Opinions on new stand mixers

[youonlylivetwice]

All,
I am sure this has been asked many times so I apologize for starting a new thread, but my specific question is I recently blew out my KA Artisan mixer.  I think it is the plastic gear but I am not going to mess with it, hope to sell it to someone with the time and desire to repair it. 
I'd like to step up to a slightly better mixer, more power and a better dough hook the main issues.  Any suggestions?  I dont want to spend $500, but I could see $350 or so and could be talked into $400... It appears the KA Pro can be had for around that.

thanks for any ideas!
YOLT

[Bill/SFNM]

YOLT,

Before you give up on your KA Artisan, give Kitchen Aid customer service a call. They have jumped through hoops for me, even offering to replace an expensive appliance that was out of warranty just because it had a cosmetic defect.

Bill/SFNM

[youonlylivetwice]

thanks, just tried them. they (very nicely) told me it wasnt their problem and sent me to a service center.  my concern is by the time they figure out what it is and what it will cost to fix, amd I going to spend $100+ to fix a mixer I paid $170 for several years ago and still have the same risk, or do I just spend $300-$400 and get an altogether better product?
thanks~

[andreguidon]

well. i have a cuisinart mixer that iam very happy with the results... my model is the 800W... there is also a 1000W one...

[Essen1]

I second Andre's opinion about the Cuisinart mixer. I got one ( Cuisinart 5.5 qt) over the holidays after my KA Classic started to act up and I couldn't be happier so far.

Here's what I've said about it in a different post:

A word about the mixers. After using the KA Classic 4.5qt for the last two years I must say that it stands no chance against the Cuisinart 5.5qt mixer. The Cuisinart just mixes more thoroughly, the slow-start feature is great and the fold option is even better. Not to mention the timer and auto shut-off. No more looking at clocks or setting oven timers in order to prevent over-kneading the dough. The Cuisinart is simply a great machine and lots of fun to work with.

It also features a hybrid of a dough hook, resembling something in between a spiral and a C-hook. Very efficient for a home mixer. It also has a timer and an auto shut-off feature, which prevents over-kneading of a dough.

[Pete-zza]

YOLT,

I think one of the first issues you should address is how little or how much pizza dough you want to make. Many of the mixers discussed on this forum, apparently also including the KA 600 Series, do not do well with small amounts of dough, for example, for a single pizza. Those that can make large amounts of dough are likely to be out of your price range, as least for a new model.

Peter

[youonlylivetwice]

thanks.... family of four; usually make two pizzas at a time, plus breads of typically 3C flour, one loaf at a time.

Occasioanally may double each of those, but never really any more than that, and rarely less.


good point~~!

[JConk007]

My KA artisan is gettin loose too! I have my eye on the Bosch Universal   it comes highly recommended by members on this forum, and as mentioned is good for the larger batches I need! It can be had for 400 buck and at 800 w its plenty o power! Just google it!

[widespreadpizza]

YOLT I agree on the bosch,  I just ended up with the most recent model after having the "universal" for the last 5 years and using it weekly or more.  I sold it for a good price on ebay btw,  they really hold thier value because they have an amazing reputation for reliablility.  I decided to step up to the new one,  only because it had an extra speed which is slightly slower than the universal's speed one.  It works fantastic as expected.  tough to beat for 400 bucks,  and good for a couple dough balls to 15 if need be.  It performs all othe mixing tasks amazingly well too.  To top it all off,  you do not need to have a crazy scheme to get it to do its job.  No scraping down hassles nothing.  You can add your ingredients,  water first, turn it on and you get dough no kidding.  -marc

[Villa Roma]

YOLT,

I have a 14 year old Kitchen Aid K5SS that I use with the spiral hook. I believe it uses the same motor and drive train as the Artisan. I replaced the nylon gear in it a few years back and it keeps chugging along. It's really easy to replace the gear and only costs about $15.
http://www.neilcrockett.com/mixer.htm
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,5241.0.html

If I was looking for a new mixer I'd get this one. http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=10043022&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&N=4294966560&No=0&Ne=5000001%204000000&Mo=0 It has more power than the Artisan/K5SS (475 vs 325 watts) and it comes with the spiral hook which you will love and uses any attachments you may have from your old mixer. Cost is about $300 with shipping. You may be able to pick one up locally for less at a Sams or Costco etc. if you can get it on sale.

