Stand Mixers Reviews

Bought this for my mother that was a special $100 deal that day, and we couldn't be happier. The top had a few minor scratches that makes the top less shiney, but aside from that there were no other imperfections. We've been using it together for about two years, and it's been reliable and easy to use. So if you have any doubts about buying something in this condition...don't!

I just received this yesterday via UPS. Not only is the price absolutely the best I have found for this item (free shipping plus $20 coupon off) but this machine is an absolute dream. It is big, beautiful and powerful. I love the size since I have seven children and I really need to crank out the homemade goodies. A double batch of oatmeal cookies (8 dozen large) was mixed up in under three minutes. Blends cold butter into the sugar perfectly and no problem at all mixing they dry ingrediants in smoothly. Refurbished accessories with free shipping are available really cheap at kitchenaid website as well as more information on this product. It is being discontinued and that is why it is available so cheaply. Kitchenaid website also has live help and an 800 number if you need to ask more questions before buying.

You'll be inspired to attempt great feats of cookery with this machine in your kitchen. Like having a Mercedes in your driveway, people will expect more from you than the average person.

After many, many years of using the old (50 years +) reliable Sunbeam, that my grandmother bought when my mother was young, I finally had the courage to break from tradition, and get a mixer that could handle a recipe that called for more than 3 cups of flour. This baby will take up to 12 cups of flour (or 8 cups of whole wheat flour), and never groan or squeal. Cake mixes whip up in nothing flat, and I've never been able to make merangue as quickly or as stiff as I can with my new Epicurean Mixer.

Here's a hint. Make sure to read the instruction manual, and pay careful attention to the part about adjusting the bowl height. A quarter turn of the little adjusting screw is all it takes. Also, and I found this out the hard way, the metal clip on the back of the bowl support has to snap securely into place, otherwise you'll never get the bowl adjusted properly.

Complaints? Well, the first one is that I waited so long to do something about buying a good mixer. The other complaint is that this monster doesn't fit under my kitchen cabinets without a little twisting and tilting. Once it's in your kitchen, you'll find a way to live with it, and then you'll wonder how you ever did without it.

I owned this mixer for several years, and in size and power it is suitable for most baking needs. Once I became interested in bread making, though, this mixer revealed its limitations. As other reviewers have pointed out, when kneading a tough dough for several minutes, the motor gets very hot. I finally burned it out (despite careful watching) on a brioche dough, which requires 15 minutes of kneading. If you are into bread making, or if you are cooking for a large family and make double batches, the Professional series is a better bet.

While researching reviews on stand mixers, I read that you want at least 325 watts to do bread. This mixer came up on a Friday deal and I got such a good price, I decided to purchase it instead of holding out for the Professional 6. Overall, for the price I am happy, but would recommend a larger motor for people who do lots of thick mixes or bread.

Power: It has no problem making cookies but when I did a double batch, the motor seemed to struggle a little on slower speeds (but it did mix it). I've also made marshmallows and whipped cream and biscotti in this mixer, and they have been fine (but only single batches of each). I love being able to walk away and leave something mixing! It sure makes baking quicker...

Bowl-lift: No problem whatsoever; the attachments reach to the bottom and the bowl feels steady. (Sidenote: just make sure you lock the bowl-lift fully!) I know other people like the tilt head, but the advantage of the bowl-lift is that you can put a bowl of ice underneath the mixing bowl to keep the contents cool. For example, when whipping cream, I not only put my mixing bowl in the freezer beforehand, but I'll also put a bowl of ice underneath just to make sure it keeps it cold if the mixer will need to be running a while.

Wished-for features that are available on other models: As said before, a more powerful motor for double batches of cookies so I wouldn't be fearful I was straining the motor. Also, I wish it had a slow-start so that dry ingredients would not go flying when I start it since even "1" is powerful. Last, the refurbished model doesn't come with a shield, which would also prevent me from having flour around the mixer. (But I'm planning on buying that separately.)

Refurbished: This mixer looks and acts brand-new! I've been trying to bake as often as possible to keep testing it while it's under the 6 month full warranty, and while I'm only a month into it, I don't forsee any problems.

So, overall I recommend this mixer if:
a) you aren't afraid of refurbs -- I'm not because it still has a full 6-month warranty
b) you don't bake double batches of anything gooey, or lots of bread
c) you have room to put it -- it's too heavy to bring out every time you need to use it, and because it has a bowl-lift instead of tilt head, it is taller than the Artisan mixer.

Bought this mixer a year ago and have only great things to say about it. Only $100 shipped free and was worth double the price. But just upgraded to the Factory-Reconditioned KitchenAid RKV25HOXWH Professional 5 Plus 5-Quart Stand Mixer, White. With the recent sale was only a nudge under $125 delivered. How can you beat that? It has metal gears and 125 watts more power. I will keep both to use when entertaining so that two can prepare different things at once. I can not express how happy I am with these mixers or with how amazon has enabled me to put a kitchen together that makes cooking a joy. As a note, if I were forced to choose, I would choose the KitchenAid RKV25HOXWH Professional 5 Plus 5-Quart Stand Mixer over this one. More power and metal gears, only draw back being two less attachments. But with the recent sale it is $40 less than this one and is far more machine.