KitchenAide is my favorite.

I have one that is about 10 years old - it broke down three years ago and I was devastated. My husband bought me a $500 Bosch. I hated it from the first time I used it. He noticed I was using my little old hand mixer and asked why. Then he disected my broken old Kitchen Aid - ordered new parts and I'm using it again. Yippee!

I sold the Bosch at a yard sale for $50.

I'll never buy ANYTHING but a Kitchen Aid - ever again!

[Hey..I noticed this was your first post and wanted to welcome your to Cakecentral!! Love your little avatar too![/quote]

Thanks so much!! I've been searching for a forum/website like this for a long time!! I'm getting a ton of great ideas and feel encouraged to keep practicing!

Diane

I LOVE my kitchen Aid and highly reccomend it. I knew I wanted one for awhile and I bunched together a bunch of gift certificates I rec'd for my shower....redeemed some Amex points and went to Crate and Barrel. At the time they had the Lime Green KA on clearance because the color was being discontinued. I walked out of there with a brand new KA and spent about $50 out of pocket! and I can't live without it....and the color is so pretty. Since the holidays are around the corner drop some hints on gift certificates and put them all together. hey you never know.

From what I have heard they are worth their weight in gold

Thanks everyone for your great comments and helpful ideas! I think I will splurge for it. I'm really getting into this cake dcorating thing and I really enjoy it!

Thanx again for your thoughts and amazing ideas!
Becca

You won't regret it!!!!!

They are definately worth it, but you do need to pay attention to what model you are buying!

There are a lot of different models ... and some sites will call any of them "Professional"... I found one site selling a 325 watt as the best you can get professional model! Buyer beware...

There are 2 things to look for... bowl capacity and wattage. A lower wattage unit will be a fair bit cheaper, but won't have the same power.

I have the 300 watt 4.5 quart Ultrapower model. I love it, but I wish I had gotten a larger bowl. The power for this size is great, but I think I'd want more wattage for a larger bowl.

As far as I have seen, the biggest and best you can get right now is the 6 quart, 575 watt 600-series professional unit. I think Amazon sells them for about $370 US. There is also a 525 watt version which is likely all the power you need (and more) if you're not planning to make a LOT of heavy bread (cake batters and icings don't need nearly as much power!)

Another factor is whether you buy the tilt-head or the bowl raising option. All the professional ones are bowl-raising, adn that would definately be the way I'd go for the next one!

Also, as others have mentioned ... the attachments are awesome!

HTH!

Absolutely a good buy. Here's a discussion board I recently found... http://forum.kitchenaid.com/forums/default.asp
You can ask questions about mixers and find recipes there. It's a great place to learn about the different models and features they carry.
Hope this helps!
I thought it was a cool site myself. : )

I have the big kitchenaid and it is defintely worth it! You can you it as a business expense if you're purchasing it for a business. I paid about $350.00 for mine at Lowes. My husband about had a cow when he heard the price but he now understands how much its really worth.

I love mine. Its worth the money. Good luck.

Hey there, book119,

Can you hold up a minute before you go and splurge. May I please recommend that you do a technical comparison between KA and the Sunbeam of same size and weight. Believe me, I'm not taking anything away from the KA, as they really and truly are rugged and made to last and last for years and years. However, so are the Sunbeam units of equal size and duty, but for a SB you'll only spend half the dollars.

A friend of mine wanted to get his wife the very best mixer and opted for the $250.00 KA. I got my wife a Sunbeam for $125.00 of the very same size and weight. My SB has the very same attachments his KA has, but I'm $125.00 richer for it.

Please let me add that my Sunbeam is a really nice, easy to use "beastie", i.e. it's full of convenience features besides being very heavy duty.

yes yes yes

Yes, I absolutely love it! I have a smaller one, maybe 4 qt bowl....but I use it all the time!!

Do you have to ask? YES!!!!! I know, I'm just teasing. Spending a couple hundred bucks on a mixer, you surely want to know if it's worth it. Absolutely, I have the 6 Qt. Professional and I have already paid for that thing about a dozen times over. I say go for it!


Amy

I was on the search for a Kitchen Aid at a good price when I came across a 350 watt GE on clearance for $40.00. It was the last one in the store and originally sold for well over $100.00 (can't remember anymore how much it was).

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the KA, but it's worked great for two years and counting! I love it.

I'm sure one day I'll have a KA though! I just love all the colors!

COMPLETELY, ABSOLUTELY, TOTALLY WORTH THE MONEY!!! When I first started baking, I had an old Sunbeam bowl mixer that I couldn't live without. Even though I thought it was the best thing out there (hahaha), I still had to mix my stiffer batters and doughs by hand. After 10 years of abuse...the motor finally blew, and I got my first KitchenAid. There is NO comparison, trust me. I also have had it paid for many times over, and my hands are no longer tired from kneading. My advice is to go ahead and invest in it - you will definitely not regret it!

Let's see, how many times can you say.....YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I bought the Epicurian years ago, which is the big mama, when I really started baking. I was hesitant, but my husband talked me into it. It was the best thing he ever made me buy. You never have to worry about anything. You can mix two batches at a time, which is heavenly durring the holidays. You must invest in one. You will never be sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!