Stand Mixers Reviews

Before I bought this machine I did a lot of research because I wanted a good mixer. Very dissapointing.
1) Even after adjusting the beaters to the lowest level, it still doesn't pick up the ingredients at the bottom of the bowl.
2) I bake small batches of bread, but even so, the maching moans and groans, and has a very hard time with it.
3) After only a few uses, the machine decided not to turn off. In order to turn it off, I had to unplug it. Of course this is probably a simply fixed malfunction, but I haven't been able to fix it myself.
After spending so much money on a mixer, I will have to go through the hassle of sending it back to be fixed. I wish they would just take it back, I don't think fixing it will do much good.

I bought the Viking 1000 watt 7 quart mixer about one and one-half years ago. I had used several Kitchenaid mixers over the past 29 years of marriage, but given that I do lots of bread baking I needed a heavier duty mixer. At first I was extremely happy with the Viking. However, today it died. I was doing an 11 cup bread dough recipe as I do every week. I did everything I usually do, but midway through the kneading it died. I called Viking and got no help. I will never buy another Viking product again. After spending $500 I expect a product to last longer. I don't know what mixer I will purchase in the future. I may have to resort to the Hobart, because no other mixer holds up.

After extensive research on the web and through friends' experiences, I decided to opt for this 7-qt mixer. Two other major brands I considered are Hobart and of course, KitchenAid. The DeLonghi mixer comes close to specs and features, but is also marketed under Kenwood and Hamilton Beach. I sure wouldn't want to pay premium price for a Hamilton Beach. The Hobart is a true commercial grade mixer but overkill for the occasional home use, not to mention at lease twice the cost. The KA doesn't have the 1000 wattage or the professional feel like the Viking 7-qt mixer. One thing my wife appreciates about this unit is that it has rear wheels for easy maneuverability around the countertop - the average stand mixer weights over 20 lbs so this feature definitely helps. Although the availability of accessories for this mixer is few, however, I do notice that the included beater, whisk, and dough hook are well-made, stainless steel attachments (not plastic coating over metal). Overall, the Viking mixer is powerful, easy to use, and professionally designed that won't look dated 10 years from now. This mixer must be a joy to work with because my wife's been baking almost every week since we got it. By the way, the stainless gray model one sees on the Viking website is grayer in color - only the bowl, attachments, and the front "Viking" attachment cover are stainless. Highly recommended.

Bought a VSM500 for my wife for Xmas 2005. The issues we have had: 1. The instruction manual asks you to remove the beaters/dough hook etc in a clock wise manner. So, we got the beater in but then couldn't get it out. We tried and tried and were very discouraged. Well, my wife went back in and tried some hours later and it just popped right off. So we repeated the process and realized that to get the accessories off you actually have to remove them counter clockwise. Would be clockwise if you were looking down on the unit. Anyway, initially found that discouraging. Also, there is a round plastic piece that the mixing bowl sits on as it comes out the packaging, do not discard. Granted we have had the unit all of one day, but the plastic piece actually helps put the bowl on and take it off. Without it we found it to be somewhat tight.
I post this here b/c I couldn't find anything when I was looking to see what the problem was with our unit.
Having listed all the cons I still say, kudos to viking on the whole. The machine works remarkably well. Mashed potatoes, whipped cream, bread, rolls all in a day! Powerful unit, thoughtfully designed! Very well made accessories. Buy an extra bowl, makes the process go very smoothly if you are making more than one thing. Hope this helps

This machine is one tough cookie. I have had mine for almost a year now and it is showing no signs of slowing down. The finish is extra strong and it still looks brand new. I use it mostly for mixing bread dough. It seems if you can fit the dough in the thing it will mix it up.

I would have bought the 7-quart model but it will not fit under our cabinets. But I'm not disapointed in the 5-quart model at all.

It is easy to move with the back pivot wheels. Just grab the the bowl handle and wheel it back and forth. It also slides left and right just as easily. Set the front down and it holds firmly in place even when under heavy loads.

I have no attachments for it yet, but I will be buying the meat grinder in the future. I have no doubts this thing will be able to handle meat grinding with ease, but as of yet I haven't tested that.

The bowl on mine can be dificult at times to remove. That could be a problem for someone who is not of average strength. I usually spray a little Pam into the attaching points of the bowl after clean up as a lubricant to make the bowl removal easier for the next usage.

Very, very, tough and well built. Smooth operation and quiet motor. Heavy duty stainless steel accessories. I had ordered a KAide Pro 6 Quart online but when I saw and operated the Viking at a local dealer I new this one was much better for my needs. I cancelled the KA order and bought the Viking on the spot. A couple things I liked about the Viking was tilt head for easy access to beaters and the wheels on the bottom. Its very easy to move around the cabinet, with the head locked down just lift up the front of the machine and it pivots onto it 2 rear wheels. It moves forward, backward and slides easily left and right. When done set the front down and its locked in place with no movement. Also the Viking is very easy to use the beaters go on and come off very easily with no fuss. It has two spots to hook up optional stuff, one is for the slow speed options and the other for the high speed stuff like blenders and others. But the best part and the main reason I bought this over the KA is this baby has 800 Watts of pure power. Of course for $100 more the 7 Quart model has 1000 Watts. OK, I'll admit it, I'm a man and a bought this as a gift for my wife. But when I saw all the cool gadgets and heard this thing had more power than anything else in its class, my heart melted. But the ease of operation make it a plus. If its a pain in the butt to operate and clean my wife will put it under the sink and it will just gather dust. She is not like me, she hates complicated machines and doesn't care about gadgets, watts and things. All that she cares about is that it does the job. Viking must have had my wife in mind when they designed this thing.

Only Con - More Expensive than KA but better.

After extensive research on the web and through friends' experiences, I decided to opt for this 7-qt mixer. Two other major brands I considered are Hobart and of course, KitchenAid. The DeLonghi mixer comes close to specs and features, but is also marketed under Kenwood and Hamilton Beach. I sure wouldn't want to pay premium price for a Hamilton Beach. The Hobart is a true commercial grade mixer but overkill for the occasional home use, not to mention at lease twice the cost. The KA doesn't have the 1000 wattage or the professional feel like the Viking 7-qt mixer. One thing my wife appreciates about this unit is that it has rear wheels for easy maneuverability around the countertop - the average stand mixer weights over 20 lbs so this feature definitely helps. Although the availability of accessories for this mixer is few, however, I do notice that the included beater, whisk, and dough hook are well-made, stainless steel attachments (not plastic coating over metal). Overall, the Viking mixer is powerful, easy to use, and professionally designed that won't look dated 10 years from now. This mixer must be a joy to work with because my wife's been baking almost every week since we got it. By the way, the stainless gray model one sees on the Viking website is grayer in color - only the bowl, attachments, and the front "Viking" attachment cover are stainless. Highly recommended.