One more time on Kitchenaid mixers

[polack]

Ebay has the assistant on sale for$399. Just type in electrolux mixer and it will come up for you. I'm going to give it, KA, one more try since I fixed it. Should it crap out I will definitely be looking at the electrolux. Now if anyone has the same type of problem as I did don't be afraid to try and fix it yourself. I have to admit they are pretty simple to repair, most of the time all you need is a straight slotted and phillips screwdriver, a flat punch, and a lot of paper towels to wipe the grease.The Ser. number of my set is wb0861090 and it's supposed to be the better made model. It's 325 watts, heavy duty wriitten on the side and according to the parts guy, there's a back oval plate that sits around the armature that can be removed by taking a screw out, that signifies the so called better unit.

Polaxk

[AmbrosiaFood]

So....  who can tell me which used model to look for and what serial number (or lower) will assure me that it was made before the changes took place?

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I always tell my friends, if it does not have Hobart on the Kitchenaid mixer, don't buy it.

Of course the Hobart N-50 mixer is the best of it's size, it is expensive. I own a very used N-50 I bought on Ebay for about the price of a new Kitchenaid -- built when Hobart first came out with the N-50....1947.

My neighborhood Hobart Service shop said it was in excellent shape, and better made than the new N-50 mixers.

[Petrissage]

I am starting to lean toward a higher-end product in the event I have to replace my mixer. Maybe I'm not ready to shell out $1500 for the Hobart, but the Electrolux models I saw (7-8qt) are only $200 dollars or so more than a Kitchenaid.

I have had the Electrolux [then distributed by the Magic Mill company] mixer for four years now. I use it 3-5 times a week for bread of all sorts. The mixer can handle just about anything you throw at it [but not 8x Peter Reinhart's BBA recipe for pâte fermentée...]. I also have the blender and vegetable shredding attachments, which are excellent. The vegetable discs go through a huge amount of vegetables faster than my food processor and more uniformly.

Edited December 22, 2004 by Petrissage (log)

[lemon curd]

The 6 QT Professional KA mixer was going to be my Christmas present this year. A Vancouver store had it for $399 CDN with a coupon (which is the best price I've seen in Canada), but a mixup at the store resulting in my order getting lost. After reading all the posts in this thread, I guess the store error was a blessing in disguise. I have a 15 year old 250W KA and was looking to upgrade in power and size. I'll have to check on some of the other mixer brand suggestions discussed in this thread.

Edited December 24, 2004 by lemon curd (log)

[andiesenji]

The 6 QT Professional KA mixer was going to be my Christmas present this year.  A Vancouver store had it for $399 CDN with a coupon (which is the best price I've seen in Canada), but a mixup at the store resulting in my order getting lost.    After reading all the posts in this thread,  I guess the store error was a blessing in disguise.    I have a 15 year old 250W KA and was looking to upgrade in power and size.  I'll have to check on some of the other mixer brand suggestions discussed in this thread.

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There is a Canadian distributor for the Electrolux because I have a friend near Niagara who bought one last year after some searching. She is away on a trip right now so I can't ask her the name but you could probably find it via a search.

[phifly04]

KA .

[CanadianBakin']

I purchased my first stand mixer this year and after researching I chose a Bosch Universal with the American dough hook. (If I could have afforded it I would have got the new Bosch Concept.) It has a 700 watt motor, a 7 quart bowl and no overhead arm which makes adding ingredients very easy. It's not ideal for very small recipes but I use my hand mixer for those anyways. It does handle medium to large recipes very well. I have had no burning smells, no skipping gears, no struggle in the least. It easily whips up a triple batch of cookie dough or several loaves of bread. You can check it out here. It's reported to have a 1% failure rate over 20 years. It''s definitely not the coolest looking machine but I'm very happy with it's performance. If you can afford it, the Bosch Concept has all the features plus a great look. One more thing, Costco.com sometimes has the Bosch Concept for sale with a particular set of attachments. It just wasn't the right combination for me plus buying from Canada can be a pain in the butt.

Edited December 26, 2004 by CanadianBakin' (log)

[lemon curd]

Thanks for all your suggestions on alternatives to the KA professional mixer. I noticed that the Fine Cooking Holiday Baking magazine (special issue - Winter 2005) recommends the KA Professional 5 Plus as its 'best all-around'. The Hamiliton Beach Eclectrics was considered 'Best Buy'. Both the Electrolux and Bosch brands sound like good alternatives.

[CanadianBakin']

lemon, I just wanted to mention that the Bosch they used in that review is an entirely different animal. They didn't review any that had blenders or other attachment things which have much larger motors, bowls, etc. I guess to keep it simple.

[Richard Kilgore]

There appear to have been several variants of the KA Professional model. I got one with the 350 watt motor rather than the 325 watt motor several have mentioned on this thread. Are there differences in the durability and effective power between these two?

[arbuclo]

Thanks everyone for the information. I take back what I said about buying a replacement KA if mine dies. If I need to replace it I'll take your recommendations on alternatives since I use mine for making a lot of bread dough.

