Seriously Considering Getting a Bosch Universal Stand Mixer!!

Shermie

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My 2 KA stand mixers are starting to give me trouble now. I'm looking to replace them. They still work, but I think that the switch on both of them might be starting to go. I noticed this the other day while using them both to make the 7up Cakes for two people. Also, the older one is starting to leak oil. Don't want that in anything that I make with it!

I thought about having them fixed at an appliance repair shop, but it would cost me more than what I paid for them both! And if they WERE fixed, who's to say that this problem with them won't come back?

I also thought about getting another KA mixer or a KA-style one, but I've had these two for some time now, and the newer KA mixers - especially the bigger ones, I don't trust them now because of their troubled past, and mainly because of dissatisfied owners who've said that the transmission broke, and also JoeV's KA mixer that broke twice since he's had it.

I've decided to go with HIS idea about getting a Bosch Universal machine.
Not only is he happy with it, but I also did some research on it and learned that it is well-adored by many gourmet cooks, bakers and beginners alike!

And besides, I want to try another mixer that has the bowl in plain view - that is, with no over-the-bowl motor head. It would also be a Christmas gift to myself. I just want the basic one with a few optional attachments. Also, I've read that the belt-drive mechanism in the machine is very exceptional, providing far more torque and mixing power than mixers with gears transmissions!

The only optional accessories that I want are the bowl scraper and the cookie dough paddles to come with it. I'd have to make up my mind this month if I still want to get one.

I also thought about getting a Globe stand mixer, but they are far too expensive, even though they appear to be made with very good quality construction! :weber:
 

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Guts

New member
I hear those are quite powerful but not cheap. I have a problem making pasta dough with my 6 quart professional Kitchen Aid mixer. It just wants to tear the gears up although I haven't done it yet but I expect any time. I'm keeping my eyes open at the used restaurant supply stores around San Diego for a commercial mixer Hobart type. These use mixers aren't really that expensive in the whole scheme of things. The drawback is there big bulky and heavy. But they are real workhorses.

My mother had one of the older bosh and she really liked it. I just want a dough mixer that will hold up to heavy mixing such as making pasta dough
 

Shermie

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I thought about getting a Bosch Compact Mixer, but I like that fact that the Bosch Universal can plough & power right through enough cookie dough to make 250 chocolate chip cookies in one batch! As well as handling enough bread dough for 6 to 9 loaves of bread!!

This large amount of cookies or loaves bread can be made in one batch! Not that I ever would make that much, but I could if I wanted to.
I've always been quite fond of big monster food prep appliances. To get more work done in less time! To get anything small for the amount of baking that I do is just ridiculous!! :weber:
 
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Shermie

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My two KA mixers have served me well, no doubt about that.

But I want to try a different brand, and the Bosch Universal is the only one that is within the price range that I'd happily spend that green for!

I've looked at two Globe mixers, and trust me, they are very well made with good solid construction, but my budget is not suitable to spend $680 or $980 for one of them!!

So once I realized that those 2 machines were out of the question, that is when I decided to do some research on the Bosch Universal. I've looked at the Bosch Compact as well, but since I do a lot of baking, the Bosch Universal will be the perfect choice for me!

The motor in this machine is a whopping 800-watt one - the most powerful one that I've seen in any home stand mixer!! I think that it'll be far superior over any other brand, especially the KA brand! :cooking:
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
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I bought the Bosch Universal and love it. As for the KA, I have put two sets of gears in my Pro 600, and the second gearset toasted about 5 weeks ago. I'm not rebuilding it again. Costs about $35 in parts, and the parts are made from crap materials. Die cast gears in a "commercial" mixer smacks of stupidity, not cost containment. It also smacks of not caring about your reputation, which was shot a long time ago. They lost me and a lot of other customers for life because they just don't care anymore.

As for cost, the Bosch Universal is the same price as the KA Pro 600...$399.00. I bought my Bosch from Bed, Bath & Beyond, and got 20% off with the ubiquitous coupons that appear in the mailbox. I saw it on the BB&B website, but it was not available when I went to the store. The nice clerk went online, took off the 20% coupon, and shipped the machine to my home with free shipping. FWIW, we went to buy a $500 Vitamix at BB&B for a Christmas gift for DS, and it was also not in the store stock. Again, a clerk ordered it for us online, and it's on its way to our home with free shipping & 20% off.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!:chef:
 

Shermie

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I bought the Bosch Universal and love it. As for the KA, I have put two sets of gears in my Pro 600, and the second gearset toasted about 5 weeks ago. I'm not rebuilding it again. Costs about $35 in parts, and the parts are made from crap materials. Die cast gears in a "commercial" mixer smacks of stupidity, not cost containment. It also smacks of not caring about your reputation, which was shot a long time ago. They lost me and a lot of other customers for life because they just don't care anymore.

