Stand Mixers Reviews

I have a Magic Mill DLX for those times when I want to make large quantities. I have used a Bosch compact for many years for smaller amounts. Both are machines I would recommend highly.

I bought this Krups over the web simply because I thought it was attractive and I was curious. When it arrived I was surprised at the weight of the machine; it must weigh as much as a small K'Aid. The machine uses a single-beater technology basically identical to the Bosch; the single attachment pivots from the center of the bowl, tilting at the same time. Not being a true planetary motion like the K'Aid, but it works as well. One advantage to this type of drive is that it's easier to add ingredients. One disadvantage is that this type of mixing motion is even more prone to spitting out dry ingredients during mixing! You may notice the bowl on this Krups is much wider at the top than the bottom. It's actually quite easy when making a cake, etc., to place the spatula around the edge to force ingredients into the mixing flow. Easier than any other mixer I've had, again because of the wide top.

This machine is much noiser than my Bosch, despite being approximately the same size. Though it has twice as many speeds as the Bosch, the range of speed is roughly the same.

If you use a machine like this only for cakes and small cookie recipes, it'll do you just fine, and it's quite attractive. The stainless bowl is much flimsier than a K'Aid; I could easily mash this bowl fairly flat by hand if I tried! It's obviously made from a thin sheet of stainless steel, and the edges at the top are fairly sharp. A perfect example of how the material is not used to advantage; the Makrilon bowl on my Bosch is much stronger and more substantial.

What prompted me to give this machine away was when I tried bread in it. The Krups comes with a dough hook assembly. I made a standard, white bread dough, approximately 5-6 cups of flour, nothing special even in my little Bosch with its 4 quart bowl. I thought this machine was going to destroy itself! The tilt-down head was jerking so violently that I literally had to hold the machine down on my counter the whole time it was kneading or it would've walked off the counter. There were unpleasant sounds coming from the whole assembly, even though the motor appeared strong enough. I only tried this once as I was concerned the machine wouldn't be able to stand the strain. The cheapest K'Aid, the little Classic, is available for about the same price as this machine, and will certainly handle a standard dough recipe. The bread itself turned out fine, but was an experience I wouldn't repeat. I gave the mixer to a friend who only had a hand mixer.

This mixer is also not easy to clean up. The tilting head has numerous little crevices and nooks that required a toothbrush to get all of the flour/dough residue out. Those twin shiny colums on either side of the head are just appliques that show every fingerprint.

In summary, there is little advantage to owning this machine. The Bosch compact is smaller, lighter, more powerful, more flexible, and certainly more durable for about the same price. The cheapest KitchenAid would be a much better investment. I've owned many Krups appliances and this is the first one I would not recommend to anyone. It does look pretty on the counter, though!

This equipment is not sturdy, if you try to make bread, it makes noise as if it would come apart. Well, it just did. I was mixing bread with the hook at lowest speed, it was 1.5 lb mix, and it just broke and stopped. Use it for cake mix or whipped cream.