I only bake cakes for my family. The main difference between the more expensive ones and the less, is the bowl size and the watts. I figure that if I need to double a recipe, I could do it twice (4.5 quarts), but aside from that. is the 300 watt motor fine? Does the 550 watts make a big difference if all I'm mixing is cake batter, and icing. The cost difference is $150 vs. $300.

I have the kitchenaid Classic which is the smallest one I think....I love it. I would love to have a larger one but it is too tall to fit under my upper kitchen cabinets. I am however going to invest in an extra mixing bowl and maybe another beater blade. I make cakes for family and the smaller one works fine for me overall

As long as you stick to making things like cake and frosting, this should be fine. You could probably get away with making the occasional cookie recipe. But if you are going to make bread, it will burn out in no time.

I have a 275 or 300 watt 4.5 mixer that I use when I make just a dozen cupcakes. It is the perfect size for this. I am actually going to give it to my DD someday. But now I am using it for small jobs.

If it is for cake batter and buttercream type frostings you are probably fine. However, if you plan to do bread or fondant in it you should go for the bigger one. I have the Professional from Costco and it's wonderful. I got it on markdown for $200 though. There are deals to be had on the bigger models if you keep your eye out.

i just bought my first ka stand mixer after much deliberation. i plan to keep the thing until it dies so i went for the big one. the professional 600 series. i love it because i can make everything with it. i got it from amazon for a great price and if i was going to spend the money, i would rather get something that i know i can use for many years.

Playing Devils Advocate...
I've had a ka for over 30 years. I've been through 2 of them. I've been having issues with the second one and have sent hubby on a research mission. KA's have been replacing parts with plastic. Some of the plastic has been breaking. (the lever that raises my mixing bowl had a plastic internal part, break) My bowl is now held in the upright position with a $1.27 bungee cord!
I'm going to try to earn enough money this summer to purchase a Viking Mixer.

I would research all mixers before I finally purchased one.

Just a thought, not necessarily a good one.

[quote="HomemadeUpgrade"]If it is for cake batter and buttercream type frostings you are probably fine. However, if you plan to do bread or fondant in it you should go for the bigger one. I have the Professional from Costco and it's wonderful. I got it on markdown for $200 though. There are deals to be had on the bigger models if you keep your eye out.[/quote



I make my own MMF. Would the Professional from Costco be able to make it. That would be a lot less of a mess on my counter!

I did tons of research before buying a stand mixer...and for my rpice point, it came down to Cusinart or KA. (Look for my post on the topic and you will find lots of good info.) Cusinart has a much better warranty and a bigger motor, so I went with Cusinart. I got the 7 quart at a great price...but never got to use it as it was defective . Waited almost 6 months for the 7 quart to go on sale, but I never saw them that cheap again. So, I got the smaller version on a good sale - almost 1/2 price. It works okay, but I can barely double some of my recipes. Still, for the price difference, I am content to make it work. Perhaps I will upgrade in 5 or 10 years?
Ultimately it depends on what you will use your mixer for, how often you will double recipes, and how much extra you are willing to pay.

Just remember, if you are planning to use it on a counter top with cabinets above it that it will fit...in a perfect world I have the 6qt kitchenaid...in the real world the thing will not fit

Thank you for all of the advice. It definitely helped. I went with the smaller KA, and it's great!