I bought a 6qt KA less than a yr ago to use in addition to my 4.5qt. It says professional series....what a crock!!! This is the weakest, wimpiest mixer ever. It overheats and shuts itself down (while making buttercream, not like im making fondant in it and never would). Last night in the middle of making cake batter (real struggle for a mixer right) the gears start grinding and it dies. I had to transfer everything to a big bowl and use my hand mixer to finish. It had no problem handling the batter but a $500 stand mixer cant??? Super frustrated!! PLUS this is my second one because the first one ground gears right out of the box before I ever even put anything in the mixing bowl!
I am on my 3rd 6qt KA from last may (less than a year!) The ONLY thing I mix in mine is buttercream...I am upgrading to a 12qt Hobart ASAP...just as soon as I can afford one!! My little 4.5 mixer works so much better!
Wow, I had no idea people had problems with the 6qt KA. I've had mine for almost 4 years and I use it to mix buttercream and cake batter; pretty much anything but fondant and dough. I've never had a problem with mine. I bought it when I was still a hobby baker so I bought a refurbished one from the KA onkine store. Sorry to hear about others frustrations with theirs.
The last time I called (the last time it broke) they said that it was only designed to run for 5-6 minutes at a time and that running it for longer than that voided the warranty!!!!
Whaaaaat? Really? I can't say I've ever read the manual, but wow.
Wow, I had no idea people had problems with the 6qt KA. I've had mine for almost 4 years and I use it to mix buttercream and cake batter; pretty much anything but fondant and dough. I've never had a problem with mine. I bought it when I was still a hobby baker so I bought a refurbished one from the KA onkine store. Sorry to hear about others frustrations with theirs.
Make bread dough in mine all the time. Have used it to make fondant as well. Follow the speed requirements -- guide is very clear that should not use a speed higher than 2 for doughs and the thing works like a champ. Never had it overheat or shut off.
Some make scoff at using speed 2--it is still much faster than kneeding by hand and simply because it has higher speeds or says professional series does not mean you can mix heavy doughs on whatever speed you like.
Not to say some are not defective sounds like the OPs was a manufacturing error. But KA is pretty clear about how much stress you can place on it.
Sorry to hear about all the problems you're having with your KA. I've had mine for about 4 years and I've never had a problem with it. I make double batches of buttercream and it doesn't strain at all. I frequently make pizza dough and, again, no problem; but my manual says no longer than 10 minutes at speed 2 (and no higher) to avoid any damage. I kept that in mind when I made fondant.
Hopefully everything will work out because it is a great mixer. Good luck!
I have seen on this site that many have trouble with all the KA's that seem to be less than about 5 - 6 years old. I think there was something about plastic gears that broke and gave all types of troubles.
I have had mine for quite a few years and it truly does work really well (knock on wood). With all that have complained I think if I do have to replace it I will go for a Viking or Cuisinart.
evelyn
I've had mine for five years now, and no problems. It is a lot louder than I thought they would be. That's my only complaint. I do double batches of BC all the time and have made fondant a few times. I think I heard a few years ago that KA was bought out by some other company and the mixers haven't been the same since. I have no idea if this is true though.
I have three 6 qts, one 5 qt and I used to have the 4.5 but I got rid of it because it was too small. I've never had any problems with the 6 qt, and I use them hard every week. I think that the last time I bought one was a couple of years ago, and they usually run for a few years before I have to go get one refurbushed for whatever I've done to it.
That thing about it only being designed to run for 5-6 minutes seems like a load of crap to me. I leave mine going on low speed while it cools down IMBC and walk away for 30 minutes at a time, and that never affects it. I've never had one shut down from overheating, either. It sounds like you got a dud...
On another note, the gears in the new ones are metal, not plastic. I took mine apart to check and they're metal. They might have used plastic for a while but not anymore. http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/01/kitchenaid-6-quart-vs-cuisinart-7-quart.html
Thats what the guy told me. Plus he said certain thick batters or doughs also void the warranty. My 4.5 qt is a monster, it does everything I ask of it. The only thing that 6qt has is a bigger bowl. It is useless
I am looking for a new mixer and I just don't know what brand to go with. I have a KA, but a much older one. I would be ticked off if the warranty guy told me making dough in a KA voids the warranty. Why do the come with dough hooks then?!?!
Thats what the guy told me. Plus he said certain thick batters or doughs also void the warranty. My 4.5 qt is a monster, it does everything I ask of it. The only thing that 6qt has is a bigger bowl. It is useless
I am looking for a new mixer and I just don't know what brand to go with. I have a KA, but a much older one. I would be ticked off if the warranty guy told me making dough in a KA voids the warranty. Why do the come with dough hooks then?!?!
Thats what I said, "Why do they come with dough hooks" He said for light doughs and for short time periods 
I can't testify to the durability of the 6 qt, but I will tell you that I have made bread dough, cookie dough, fondant, and various types of icing in my 4.5 quart with no problems. I love my KA, and wouldn't trade it for anything. My grandmother gave me my first one and it not only ran for her for years, but it also ran for me for years before the motor finally burned up. I am totally sticking with KA.
