I am in the process of shopping around for a stand mixer. When I took the Wilton Courses the instructor recommended that if we were going to purchase a stand mixer that we get the type where the bowl moves up and down as opposed to the flip top. I have searched high and low and have not found one like she was referring to. For those of you who own stand mixers, could you please shed some light on which type is the best? I really shop for quality, but also as important is finding a good price too. Thanks for your input!!
Kitchen aid is probably what she was talking about. They can be pricey. I have the flip top kind. My DH got it for me for Christmas before I started to decorate cakes. It is a Sunbeam. It has worked well. I would love a KA when money will allow. My Grandma had one and I really wanted it but didn't inheriet it. She hasn't past but is in a nursing home and all the grandkids(which were all girls) got to draw #'s for what we wanted. I didn't get it 
It is a very old sturdy one. But mine still works great 
Hi Shortcake and welcome to CC! My instructor advised me to look into refurbished KAs. There is a store at the outlet mall here called Kitchen Collection and they are the only store around here authorized to sell KA refurbs. I was able to get a pro 6000, lift-bowl, 6qt bowl for only 30.oo more than the basic tilt KA at Wal-mart! KA is a great company and if you can find an affordable one, nothing wrong with refurbs, that's what I would recommend. I love mine, even got it in red! I had thought I would be looking at $400+ for the heavy duty I wanted and ended up getting it for almost half that! You don't of course have to get a heavy duty mixer, just depends on how much caking you do, and then you can use them for so much more food prep besides cakes and icing. I have no doubt the basic KA is a great buy as well. I just know that others have burned up other brands and the KAs just keep going and going and going....!! 
Hope you can find a good price for the mixer you want--just thought I'd put in my 2cents about refurbs. 
Robin
I got the Cooks from JC Penny they have sales on it all the time. Normally $399 but I got mine for $139 on sale. It is set up a lot like the Kitchen Aid mixers with the one beater, paddle, hook that rotates all around the bowl. It is really nice and Powerful. 700 watts of power! I love it!
I have a KA the one that lefts up I got at Kohl's they had it on sell at the after Thankgiving sell I love it.
icingpraises,
Where is the outlet mall that had that mixer. That's exactly the mixer I want. It's probably on the coast near Myrtle beach. If it is, I will not be able to get on until the spring. We'll be making a pitstop on the way home from Florida to get one. 
I got mine at Kitchen Collection Outlet.
6qt professional, for 230.00, the best part is I didn't have to go to the store, they have a website www.kitchencollection.com. The outlets I know that have them are in Maryland, but you can probably find out on the website. Good luck!!!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my kitchenaide and wouldn't go any other direction. Not only do you always hear such wonderful things about them, but their costumer service and quality is completely top notch! I will always stick with Kitchenaide. Bed Bath and Beyond sells them and a lot of times you can find 20% off coupons. Last Christmas my husband and I got one for his mom as a big thank you (she watches our kids everyday). Kitchenaide was having a discount and we got the 20% off on top of it. Ended up buying the pro for the price of the cheapest one. They have great deal offen, you just have to look
Good luck!!!
I have a 5qrt Heavy Duty lift bowl I got it on sale at Macys for $200. I LOVE IT!! I would recommend The Heavy Duty collections. Mine only came in white though 
I have the bowl-lift KA. I used a tilt-head KA at an old job I used to have and did not like it. Plus I don't have enough space between my cabinets and counter to tilt a head anyways.
My mother used to work at a retail store and several Christmases ago, the store decided to not sell KA anymore so they were clearancing them out. Then she had an employee discount of 15% and because she did not miss a day of work during the holiday season she had an extra 20% coupon. I didn't pay more that $60 mine. This is also how we got my sister a whole kitchen worth of Le Crueset pots and pans. Steal of a deal.
I bought a 5 qt KA with a lift bowl on shopkitchenaid.com , in the outlet section. It was a refurb for $200 and works great. It gets a lot of use on a daily basis.
Definitely worth it!
Diane
Hey dl5crew--haven't gotten on here all day till now and saw your question about the mall. Yes, it's at the Tanger Outlet Mall here at M.B. The one on Hwy. 17. There's also a Tanger on Hwy. 501 and I believe there is a Kitchen Collection store there too, but I haven't been to that one. If I understood the manager correctly, this particular K.C. store on 17 is the only one authorized to sell the refurbs., at least in this area. Hope you're able to get one before your trip though, I still can't believe I actually have one of these, sooooo nice!
I saw the refurbs @ our Kitchen Collection outlet here. I was wondering if they do trade ins. I need to go ask. I have my heart set on the 6 qt. KA and my trusty Ultra Power 4.5 qt is starting to slip gears. I have used it to it's FULL potential, including the attachments. I love it and hate to trade it in, I feel like I am abandoning it! But rather than taking it in to get fixed, I though it would be a good time to trade up. Then they could refurb that one and it could bless someone else as it has me.
Thank you icingpraises. I went to the website for the caompany. They have a store @ the Gaffney outlet mall. That is still an hours drive, but I can go between now & the Spring. Still will not be able to get one until after our trip. My BIL's middle child is graduating in May. They live in Naples, Fl; so must save all extra money for our trip. Plus her gift money. If this outlet doesn't sell refurbs; that's just a reason to haev to visit the beach.HEHEHE My husband has only been to MB once. thats was in November. HAHAHAHAHA Sorry, I should be ashamed. 
In regards to your instructor recommending the bowl lift kind, that's really just a personal preference. That model of KA is a little more powerful and has a larger bowl, BUT that doesn't make it better. I had my mind set on the professional KA, but when I went to look at them in the store, I played with them some and found I really disliked the bowl lift. I much prefer the tilt back head so I ended up with an artisan KA instead.
That being said, KA isn't the end all be all of mixers (GASP don't shoot me). If you're going to be shelling out some $ make sure you look into some other models like Bosch, Viking, and DeLonghi. They all make more powerful mixers than the KA. My KA is actually out in my garage now and I have a Bosch Universal mixer and I LOVE it.
Oh, another note on the lift bowl KA is that they are REALLY tall. Make sure if that's the kind you want that it will fit on your couter or under you caninets! I'm not saying KAs aren't great, but there are others out there.
I actually bought the bowl lift KA version last December and ended up taking it back and getting the tilt back head. The main reason is that the bowl lift one was just way bigger and with my counters and cabinets it was just too big for them. I really love the tilt back head and I have used it so much it's pretty much paid for.
I do have to say that I second koolaidstains in that my next mixer may be another brand. I LOVE my KA but I do think other's are even better. KA is just out there everywhere that I think people think it's the only one to buy. I'm sure I'll have saved up the money by then as my KA will probably last another 10 years
Thanks so much to everyone for your advice and input. This gives me a lot of great suggestions and ideas!!
I have heard the Bosch ones are fantastic. I know a few ladies who make their own bread with a Bosch and actually turn their nose up @ KA. All I know is that the KA's are very durable and if well taken care of will last a very long time. I have used the crap out of mine for the last 10 years and it is just now starting to slip gears. The tilt head vs. the bowl lift are personal preferences, too. I never really thought about the cabinets being a problem. I have the tilt head, but since I thought about trading up to the 6 qt, I guess I better measure first! I would like to look into the Bosch mixers, too before I buy. I am kind of a KA snot, though, I have KA utensils that match my mixer including measuring cups and spoons, I have a silicone mat that matches, and I even own the hard anodized aluminum cookware set from KA! And I love the wide array of attachments.
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