I am having trouble with the search function as I am sure there must be lots of info here about mixers...
I need help with what mixer to get, Santa is getting me one for Christmas but I need to pick it out. Based on the forums that I found on Google I have pretty much decided on a KitchenAid over a CuisineArt (read that it can 'skip' across the counter if making a big batch), or a Viking (read that the bowl gets stuck sometimes)...I would like any and all opinions on which you would recommend and why...I know in then KitchenAid line there is the professional 500, 5 plus, Artisan...(the 600 looks to be the best, but it's a little too expensive). Help, which one should I get?
TIA!
I have the Artisan and I love it. If I had picked one I probably would have gotten one of the bowl-lift models, but my husband picked it out based on the color (and because he knew I had wanted a kitchenaid for ten years).
Mine just says "heavy duty" and it is the one where the bowl lifts up to the beater rather than the beater sitting up and out of the bowl.
I love it, never seems to have issues even with mmf! That said I'm not sure if I'd rather have one where the top/beater flips up. It can be a pain to dump ingredients in.
Not sure if that's much help. Wish I could say more but I got mine from santa too but I was still in high school then so I've had it over 10 years.
I use the KitchenAid Pro 600, and it's been worth every penny! I found an amazing deal through amazon (14 hour sale, almost half price!), but do a search for kitchenddailydeal too - it's really a hit or miss as far as what they've got on there, but worth checking regularly. I've seen stand mixers there before.
Whatever you decide, make sure you get what you really want. This gadget should last you many many years! 
I, too, have the KA Pro 600. My DH surprised me with it for our first Christmas together back when we were still dating! (I tease him that he really just wanted the goodies that me having such a device would enable me to make. 
). I love my mixer and have never had any trouble with it. I also have the Artisan 7-speed hand mixer. Love it, too!
Thanks everyone...so is it safe to assume that the bowl lift is better than the tilt one since the pro 500 and 600 have the bowl lift? I think I'll look for a deal on the 600.
I just bought mine through the Kitchenaid website, I got a 600. Once you decide which model you want, watch their site for a few days. I noticed each day at a random time they would take a red or black 600 and put it $100 less than what they normally are. So I got my 600 for $299, much cheaper than I could find anywhere else.
Don't get the Kitchen aid. They're junk. The bowl on a Viking doesn't get stuck. At least mine never has.
Mike
Sorry but how can they be junk when so many people have had one for 20 years or more and they seem to be the worlds best selling stand mixer..I think I will go with the majority on this one.
I have a kitchaid 5 qt which I love but I'm shopping a new one. I'd LOVE a Hobart 20 qt but when I wake up from that dream I've been realistically looking at the Viking. Mainly because they make a 7 qt mixer and they get good ratings. Not a matter of preference between Kitchaid or Viking - just a size issue for me.
20 yrs ago they were great, hobart made them. Now they are manufactured under the Whirlpool label. That means they can be made anywhere. Read all the posts about the KAs that have gone bad. My Mom has one of those 20- yr old ones it works like a champ. If they were still made by Hobart I would have one.
If all your ever going to make is cake batter then it will be fine. Don't plan on making repeated batches of cookie dough though it won't handle it.
Mike
20 yrs ago they were great, hobart made them. Now they are manufactured under the Whirlpool label. That means they can be made anywhere. Read all the posts about the KAs that have gone bad. My Mom has one of those 20- yr old ones it works like a champ. If they were still made by Hobart I would have one.
If all your ever going to make is cake batter then it will be fine. Don't plan on making repeated batches of cookie dough though it won't handle it.
Mike
Hmm, interesting Mike, thanks' for the info....do you guys/gals with the 600 pro make much mmf in yours? That's my biggest concern...I think I will be making a lot of it.
Nobody has mentioned a Bosch mixer but that is what I have and I LOVE it! It can handle a huge batch of MMF and I prefer it over the Kitchenaid (primarily because I grew up using a Bosch so it is familiar to me.) Good Luck in deciding what to get! And what an awesome Santa you have!! 
I bought my KA600 last year in December from Amazon.com. It was on sale for $299. Then there was a $50 mail-in rebate. New in box - not refurbished. Different colors were different prices - I chose the "licorice" (black & stainless) because that was not only what I liked best, but the cheapest. You might have hubby start checking online around Thanksgiving. The cheapest I've seen it anywhere else was around $450.
I agree with Mike. Viking is the way to go- KA is good if you only plan on using it occasionally or for light-duty jobs.
Oh, and there are TONS upon TONS of negative reviews on the 6qt KA here on the boards. I dont remember exactly what the issue was, but I know SEVERAL members had the same issue, and KA basically said "sorry, not our problem"
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