I have been looking at the Black Friday ads and found a basic KitchenAid for $160. At JCP the Hamilton Beach ones are $170 and the Cooks ones are $150. I know KA gets raves, but I'm wondering if even the most basic ones are best. I really like the colors of the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics. I like the watts of the Cooks, but it only comes in stainless I think. Which of these would you choose?

Kitchen Aid Classic
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-1/qid=1164330976/ref=sr_1_1/602-9295254-4279027?ie=UTF8&asin=B00063ULMI

Hamilton Beach
http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/ProductsHOM.aspx?DeptID=25439&CatID=37241&CatTyp=LFS&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=0e9e4ef&ProdSeq=7&ProdCount=15&ShowMenu=T&ShopBy=0&SearchString=stand+mixer&RefPage=SearchProducts&CmCatId=SearchResults|SearchProducts|25439&FromBanners=N&S4DeptID=25439&S4PageNum=1&S4PageSize=28&Dep=housewares

Cooks
http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/ProductsHOM.aspx?DeptID=21476&CatID=21559&CatTyp=DEP&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=1010d86&ProdSeq=2&ProdCount=15&ShowMenu=T&ShopBy=0&SearchString=stand+mixer&RefPage=SearchProducts&CmCatId=SearchResults|SearchProducts|25439&FromBanners=N&S4DeptID=25439&S4PageNum=1&S4PageSize=28&Dep=housewares

KA all the way!!!!!!!!!! I'v had others and none are as powerful and reliable as KA

I've got two KA's. One from my gramma, its over 20 years old and runs fantastic. The other my mom just gave me. Only because of their history would I buy another KA. You just cant kill a KA!!!

I have Cook's and would highly recommend it. It is more powerful than KA. The highest watts in a KA is 575. The Cook's has 700 watts.

So, the KA's are really THAT much better than the others? Of course, I snoozed and the BF deals are all over...

I own a Cook and love it. It's 700 watts and I got it on sale. I have no problem with MMF now!

I have owned 2 kitchenAid and the 1000 watt Viking mixer. It really depends on the kind of baking and power you need. I loved all of them - but the Viking offered the power I needed.

Well, the particular KA you posted the link to doesn't even come with the plastic splatter shield! It costs extra! grr!...only avail in white....
I got mine for not much more than that in RED and it came with the splash guard. Mine is also 350 watts and the Artisan stand mixer. Personally, I don't think the Target $1.99 deal was the best.

I like that the cooks has a powerful motor, but can it accept attachments like the KA?
I've never used one or seen one used. ???

As for the HB...it is very attractive, but....for the watts and the money...and attachments!--I'll stick to my KA! 100%

Good luck!

Yes, the Cook's has the front covered closure for attachments also. I burned up a 350 watt KA and prefer my Cook's over the KA I had. Some KA's may be made better than others but I like the power of the 700 watts and KA doesn't offer anything with that wattage that I have found.

I have a KA and I love it. My mom has one that is over 20 yrs old and it still works. I do like the looks of the Cooks one and the power!! OOOHHH, rough choice!

I love my Cooks. It is amazing and has more power than anything I have had before.

I have a 350W KA and LOVE it! I do all my MMF in it with not a problem. My Mom has also had hers for over 15 years and still going strong! I'm a KA girl and since that is what my mother used that is what I also bought. I've never used any of the other mixers in question though. Good Luck!

I know it is not one of your choices, but I have a sunbeam I paid in that range for and I love it. I have made MMF and rolled buttercream in it with no problems using the hook attachments. I ahve the heritage one that is 450 watts. I would love a KA but until I can afford a super duper model I am happy wiht my Sunbeam. Go ahead, you can all tar and feather me now

I think the Cooks looks like a decent mixer for the money though and I would probably get that if I was going by those choices alone.

I wouldn't have anything but my Kitchen Aid. If you are looking to save money, try looking at an outlet mall. If they have a kitchen store, there is a good chance they will have refurbished Kitchen Aid mixers. The great thing about these is that they have been thoroughly gone through by one person to guarantee that they are up to Kitchen Aid standards. The person that inspects them must stamp them with their number, certifying that they are perfect. Buying brand new, you get whatever comes off of the production line. Maybe it is OK, maybe not. I was told this by someone who works in the business and said they would never buy anything but a refurbished product because of the higher inspection standards.

I read somewhere that refurbished can mean many different things. It can mean that the customer mearly opened the package and didn't like what they saw and returned it, they opened it used it once and it was defective at which time returned and repaired and resold, they received it as a gift didn't want it and returned it - even though never opened it was returned and has to be treated as a refurbished product and it then thoroughly inspected and resold. Many different reasons for being labeled refurbished but none of which are really that bad.

I would recommend the Cooks because of the wattage, but if you can find an affordable refurbished top of the line Pro 600 KA I'd go for that one

Woo! I just got my KitchenAid Professional 5 series mixer!!! I cannot wait to use it! I've heard so many good things about KA's .. my boss has one that is over 50 years old! I bought myself an early christmas present ... found a good deal online @ Amazon.com.
No more hand mixing for me!

err ... 15 years, not 50! hehe.

dance...nice to "see" you over here! I was thinking about the Sunbeams too. They have them at Walmart for $100. I know a lot of people here say they aren't durable enough, but others (like you) say you've made fondant in them without a problem. It doesn't bog down at all when you do that? Where did you find the 450 watt Heritage? The one at Walmart is only 350....

I too noticed that the KA didn't come with any of the attachments (hook, splatter shield, etc). I think it's going to come down to the Sunbeam, Cooks or Hamilton Beach.

I have a kitchen aid, it'll do, but I am saving for a Bosch. KA good but messy and cumbersome.

Up to two days ago I would have sworn that KA was the only way to go but I had an incident with my buttercream (I think the KA overheated and cooked the egg yolks.. not nice, I have no use for sweet scrambled eggs). It's an Artisan model (beautiful buttercup yellow color) so I'm thinking of getting a more powerful one. Are the ones in the Professional series 5 600W? The 325W Artisan model is insuficient. Just my 2 cents.

Inma

I love my Cooks mixer. It has a lot of power at 700 watts, a huge bowl that I can mix up to 4 icing recipes at once without difficulty and as mentioned before, the splatter guard is a great feature.

The KA Professional 5 Plus has 450 watts & a 5 quart bowl, the Professional 600 series has a 6 quart bowl and 575 watts.
I also chose the KA for it's durability and warranty, instead of finding something a little bit less expensive.
HTH,
-L

Hi back to you I got mine at Kohls last year but you can search online. It is a Legacy edition or something like that. I saw it listed on the main Sunbeam site recently because I was looking for extra bowls for it. (It came with 2 but I can always use more. Seems like I am always washing the bowls over and over just to finish a cake.) It does bog down a bit when doing some heavy mixing like MMF or something, but I hear that even a lower end KA does too.