As for cost, the Bosch Universal is the same price as the KA Pro 600...$399.00. I bought my Bosch from Bed, Bath & Beyond, and got 20% off with the ubiquitous coupons that appear in the mailbox. I saw it on the BB&B website, but it was not available when I went to the store. The nice clerk went online, took off the 20% coupon, and shipped the machine to my home with free shipping. FWIW, we went to buy a $500 Vitamix at BB&B for a Christmas gift for DS, and it was also not in the store stock. Again, a clerk ordered it for us online, and it's on its way to our home with free shipping & 20% off.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!:chef:


Thank, and you SHOULD!

You are so right about KA though!! They just bloody don't care! When Hobart had the division, they only made two machines - the K-45SS & the K-5SS. Those 2 machines had practically dominated the world of the stand mixer market, beating out all other brands!

Then in the mid '80's, when Whirlpool bought them out, they started making so many other variants of the machine in massive quantities. They were churning out so many different models that, at first, it was so amazing that none of them seemed defective!

Then when they started making the even larger 6-qt machines, they had worked good for a while. Then the truth came out and the darkness came to light! As you know, there was a hidden design flaw in the gearbox which was made of plastic.

Switching over to the metal casing didn't help matters any! It was already too little too late. Everything else had worked on the machines, but without the gearbox, the machines mean absolutely nothing. And like you said, the gears themselves are cheaply made, so I'm not going to get another KA mixer. It's time for me to bid them fair well.

I'm grateful that my two KA machines lasted as long as they did. But now, I want to move on to another brand. I refuse to get the larger machines, and I'm becoming very impressed with the Bosch Universal's ability to handle massive amounts of cookie dough and bread dough!!

I'd rather get the Bosh Universal than to be disappointed with a mixer that it going to break down too prematurely and too often!! :thankyou: :sad: :yuk:
 
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Shermie

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With that bundle package also comes a cooking instruction dick and a dough hook extender.

I used to get the 20% off coupons. They stopped sending them. How do I start back getting them?

So are you saying that with the 20% off coupon, the machine is $319? What comes with it, the dough hook and the whip? Are you able to make a lot of stuff with just those two things for the machine? :mellow:
 

Shermie

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Yet another reason NOT to buy a KA mixer!!

The quality construction that was once there when Hobart had the division, just isn't there any more, now that Whirlpool has it!!! Like my 12-yer-old grand nephew always says; That's sad!!! :yuk:

Whirlpool, stick with just making major appliances - something that you've been good at for many decades!!! :weber:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwZqrWP1FWw
 

chilefarmer

New member
I watched the video, nice machine. I wish I could find a site that list all Accessories with the machine in one place. Then one could pick and choose, then place order. CF :smile:
 

Shermie

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I watched the video, nice machine. I wish I could find a site that list all Accessories with the machine in one place. Then one could pick and choose, then place order. CF :smile:




Try THIS link. it is a direct link to Bosch's own website for their mixers and grain mills!

Click on Bosh Mixer Attachments, then click on Universal or Compact - whichever one that you want to find out about. Took ME awhile to find it also, but I found it!! :weber:


http://boschmixers.com/
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
there's no question that

- Hobart made a tank
- subsequently, 'design strength' declined
- major major screw-up with the plastic gear box
- post plastic gear box the KA mixers appear significantly more reliable.


"... but they use plastic gears..." - yup, so did my 1970 epitome of reliability Volvo.
on the cam shaft timing gear - but, somewhere in the 270,000 mile / 15 year range, the thing broke. every machine does eventually break.

it's not necessarily the materials, it's a selection of materials and design.
I worked for a company that supplied the automotive industry.
the 'next to zero failure' specifications for the American maker - 60,000 miles
the 'next to zero failure' specifications for the European maker - 150,000 km at 160 kilometers per hour.

do the math . . . which resulting design does one think is "more beefier / reliable / sturdier" . . .

I have a KA lift bowl model - in use for near 20 years.
I'm very happy with it.
post-dates Hobart, pre-dates plastic gear box.
then again, I do not start off with 15 cups of flour. six, for me, is more like it.

my point is, blanket 'it's junk' is a tricky position.
just like the 'Bosch is nice but it's a PITA to clean' - I've never had to repair my KA, but I do have to clean it right regular.
 

Shermie

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there's no question that

- Hobart made a tank
- subsequently, 'design strength' declined
- major major screw-up with the plastic gear box
- post plastic gear box the KA mixers appear significantly more reliable.


