I am in the market for a new KitchenAid stand Mixer. I am currently using my M-I-L's 5 qt. tilt head mixer. I was wondering if the Bowl Lift models were better? what are the pros and cons to the bowl lift?

I too am in the market and be watching this topic

I bought a 6qt professional from QVC for the price of a 5qt. 5qts. sell around here for $299 and 6qts are $399. I have never used the bowl lift until now and have no complaints...except trying to get the attachment off is messy. I had a cheapo sunbeam and could tilt the top back to take of the beaters. I liked that feature alot!

I have used both the small tilt head mixer and now I have the bowl lift mixer...Since I have trouble with "change" I would like to say that the first mixer my husband purchased for me was the tilt head. With that in mind and the fact that when it comes to equipment I really don't like change, the tilt head mixer is lighter, easier to add ingredients to and has been a wonderful little work horse for years. This last Christmas my husband purchased the bowl lift mixer, it has alot more power and I can usually double my recipes on icing and cake batters, but put it where you don't have to lift it much! It is heavy. If I had my way, I wish there was a mixer that did both! The designers, however, didn't consult with me. My advice to you is purchase a refurbished bowl lift mixer, less money and KEEP (in your case, continue to borrow, haha) the little head tilt. It is wonderful to have both, but my daughter took my little one to college with her. I still miss it!

The pro to the tilt-head model is that you have more access to the bowl when trying to scrape the sides and bottom. The con to it is that, to my knowledge, they do not make it in the 6 qt size.

If you plan on making large cakes or large quantities of icing (which, by the way, can be frozen) then go directly to the 6 qt bowl, and get the most powerful motor available or affordable to you (in retail, that is usually the pro model).

Theresa

I have both. My bowl lift stays pretty stationary. Pro to bowl lift is that if it fits under your cupboard, you don't have to move it. With the tilt head I always had to pull it out as the head could not extend. The bowl lift is good for larger batches as mentioned.

One other pro to the bowl lift....After 7 years of twisting the bowl into the slot on the tilt head, the bottom became stripped either of the mixer or the bowl itself. Or both. With thicker batches the bowl starts spinning around. With the bowl lift it sits on the arms.

Last pro? It looks pretty!

Well my kitchen aid died yesterday. I have the tilt head. I really loved it, but I don't think you're supposed to use it everyday. After 5 years, the pin in the side keeps coming out and it can't be fixed. (the pin is what holds the tilt head on.) Now even when I'm mixing on low speed the head is bobbling all over the place. It's almost completely come off a few times too. It's also turning really hot. I'm in the market to get the Pro 610 that williams sonoma sells. I better start saving.

courtney1009,

You can put a little glue on the pin and put it back in and it will stay.

I have both the 6qt bowl lift KA and the 5qt tilt KA and love both. I love my new 6qt bowl lift model because it's bigger, there is more space to add ingredients, it starts slowly (less sugar poofing), and as mentioned, the bowl is very secure. The paddle is also much bigger. On the downside, as mentioned, it's hard to get the paddles off because the bowl only drops so far. Also, it can be tough getting the bowl set on the mixer correctly because there's a little tab at the back of the bowl that has to be in exactly the right place before you lower the sides of the bowl onto the pegs.