[polack]

When I looked for a mixer, that's what I wanted a mixer with no add-ons, i.e. blender, food processor, etc. I wasn't looking for a mixer that had add-ons built on to the mixer, to me it seems like there's too much of a chance for something to fail. I would say that you would be wise before you put down a few hundred bucks, to go down to a local appliance repair area and check with the tech. on what might be the most trouble free mixer for the price. Around my area we have a Vac-way that repairs small appliances, have parts, and gave me some good info on the KA line. I have an older model that has heavy duty written on the side with a 325 watt motor, the tech claims that the one I have, with a removal back plate, on the rear of the motor-has a screw that takes a plate off and exposes the rear of the armature, is a better unit to get. Now you really can't prove it by me, I repaired mine twice already and am looking to modify it with a circuit breaker to save the plastic gear. But anyway he claims the model k5ss is supposed to be a better line. He did say some of the newer versions are giving the consumer problems, that's why I mentioned previously that electrolux might be the way to go if I were to buy another mixer. People that have them seem to rave about them and I haven't seen a bad report on them.

Polack

[Just loafing]

Lemon Curd: I'm on Vancouver Island and spent some time a couple of years ago locating a western Canadian rep for the Electrolux. She is in — wait for it, Neville, Saskatchewan, has no web site, e-mail or fax. Her name is Betty Reimer and her phone no. is 306-627-3625. She sells both the Electrolux and the Bosch. The DLX is an excellent machine and did what I wanted it to do which was make bread for our store ... six two-lb. loaves at a time and save my thumb from kneading by hand. That said, having expanded our bakery operation to 75-100 loaves twice a week and 20 or so on off days, I now have a 30-qt Hobart which I love. Knowing what I know now about the Hobart, I would have looked for a used 10 or 12 qt Hobart instead of the DLX. I still use the DLX for cakes, cookies etc., but do bread dough in the Hobart which will make 20 two lb. loaves at a time or four.

Just Loafing

[lemon curd]

Lemon Curd: I'm on Vancouver Island and spent some time a couple of years ago locating a western Canadian rep for the Electrolux. She is in — wait for it, Neville, Saskatchewan, has no web site, e-mail or fax. Her name is Betty Reimer and her phone no. is 306-627-3625. She sells both the Electrolux and the Bosch. The DLX is an excellent machine and did what I wanted it to do which was make bread for our store ... six two-lb. loaves at a time and save my thumb from kneading by hand. That said, having expanded our bakery operation to 75-100 loaves twice a week and 20 or so on off days, I now have a 30-qt Hobart which I love. Knowing what I know now about the Hobart, I would have looked for a used 10 or 12 qt Hobart instead of the DLX. I still use the DLX for cakes, cookies etc., but do bread dough in the Hobart which will make 20 two lb. loaves at a time or four.

Just Loafing

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Thanks so much for the contact info Just Loafing - I'll be giving her a call. BTW had to check out on a map where Neville Sask. actually was!

[K8memphis]

...and gave me some good info on the KA line. I have an older model that has heavy duty written on the side with a 325 watt motor, the tech claims that the one I have, with a removal back plate, on the rear of the motor-has a screw that takes a plate off and exposes the rear of the armature, is a better unit to get... But anyway he claims the model k5ss is supposed to be a better line. He did say some of the newer versions are giving the consumer problems...

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Exactly correct.

Hey guess what - I gotta workhorse K5ss it is however only 300 watts - 5 quart - going strong for like 25 years - and and and I have a newer 6 quart KA 525 watts - piece of sh*t.

KA is running on the fumes of it's previous reputation. I can totally attest and personally agree with the tech's assessment. While old faithful does have the little screw in the back to remove the cover just like you're stating the real screw job is on the newer models, huh?!

[jgarner53]

I got my KA Artisan 5-qt last year for Christmas, and it's worked for me just fine, on everything from whipping cream (and marshmallows) to panettone and three batches of really, really stiff bagel dough back to back. (the recipe from Cook's Illustrated's baking book)

[Richard Kilgore]

I think I need to run some really stiff dough through mine before the warrantee expires.

[polack]

I think I need to run some really stiff dough through mine before the warrantee expires.

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I was just doing batches of sourdough through mine when it failed, not once but twice. Some of the older models had circuit breakers on the side for when they would start to draw excessive current and trip the power feed, thus saving the internals. I want to modify mine with one but am waiting to see if it's worth it with the nylon gear. I hear they used the breaker on metal worm gears and that's what I have to find out, was it indeed metal or nylon.

Polack

[K8memphis]

I got my KA Artisan 5-qt last year for Christmas, and it's worked for me just fine, on everything from whipping cream (and marshmallows) to panettone and three batches of really, really stiff bagel dough back to back. (the recipe from Cook's Illustrated's baking book)

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It's the professional series in particular that is truly truly flawed. I've never heard of any of the artisan line going bad but I've heard of lots of the pro series sucking big ones.

I'm glad you got a good mixer!

The book for my old 5 qt says to do no more than 2 loads of bread at one time - the newer 6 qt book doesn't say that - but I don't have confidence to do one batch of bread dough in it.

