I am going to buy a new mixer and I wanted to know if anyone had any suggetions or knows of any great deals. My old mixer is 8yrs old and started smoking the other day when I was making a stiff batch of sugar cookies for a halloween cookie house.I was actually very shocked that it started whining and smoking. My DH thinks that it should have lasted longer and I was wondering if anyone has another make/model that is better- this is going to be my early X-mas present so I want to really get something really good 
TIA Maria
Professional 600 series
http://www.kitchenaid.com/catalog/product.jsp?src=Stand+Mixers&cat=310&prod=488
I didn't bother getting in touch withKA bc I figured it's 8 years old and the warranty is only good for 1 yr
My KA is just about that old, before this cake making business I only used it about 3x per year....so I'm thinking in useful life years it's only about 3. Mine can't do bread dough without complaining righteously and smelling "hot" so I'm right there with you.
Somewhere back awhile someone here at CC said they cracked their KA open and the motor was practically encrusted with powdered sugar. A thorough internal cleaning was all their KA needed to be back to peak performance.
Don't know if this might help your problem. KAs are supposed to last a lot longer than 8 years. I would call KA and talk to them about it. They might not replace it for you since it's not under warranty anymore, but I bet they'd have some helpful suggestions for you and might even give you a qualified repair facility in your area for a cleaning and check-up.
Kohls has the KA 600 onsale for 319 plus rebates and if you use a Kohls card you get a 10 reward for every 50 you spend.
That is the one that I want! I have the smaller one and have had only good things. If you have problems you should call KA and get them to fix it or replace it.
HTH
Stephanie
My mother bought my first KitchenAid for me in 1964, I gave it to my daughter in 1982. It had never been serviced or had any problems and it is still going strong today. I bought another KitchenAid in 2000 and the metal ring around the top fell off within 2 months, next the plastic knob on the off and on switch broke in half and fell off. They are no longer made by the Hobart Corporation and the quality isn't the same. I have since purchased a Kenwood 7 quart which has twice the power of a KA and is much lighter to lift. Same planetary action as the KA and came with the whisk beater, paddle attachment and dough hook. I got mine at a closeout sale from Williams Sonoma for $245.00 because Kenwood was bought out by De Longhi and these were being discontinued. That is the best investment I've ever made, I love the power of this mixer.
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