The wonderful parents of my preschoolers last year gave me gift card money to a specific store so I could buy the Kitchenaid 6 qt. pro mixer I've been wanting.
The store did not have it in stock last spring, but offered to order it from their online site for me. They told me the color I wanted would be back in stock in 15-30 days. I waited that amount of time and it never came back in stock. So, they had to cancel that order and request the gift card money to be mailed back to me. That took over a month and a half and by the time I had the card again, all of the colors were out of stock.
I am looking at the Cuisinart 7Qt Stand Mixer now and want to know if anyone has it that can compare it's performance to the Kitchenaid. Please can anyone tell me if it is worth it or should I use the gift card for something else and get the Kitchenaid I really wanted at another store???
~Julie
I have a KA mixer....have had it for 5 years.....and it does ok....but I did get a chance to use the Viking......OMG!!!!!......what a difference. If I had the extra money I would by one in a heart beat..
good luck...a good mixer makes a world of difference in your mixing and your time spent mixing.
I have a KA. Like it because I was burning up those little hand-mixers faster than a kid scarfing his birthday cake!
However, with that in mind...the new ones are not near as sturdy & durable as the older models. I have a friend who has a 30-yr/o KA. Great piece of kitchen equipment and just as much as a work horse as ever! My new one? It growls and whatnot when I have too heavy of RI. 
My friends like, na na boo boo with her work horse.
I'd spring for the exra ca$h and get the Viking. 
Ok, I have a KA Artisan, a KA Ultra Power, and a Viking 5qt...I think I wish I'd have bypassed all the others and went straight for the Viking 7qt! My Viking is about 3 years old and awesome, a real work horse, love love love it! The kitchenaids I got about 5 yrs ago when I first got started, they've been great but even though they're pretty, I can tell I'm working them too hard...expecially the Ultra Power is growley and tempermental.
I have a 4.5 qt KA that my husband got me for our first anniversary (which was 7 years ago). It still works but it does struggle sometimes. I bought a 7 qt Cuisinart this past may and I love it. I was thinking about getting another KA just to use the pasta roller attachment for gumpaste but reading that people are having problems with the newer models, I may reconsider. Linens and Things has the Cuisniart on sale now and the 20% coupon. Don't know what store the gift card is for but you can get it pretty cheap. I know the Viking is on sale for 502.00 but it's the same 1000 watts and looks like the Cuisninart although I realize the Cuisniart is part plastic, so far it's held up fine and I can do a large quantity of SugarShack's BC or IndyDebi's BD.
I have a friend who has a 30-yr/o KA. Great piece of kitchen equipment and just as much as a work horse as ever!
KAs are living on reputation, not on performance.
I have a basic KA that's 30 years old, and it works like a charm. But it was Hobart made. None of the KA appliances after Hobart sold the line are the same quality they were. Actually, if you look at the prices, they are not as high as they would have been if they were the same quality as the old ones. If they had kept the quality, a basic model 4.5 quart, would be selling for at least $350 or more. A gallon of gas was about $.56 and a first class stamp was $.10 in the mid 70's. Everything is much more expensive except the KA mixers. It was keep the prices about the same, add lots of colors and reduce production costs. The problem is the quality and durability of the product suffers.
Off topic- found the company that makes the flame decals for KA's. They have a couple of other designs including chili peppers and Victorian roses.
They sell through Ebay. I may gussie up my old girl.
peg - was that recently? When I called last year because my was acting up (it was only 3years old at that time) they told me I'd have to take it to one of their repair shops and pay for it myself...I'd love to have the contact name/number of your customer service rep, lol!
peg - was that recently? When I called last year because my was acting up (it was only 3years old at that time) they told me I'd have to take it to one of their repair shops and pay for it myself...I'd love to have the contact name/number of your customer service rep, lol!
It was last month, and basically i just called to find someone locally that i could take the thing to, to have it fixed. Told the lady what had happened, and she was like wait a minute please, came back on and was we want your mixer we'll send you a replacement. I'm like once again this thing is at least 10 years old, another wait a minute please, then yes we still want your mixer.
They shipped me a replacement (refurbished i believe, but really don't care) and i just had to put mine back in their box and place their prepaid shipping label on and off it went.
Oh maybe i just got lucky maybe it was because i wasn't demanding replacement, didn't expect it. Just really wanted to get my old girl fixed.
Would i buy another KA after this experience certainly.
peg - was that recently? When I called last year because my was acting up (it was only 3years old at that time) they told me I'd have to take it to one of their repair shops and pay for it myself...I'd love to have the contact name/number of your customer service rep, lol!
It was last month, and basically i just called to find someone locally that i could take the thing to, to have it fixed. Told the lady what had happened, and she was like wait a minute please, came back on and was we want your mixer we'll send you a replacement. I'm like once again this thing is at least 10 years old, another wait a minute please, then yes we still want your mixer.
They shipped me a replacement (refurbished i believe, but really don't care) and i just had to put mine back in their box and place their prepaid shipping label on and off it went.
Oh maybe i just got lucky maybe it was because i wasn't demanding replacement, didn't expect it. Just really wanted to get my old girl fixed.
Would i buy another KA after this experience certainly.
Maybe I should call again and see if I get anywhere, lol...One of mine is laboring very hard even with a simple buttercream or cookie dough, and will rock from side to side and growl...what happened to yours/what was wrong with it?
Thanks for the info!
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