I can't testify to the durability of the 6 qt, but I will tell you that I have made bread dough, cookie dough, fondant, and various types of icing in my 4.5 quart with no problems. I love my KA, and wouldn't trade it for anything. My grandmother gave me my first one and it not only ran for her for years, but it also ran for me for years before the motor finally burned up. I am totally sticking with KA.
My 4.5qt is a champ and handles anything I through at it. I LOVE it. The 6qt...not so much The guy at KA also told me that because it was a bigger motor it was more likely to overheat quickly Because I mentioned the fact that my 4.5 is awesome
Thats what the guy told me. Plus he said certain thick batters or doughs also void the warranty. My 4.5 qt is a monster, it does everything I ask of it. The only thing that 6qt has is a bigger bowl. It is useless
I am looking for a new mixer and I just don't know what brand to go with. I have a KA, but a much older one. I would be ticked off if the warranty guy told me making dough in a KA voids the warranty. Why do the come with dough hooks then?!?!
See, that's why I think it's a load...Of course making dough in it won't void the warranty. It sounds like the guy who told her that is an idiot or was just making stuff up on the spot.
Thats what the guy told me. Plus he said certain thick batters or doughs also void the warranty. My 4.5 qt is a monster, it does everything I ask of it. The only thing that 6qt has is a bigger bowl. It is useless
I am looking for a new mixer and I just don't know what brand to go with. I have a KA, but a much older one. I would be ticked off if the warranty guy told me making dough in a KA voids the warranty. Why do the come with dough hooks then?!?!
See, that's why I think it's a load...Of course making dough in it won't void the warranty. It sounds like the guy who told her that is an idiot or was just making stuff up on the spot.
I hope so. Will be calling again tomorrow. hope i get different info and a new mixer
I agree, that guy is feeding you a line of garbage. I have had my 4.5 KA for over 16 years and have only had to replace the brushes in the motor once at a cost of under $5.00. I own a cake decorating business and use - and abuse my KA on a regular basis.
I agree, that guy is feeding you a line of garbage. I have had my 4.5 KA for over 16 years and have only had to replace the brushes in the motor once at a cost of under $5.00. I own a cake decorating business and use - and abuse my KA on a regular basis.
I too own a cake business and use my mixers on a regular basis. Im simply thinking that the 6 qt has design / motor issues in the recent models. Seems to be a common theme on google. I agree that the 4.5 is awesome
I have had my 4.5 qt for many years and my daughter wanted one too. I looked into all the mixers and ended up buying her a breville. It has a 550w motor instead of a 325 comes with the rubber spatula blade, regular metal blade, whisk and dough hook. It also has a timer on it. I want one now and is super quiet that I can talk on the phone with it running. I will not buy another kitchenaid as I do not think they are as good as they used to be. I think kitchenaid is selling these to homemakers that do not use them much and will not hold up to alot of baking.
cashley I was JUST researching breville when the reply notification came in on this topic. The reviews are incredible. We own a breville juicer and the construction is very very strong, nothing cheap feeling, and the motor is quiet and highly effective. Im thinking I may be headed in that direction. I want a hobart desperately but it is simply out of my price range even though I own a successful cake business.Just bought new double bosch thermadore ovens, cant justify another significant (thousands of dollars) purchase like a hobart right now
cashley I was JUST researching breville when the reply notification came in on this topic. The reviews are incredible. We own a breville juicer and the construction is very very strong, nothing cheap feeling, and the motor is quiet and highly effective. Im thinking I may be headed in that direction. I want a hobart desperately but it is simply out of my price range even though I own a successful cake business.Just bought new double bosch thermadore ovens, cant justify another significant (thousands of dollars) purchase like a hobart right now
I am considering selling my KA to get one I bought my daughters for 299 which is comparable to KA but much better quality. I am so impressed by this company.
I have both the KA and Cuisinart. My KA sits in my everyday kitchen while the Cuisinart takes on the Cuisinart take on the bigger jobs in my cake studio. I highly recommend the Cuisinart (actually recommend any product they make...I have several and love them all). HTH
Praise God! I called KA this morning and they are sending me a replacement. She didnt mention anything about overuse and obviously my previous call was logged by the serial number. I am so happy 
My hubby still wants me to buy a breville and just have the KA as a backup but im thrilled that I didnt waste all that money with nothing to show for it
I have a hamilton beach hand mixer that had alot of power for a hand mixer until it bogged down and one side stopped working . So i took it apart . The GEARS on the beaters are PLASTIC and are worn down ! I looked up theirwebsite and Im going to see if tbey will repair or replace it.Its what wrong today everything is made of plastic and in China.
I am looking to purchase a stand mixer....just read all your comments, and need your honest opinions. KitchenAid 5qt Artisan vs Breville 5qt. I can get the Kitchenaid for $255 and then it has a $30 dollar rebate or the Breville for $269.00. Please help me!
Karen
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