Kitchen Aid 300 vs. 450

[Amy Viny]

I have a Kitchen Aid "Ultra Power" 300 watt stand mixer--which I love, but I'm wondering about trading up to the 450 watt version. I've started baking lots of bread and I'm worrried that kneading all that heavy dough will burn out my little "300"? Also I'd like to be able to use a larger capacity bowl. Does the 450 accomodate a bigger one? Anyone have any experience with the 450? Do you notice the extra power, and does the machine attachments i.e. the meat grinder work better hooked up to a more powerful motor? Thanks

[K8memphis]

I would not trade. I might add to and start a collection. Keep the old one. Some of the new ones are not as sturdily built as the older ones even if they are touted with "more power". My 27 yr old 5 qt KA beats rings around my new and improved 6 quart. I had to have the 6 qt replaced already once so I baby it. But I am not basing this on just my personal experience, it is very true.

Umm, be sure you don't use more than the recommended amount of flour when you knead --for my 5 qt mixer 8 cups is the max and umm, no more than two loads of bread in a row.

Start a collection At least give yourself a lengthy trial run on the new one before recycling your old one.

Never met a mixer I didn't love

[cognitivefun]

I like the Viking although I seem to be the only one who does here. It has a very strong motor. I have the 800wt version that I bought for US$230 on the web. Once I adjusted mine it works great and the power is very valuable for heavy doughs.

That said, I am finding the food processor is my weapon of choice in making bread so I don't knead breads in the mixer anymore anyway.

[mukki]

I would not trade. I might add to and start a collection. Keep the old one. Some of the new ones are not as sturdily built as the older ones even if they are touted with "more power".

←

I've heard this a lot and I wish I'd known about it years ago. My mom had a KA mixer from the early '70s in an avocado color that serviced us well when I was growing up. I used it in college, but gave it back to her (as I thought the color atrocious at the time) and bought a new one in 1999. Mom bought a new black one as well and donated the avocado one. I'm now guessing that the old one was manufactured by Hobart and probably a better machine than the new ones. Sigh.

My Ultra Power 300W has done pretty well, but it does "walk" across the counter when kneading pizza dough. I recently bought one of the professional 600W machines but haven't used it yet.

Edited September 29, 2006 by mukki (log)

[jayt90]

Plastic gears are the bane of the Whirlpool KA's. This was pointed out in earlier threads.

But poor wearing plastic parts appear in many so-called professional items. I saw a Waring Pro slicer dispayed in a big box store, at an attractive $130 price. When returped to possibly buy it a few days later, the blade had been removed on the dispay model, revealing a totally plastic gear train, back to the motor.

The use of these gears is understandable, since they can be produced with high accuracy and low cost. But there seems to be little thought in making the power train last much longer than the warranty period.

Caveat emptor

[skyflyer3]

I would not trade. I might add to and start a collection. Keep the old one. Some of the new ones are not as sturdily built as the older ones even if they are touted with "more power".

←

I've heard this a lot and I wish I'd known about it years ago. My mom had a KA mixer from the early '70s in an avocado color that serviced us well when I was growing up. I used it in college, but gave it back to her (as I thought the color atrocious at the time) and bought a new one in 1999. Mom bought a new black one as well and donated the avocado one. I'm now guessing that the old one was manufactured by Hobart and probably a better machine than the new ones. Sigh.

My Ultra Power 300W has done pretty well, but it does "walk" across the counter when kneading pizza dough. I recently bought one of the professional 600W machines but haven't used it yet.

←

Hey - My mom also has an avocado one from the early 1970s, and I remember when we would bake together I thought it was the ugliest thing on earth. Then when I bought my new one 20 years later, and it broke promptly after making croissant dough, I borrowed my mother's and fell in love. When she took it back, I got my KA fixed and the guy there told me the new ones break all the time. If you find an antique - hold on to it! Or call me.

[andiesenji]

I had a 5-A I bought at White Front in 1967 and gave to my step-daughter in 1978 when I bought one of These - because I needed the larger capacity.

She is still using it, has had the power cord changed twice. She has 4 sons and did a lot of baking when they were all still living at home.

I have had three of the newer KAs and have not been satisfied with any of them. I bought a different type of mixer for mixing very stiff bread dough.

However for general baking, the KA is okay. The newer design dough hook is less apt to have the dough crawl up and out of the bowl.