"... but they use plastic gears..." - yup, so did my 1970 epitome of reliability Volvo.
on the cam shaft timing gear - but, somewhere in the 270,000 mile / 15 year range, the thing broke. every machine does eventually break.

it's not necessarily the materials, it's a selection of materials and design.
I worked for a company that supplied the automotive industry.
the 'next to zero failure' specifications for the American maker - 60,000 miles
the 'next to zero failure' specifications for the European maker - 150,000 km at 160 kilometers per hour.

do the math . . . which resulting design does one think is "more beefier / reliable / sturdier" . . .

I have a KA lift bowl model - in use for near 20 years.
I'm very happy with it.
post-dates Hobart, pre-dates plastic gear box.
then again, I do not start off with 15 cups of flour. six, for me, is more like it.

my point is, blanket 'it's junk' is a tricky position.
just like the 'Bosch is nice but it's a PITA to clean' - I've never had to repair my KA, but I do have to clean it right regular.



You're right!!

But, in all essence, what it actually comes down to is the old saying; You get what you pay for!

My two KA mixers still work as well, even though the switches are showing signs of trouble. But I'm quite happy, because I've gotten more than my money's worth out of them.

At least THESE 2 machines have lasted for quite a long time, whereas if I were to buy a bowl-lift KA mixer today, it more than likely would last for only a year, and even THAT is a big if!

Even though they are supposed to be 'tough as nails", according to KA, if you were to call one of their authorized service outlets and let them know that the machine has broken, they'll tell you that you made bread too often, or that you used too much flour in one of the bread recipes!!

They will NEVER admit that the machines are made with inferior or poor quality. They'll blame the consumer for the problem! They probably were told to say that by their superiors, to make it look as though they've done nothing wrong. That's sad!! :sad:
 

Adillo303

*****
Gold Site Supporter
Just to muddy the waters, I saw the global k5 for a bit over four hundred. So far my KA is doing what I want it to do. My only regret is that it was given to me as a gift and I would have preferred chrome to black matte.

Full disclosure, I only cook for two and I don't get to spend the time in the kitchen I used to out would like to, for that matter. Cooking is major fun for me.
 

Shermie

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Where did you see the Global machine for under $400?

Those are really big machines! Five-qt & eight-qt machines!
 

Shermie

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Just to muddy the waters, I saw the global k5 for a bit over four hundred. So far my KA is doing what I want it to do. My only regret is that it was given to me as a gift and I would have preferred chrome to black matte.

Full disclosure, I only cook for two and I don't get to spend the time in the kitchen I used to out would like to, for that matter. Cooking is major fun for me.


The SP5 model sells for a whopping $596. pretty bloody expensive!!! :ohmy:

But it IS certified by the NSF for small commercial use like in small eateries and small bakeries. :wink:

It is also very durable & reliable, according to consumers who own one. :piesmiley1::eating2: :wink:



http://www.globeequipment.com/Commercial-Kitchen-Equipment/Prep-Equipment/Mixers/SP5
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
"You get what you pay for!"

don't bet on it.
there are so many violations of that concept I'm not going to get involved.
 

Shermie

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Which is why I'm doing a lot of research, so that the next one that I get, it will be a good reliable one. One that will last for many, many, many years!!

You don't want just ANYTHING! For the amount of baking that I do, especially if I'm going to be selling cakes, I need a stand mixer that'll stand the test of time. The newer KA models won't do that.

I need one that I can call on to do the job whenever it is needed to make heavy cake batters & bread doughs at a moments' notice! :wink: :bounce:
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
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well, I should not have gone surfing.

"Globe 1094 Nylon Gear Bearing Assembly"
nylon, that's a plastic.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HNQ9ZT6/ref=asc_df_B00HNQ9ZT63343590?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=nextagcom0f-20&linkCode=df0&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B00HNQ9ZT6&ascsubtag=-9150577752526746644[/ame]
 

Shermie

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Site Supporter
The link that you provided does not work.

I would hate to have to be the one to correct you, but NYLON gears are a lot tougher & a lot stronger than the plastic gears. Let me try to define the difference between the two;

My two KA stand mixers have them (nylon gears). My Electrolux Assistant DLX-2000 probably has them also. The Bosch Universal also might have them.

The thing is, that nylon gears can take on heavier loads of cake batters & bread dough than plastic gears. When Hobart was making KA mixers, they put nylon gears in them. Who knows what is probably in then now!

I once had a elcheapo Hamilton Beach stand mixer that was not made to make bread dough. The gears driving the 2 beaters were of a cheap PLASTIC design, and in a short time, the gears had stripped, rendering the mixer helpless and out of commission.