     Villa Roma

[youonlylivetwice]

Thanks Villa,
I am going to give repair a quick try.... thanks for the link to great instructions.  hopefully  that will work, if not back to shopping.
thanks all, I havent been around this site much the last couple years but it is still a great group here!
(not that I have slowed in pizza production!)

YOLT

[Chet]

  If you want to save some dollars, go to a thrift store ect, look for a bread machine with the oval shaped pan, I have 5 of them, had 7 gave 2 away to friends, at anywhere from $1 to $10 each, My Oster is my favorite I can make 7-8 cups of flour doughs in no time. Never never never have to worry about gears to wear out ect. the ABM are belt drive and can take a beating. I have yet to wear one out. if you buy a ABM make sure you try it out, I know it sounds cheap, but you don't have to spend hundreds. sometime's most people have one laying around the house. by the way for those who do not know the motors in most ABM's have a ton of torque to mix because they are running a hi torque 220 volt motor, you plug it into a wall receptacle and the internals of  a ABM have a step up transformer & capacitor.


   Chet


   

[Villa Roma]

Thanks Villa,
I am going to give repair a quick try.... thanks for the link to great instructions.  hopefully  that will work, if not back to shopping.
thanks all, I havent been around this site much the last couple years but it is still a great group here!
(not that I have slowed in pizza production!)

I don't think you'll have any problem taking your mixer apart. Last year I replaced the vertical shaft and relubed my mixer. Just for fun I timed how long it took me and without even rushing I had the mixer cracked open like a clam in 3 1/2 minutes. The hardest part was driving the pin out of the planetary. It's not tapered so it can be driven out from either side. Hopefully you can just replace the nylon gear and keep on truckin.

I replaced the nasty smelling grease with a synthetic food grade grease that I got off of EBay. http://cgi.ebay.com/Synthetic-Food-Grade-Grease_W0QQitemZ120439547135QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c0ac1a4ff This grease has very little odor and doesn't separate like the original lube. It is white/opaque in color.

     Villa Roma

[ninapizza23]

Hi,
I saw a KA 500 series the other day at William Sonoma for $ 150 new. I was very tempted to buy it but recently I bought an Oster breadmaker for about $50 bucks with discounts and rebate. I make pizza for 4 every week and bread twice a week. Last one lasted me 5 years for $39, it still works, when the coating in the pan started peeling because my mother used a ss spoon I stopped using it. The pan alone is $40. I am satisfied with this breadmaker. For more professional jobs I am getting a spiral mixer from Italy. This is a different animal altogheter. Good luck!

[Villa Roma]

YOLT,

Here's another tutorial:

http://www.artisanbreadbaking.com/discussions/kitchen-aid.htm

Looks like he needs to clean his mixer!

    Villa Roma

[pcampbell]

for me one of the issues is size.... capacity. 

i dont like flour going everywhere, and i think i can only make about four 10.5" (220-245g) pizzas  (60% or so water) with the Pro5 Plus (the biggest 5 cup version they sell today, i think).

if you don't abuse the mixer, i think it will last a very long time.  i see a few of us learned this the hard way, and kitchenaid has also given me a second chance at no cost!

[dms]

for me one of the issues is size.... capacity. 

i dont like flour going everywhere, and i think i can only make about four 10.5" (220-245g) pizzas  (60% or so water) with the Pro5 Plus (the biggest 5 cup version they sell today, i think).

if you don't abuse the mixer, i think it will last a very long time.  i see a few of us learned this the hard way, and kitchenaid has also given me a second chance at no cost!

Really?  I've got an ancient 4.5 quart version, and routinely use a kilogram of flour (at 70 odd % water), and have no problems with mess. 

[Jackitup]

YOLT,

Before you give up on your KA Artisan, give Kitchen Aid customer service a call. They have jumped through hoops for me, even offering to replace an expensive appliance that was out of warranty just because it had a cosmetic defect.

Bill/SFNM

Just before Christmas I called KA folks and told them my KA Pro 600 had a loose planetary plate and was getting greasy metal shavings in my wife's cookie dough and was concerned about contamination with ongoing use. All I asked for was a new gear set, pretty easy to work on once you get them apart. Mind you this was a week or 2 before Christmas and they still had a brand new machine on my front step 4 days later with instructions to put the old one in the shipping box  and Fed/Ex came to the same step and picked it up 2 days later. I really can't think of anyone with customer service like that!! Yes, out of warranty too....
Jon