome-I think you could take it out to the yard and remove tree stumps with it!
 

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
Mmmmm. Found this.

Scroll down and the Pro 600 is $283 after $40 mail in rebate. And there is this on the same page:
KitchenAids are powerful, beautiful and versatile too, with a whole line of great KitchenAid attachments, including the popular pasta roller, the aforementioned combo attachment pack (*$119.99*, list $179!), the food grinder, ice cream maker, and a whole lot more!

Good deals or not?
Ooooh, I didn't know about the rebate! Even better! As far as the attachments, that's a good deal if you think you will use those things. I got the slicer/grinder, but I discovered I used my food processor more for those tasks because it's faster in the amounts I am making. For you and Fran, this might be just the thing.

For me, the extras I have purchased that I use the most are the Beater Blade, the 11-tine SS whip, an extra bowl, and 2 plastic lids for the bowls. The ones I'm lusting after right now are the ice cream maker and the ice jacket.
 

FryBoy

New member
The rebate is good no matter where you buy the mixer (except on-line auction sites such as EBay), and it's good on either the 5- or 6-quart models, plus you get a year subscription to Food & Wine Magazine. The mixer must be new, not a refurbished unit. The rebate form is attached.

If you buy from Amazon, there's no tax and free shipping, which would save you quite a bit of money.
 

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Cooksie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Mmmmm. Found this.

Scroll down and the Pro 600 is $283 after $40 mail in rebate. And there is this on the same page:
KitchenAids are powerful, beautiful and versatile too, with a whole line of great KitchenAid attachments, including the popular pasta roller, the aforementioned combo attachment pack (*$119.99*, list $179!), the food grinder, ice cream maker, and a whole lot more!

Good deals or not?

I have a friend who got the pasta attachment, and she loves it. I don't have a KA mixer :sad:.
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
I have a friend who got the pasta attachment, and she loves it. I don't have a KA mixer :sad:.

That is tempting. I have a feeling that my wife and I are about to try some new types of cooking and pasta would likely be among them.
 

FooD

New member
Check that Amazon price regularly throughout the week. I've seen that same 600 mixer listed for as high as $355 earlier during the week and as low as $313 ($273 after rebate) just a couple of days ago and anywhere in between. With free shipping that's a good deal.
 

FryBoy

New member
And note that on Amazon and elsewhere, the price for any particular model varies quite a bit depending on the color of the mixer.
 

leolady

New member
Buzz, my advice to you is to take your old KA to the shop and have them replace the gasket. It is no big deal, and you will have a mixer that IMHO is better than most of the new ones.

But that is just my opinion...........everybody has one.
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
Buzz, my advice to you is to take your old KA to the shop and have them replace the gasket. It is no big deal, and you will have a mixer that IMHO is better than most of the new ones.

But that is just my opinion...........everybody has one.

I KNEW you'd show up with good advice, LL. My situation is a little more complex in that the mixer is in FL and I'm in WI. I was leaning toward buying a new one and schlepping it back and forth. I think I'll buy a new one anyway and then take the old one in to be fixed in November when I get back to warm temps.
 

leolady

New member
Thank you Buzz! I aim to please, and I am taking a break on sewing my living room curtains.

You know, well maintained old KA mixers go for fairly big bucks on Ebay, and for more every year. That must mean folks are getting to appreciate Hobart dependability and are willing to pay the price to get it. Since you already have one, you are one step up from the newbies.
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
Yes, the old mixers are by far better than the new ones which tend to break down and not perform as how one might expect for what you pay for it. I did a lot of reading before I decided to buy a used 5qt Hobart. It is by far better than any new kitchenaid that is out there. Leolady, Mixmaster and Gadzooks convinced me and I am not one bit sorry.
 

FooD

New member
The KA's with the plastic gear boxes couldn't handle heavy dough. I think they've gone back to all metal gears like before.
 

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
Mine has all metal gears and I have had no problems so far. However, I would imagine the older Hobart ones are seriously more heavy-duty.
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
Yes, FF, lol, that is an understatement. However, my ksm90 that my folks gifted me with is fantastic--I think it was from the nineties. I just wish it were a 5 qt and not a 4-1/2 qt.
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
I think I'll go with the 600 Pro and the guarantee that comes with it. The motor puts out almost as much power as the car I just bought. lol
 

leolady

New member
I think I'll go with the 600 Pro and the guarantee that comes with it. The motor puts out almost as much power as the car I just bought. lol

Actually Buzz, the wattage that is listed for home mixers is NOT an indication of how much power they produce in torque. The wattage is how much power the mixer CONSUMES!:shock:

Only commercial mixers list their power as in torque of the beaters. That is why wattage as a power indication is worthless in home mixers. It is also why a 1/6hp commercial mixer can outperform a 1000 watt home mixer.

Wattage does not equal power.:sorry:
 

High Cheese

Saucier
I have a friend who got the pasta attachment, and she loves it. I don't have a KA mixer :sad:.

The only complaint I've heard about the pasta attachment is the noise. That's why I went with a traditional hand crank model pasta machine.

We have the Artisan model which has been trouble free, but the 6 times a year we make bread we knead by hand. All other doughs batters, etc it's been fine.
 
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