KA had once told me that the gears are of a tough nylon - almost as durable as steel gears, and that to really mess them up, I'd have to put the mixer(s) through really a strenuous strain far beyond their capabilities. In other words, I'd have to destroy the machines to the point where the gears would just give up the ghost, but they said that the motor would not be affected, as it would become disengaged from the rest of the mechanism, saving itself from being destroyed and adding to the repairs costs to have to put in a new motor.

The manual says that if you ever got your hand or fingers caught in the beater while the machine is on, that you are more likely to suffer from broken bones!

As you already know, KA's top mixers have metal gears, but they might as well be PLASTIC, because they was very cheaply made.

Nylon is tougher, more rigid and is able to stand up to the task at hand. hence the reason why my KA k-45ss has lasted for so many years. Plastic gears would've shortened the life of the machine long time ago. One might say that nylon gears are plastic gears, but that is not necessarily true. If it were. than stand mixers costing hundreds of dollars would've crapped out within a very short time.

KA has mislead consumers into thinking that the metal gears in their bigger stand mixers will last far longer than nylon gears, but when you really look at it, their so-called supposedly stronger metal gears might as well have been plastic - not nylon, but plastic. Plastic is more breakable, far less durable than nylon.

With all of the daunting tasks that I've assigned my K-45SS to, it has definitely stood the test of time. it has practically been to hell & back! That mixer is close to 30 years old (come 2016)!

The new KA machines have yet to make that claim. Because the care, sturdiness, integrity and durability when out the window soon after Whirlpool bought out the division! I still have yet to even hear about a new one having lasted that long, or even NEAR that long.

And when making dough in mine, only the motor heats up, NOT the gears. They are made to last for a very long time. :piesmiley1: :eating2: :wink:
 
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ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
I hate to break it to you, but nylon is a plastic.

as for the rest, regrets I'm unable to accept at face value the claims.
I'm an engineer. I have problems with insane claims based on fictional third party made up data parroted by people who have not clue the first.

nothing else to add.

believe what you wish, it's your money.
 

Shermie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
In any case, I think that my mind is made up.

I'm going with the Bosch Universal!

Everything else out there is either way too expensive, flimsily made & unreliable or both. I'll start working toward getting one soon.

I like it's open-bowl design. :bbq3:
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
I would certainly hope that someone who is selling Bosch mixers would have something really good to say about them.

M Sales & Promotions
links like:
http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=439059&u=692785&m=44804&urllink=&afftrack=
which goes to the bosch site:
http://boschmixers.com/index.php/our-specials.html

Say, I've got this bridge for sale - actually, it's up your way - and it's better than any other bridge.


here's the disassembled link - all those codes are to ensure the "supporting blogger" gets their cut.
http://www.shareasale.com /r. cfm?b=439059 &u=692785 &m=4480 4&urllink= &afftrack=
 

Shermie

Well-known member
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Thanks.

Your Bridge in Brooklyn, you can keep. Hah!!

Try this link below.


http://pleasanthillgrain.com/bosch-mixer-universal-plus


As with most or all things, you take your chances when you buy a product or a service. But it is up to YOU - the wise consumer to choose whether you want something that's cheap, flimsily made, unreliable, or something that has a strong sturdy reputation and with a awesomely great performance record.

Bosch mixers have a very reliable performance record / reputation for being the finest machines produced. I still have yet to even HEAR about one having given anyone trouble. It will more then likely last for at least three decades or more.

In others words, you might be ready for a nursing home, or eating pureed foods, before one quits working on you! Even then, it also purees foods as well! If you really want proof of that, just ask JoeV. He's had his for a while now. Maybe not as long as others have had theirs, but he says that it hasn't given him any trouble at all.

Here's something that you might want to think about;

The motor in the Bosch Universal is an 800-watt one, while the motor in the KA Pro-600 is about just over 600 watts. This might not be a major deciding factor, and I've been told that motor power for a mixer is not measured in wattage, but in torgue.

But in my research, I found out that unless you are buying an expensive gargantuan mixer, such as the ones used strictly in commercial applications, such as mass-production bakeries, you really don't need that much power. But on the other side of the coin, if you are going to buy a machine that is flimsily made, not reliable and has a very poor performance record, then you are without a doubt, setting yourself up for failure, dealing with such shortcomings from something that can't even make cookie dough, much less anything else, that you might regret ever buying. :ohmy: :wink: :piesmiley1::eating2: :bounce:
 
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ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter

Shermie

Well-known member
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I did.

Well, wasn't KA making the same claims about their KA Pro-600, and it was on sites & blogs, but it is the actual consumers that found out otherwise when used in their homes?

Let me say that KA is the LAST mixer that I'd go back to because of this!! :yum: :wink:
 
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