But but but wanna hear a good KA story??? 20+ years ago I was very pregnant and came down with bronchitis & my husband took such good care of me - he even made me cinnamon bread per the KA little cookbook - who'd a thought - there's a typo in the recipe!! It calls for 2 tablespoons of salt It was the thought that counted, not to mention he cleaned the house & made me chicken soup!! So I still have the slightly flawed book - it was beautiful dough though

[Richard Kilgore]

I purchased my first stand mixer this year and after researching I chose a Bosch Universal with the American dough hook. (If I could have afforded it I would have got the new Bosch Concept.) It has a 700 watt motor, a 7 quart bowl and no overhead arm which makes adding ingredients very easy. It's not ideal for very small recipes but I use my hand mixer for those anyways. It does handle medium to large recipes very well. I have had no burning smells, no skipping gears, no struggle in the least. It easily whips up a triple batch of cookie dough or several loaves of bread. You can check it out here. It's reported to have a 1% failure rate over 20 years. It''s definitely not the coolest looking machine but I'm very happy with it's performance. If you can afford it, the Bosch Concept has all the features plus a great look. One more thing, Costco.com sometimes has the Bosch Concept for sale with a particular set of attachments. It just wasn't the right combination for me plus buying from Canada can be a pain in the butt.

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Anyone have any infomation on the Bosch Comfort Plus or the DeLonghi 7 Qt.? I have found display models of each at a steep discount.

[carp]

I think I need to run some really stiff dough through mine before the warrantee expires.

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Right before the end of the “exchange with new one” portion of my warranty expired, I set out to try to break mine (6qt pro).

I was not successful. I tried mixing stiff dough at high speeds, tossing in frozen chunks of butter and creaming them, and overall just punishing the machine for no good reason. The frozen butter alone made the thing seize up and I could smell burning plastic and electrical parts. One particularly stiff batch of dough nearly had the mixer doing cartwheels off the counter. I eventually got bored and gave up. Although I had a new found respect for the machine.

The thing didn’t break, but it’s not nearly what it used to be. There are some new squeaks and chirps and whenever I use the beater attachment at high speed it slaps against the side of the bowl. Yet it still mixes just as well as it ever did…

[polack]

I think I need to run some really stiff dough through mine before the warrantee expires.

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Right before the end of the ?exchange with new one? portion of my warranty expired, I set out to try to break mine (6qt pro).

I was not successful. I tried mixing stiff dough at high speeds, tossing in frozen chunks of butter and creaming them, and overall just punishing the machine for no good reason. The frozen butter alone made the thing seize up and I could smell burning plastic and electrical parts. One particularly stiff batch of dough nearly had the mixer doing cartwheels off the counter. I eventually got bored and gave up. Although I had a new found respect for the machine.

The thing didn?t break, but it?s not nearly what it used to be. There are some new squeaks and chirps and whenever I use the beater attachment at high speed it slaps against the side of the bowl. Yet it still mixes just as well as it ever did?

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Carp,

They're pretty easy to fix so don't worry about it failing you after the warrenty expires. Most of the time it's the worm gear that goes, it's made to fail after so much pressure and it's pretty easy to change. I would say that if the armature burns up or the field windings around the armature goes it might be different story on cost of repair. That's why it would be nice to have a circuit breaker in the set, just like the old model has. By the way someone mentioned that they had oil leaking from the unit, well try storing it in a cool place and don't let the motor get super hot. The grease in the unit will start to liquify when that occurs.

[Berlinsbreads]

This Fall I bought the newest model of Kitchenaid Mixer---I think it's called Pro 6. I have an older 5-Qt one, too. I make A LOT of bread dough. So far, this new one works like a champ. I have made all kinds of things with it. It has the new style of bread hook. The only downside I have noticed is how loud it is!! But I think that is probably due to the all metal parts that this model has. I'm hoping that Kitchenaid is trying to win back their reputation ---we'll see!

[Darcie B]

I can vouch for the DeLonghi (AKA Kenwood, made in England, FKA Rival Select). I have the 5qt. It is loud but it's a workhorse, handling the stiffest bread and cookie doughs. Does a fine job on whipping too although I usually use a hand mixer because of the small quantities I whip. I have a friend who swears by the Bosch, but I think the DeLonghi is less expensive. I got mine on clearance when they were switching from Rival to DeLonghi for U.S. distribution and it was only $109. It's not pretty like a KA, but I painted mine to match my kitchen and it looks a lot better.

[arbuclo]

I can vouch for the DeLonghi (AKA Kenwood, made in England, FKA Rival Select). I have the 5qt. It is loud but it's a workhorse, handling the stiffest bread and cookie doughs. Does a fine job on whipping too although I usually use a hand mixer because of the small quantities I whip. I have a friend who swears by the Bosch, but I think the DeLonghi is less expensive. I got mine on clearance when they were switching from Rival to DeLonghi for U.S. distribution and it was only $109.  It's not pretty like a KA, but I painted mine to match my kitchen and it looks a lot better.

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Would love to see a pic of your painted mixer. Got one to share?