It sounds like my 30 year old Kitchenaid mixer is on its way out and I’m considering the 8 qt commercial series mixer or something similar. Does anyone have experience with the commercial KA? Thanks.
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It might just be a gear. There are quite a few repair videos on youtube, you might be able to repair it and get another 30 years out of it.
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For home use? You can’t really do any better than Kitchen Aid.
For commercial applications, many my restaurants have a Hobart, which would be overkill for most home chefs/bakers.
Early Kitchen Aid mixers were branded Hobart, the company name. That’s what my 1960’s (?) era home kitchen model was called.
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Yup. Hobart sold KA to Whirlpool in 1986
As opposed to the tilt head models, there can be a QC issue on some of the bowl lift models where the bowl does not come up high enough for proper beater to bowl clearance (Google “Kitchenaid dime test” for more info).
Because of this I recommend purchasing from a retailer that offers free, no hassle returns. If you go thru Kitchenaid customer service for a replacement you will most likely get a refurb (which may have other issues).
at some point in history, the bean counters got control of KA “quality” and plastic gears were used.
the plastic junk did not stand the time test.
that said , , , eventually everything mechanical ‘wears out’
and the good news . . . the oldest to the newest KA’s can be “renewed” with modern top quality parts - and will function for dozens more years.
if you are handy, check for videos and DIY.
if you have a local ‘repair shop guy’ - they can also do the deed.
Actually, a modern KA mixer has one “nylon” gear which is there to protect the motor. If for some reason, the beater stops turning, this gear will strip before the motor burns out.
While I agree that there are more “QC” issues with the modern lineup, I think these are more fit and finish than anything (guts are mostly the same). While I luv my Artisan, mine was delivered with improper speed calibration (which luckily is a very simple procedure given the analog design).
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I’d like to suggest the Swedish Ankarsrum. I used a Kitchenaid for years, made in the days when Kitchenaid was still good, but it can’t compare to the Ankarsrum. For example, the Kitchenaid can make bread dough with one kilo of flour. The Ankarsrum can take 3 kilos. I have never made bread with more than 2 kilos, but I do that all the time. With the Ankarsrum the bowl turns, not the beater, so the result is closer to hand kneading. I didn’t buy any of the attachments, so I can’t comment on them. But a friend of ours did, and she is happy with them.
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I read a lot of reviews of the Ankarsrum on the King Arthur website (they sell it for $749.95). The reviews are very mixed. Some loved it. Most talked about the learning curve for using it effectively, including which attachment to use in which situation.
I don’t make that much bread at a time, and at my age, I think I am unlikely to have patience with the learning curve, and I don’t have money to burn.
Did you have any difficulty in learning to use it?
I didn’t have any problems in learning to use it. But I am extremely pleased wtih what it does. I have been making all our bread for years. and the Ankarsrum is a great helpl
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Oh man. I JUST packed up my mother’s 70’s or 80’s (I think) era KA stand mixer with extra bowl AND meat grinder attachment!! Woohoo! Chopped liver!!
It’s a smaller model. Tilt head rather than bowl lift, and might be a slightly smaller model than an Artisan (which is what I have at home).
Once it’s shipped out in May I’ll have a whole trove of kitchenware to identify, and possibly trade/sell, including some capital P Pyrex stuff (with a set of the sought-after mixing bowls) and a full on heavy-AF Cuisinart with a full set of cutting discs.
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If you’re open-minded, you might consider an Anskarum. My SIL, who bakes a LOT of bread in her retirement for donation, likes her Anskarum betterr than her old KA.
I have a refurbished KA Professional HD Series 5 Quart Bowl Lift Mixer for about 18-20 years, ok and still working, I still keep it as a backup mixer, for extra pastry preparation for busy days. Also I have a meat grinder accessory that I need to use from time to time.
Gifted a Kenwood Cooking Chef about 1.5 yr ago, impressed by the power, it does everything much faster than the KA. It can also weigh ingredients in the bowl. There is also an induction plate to heat up the bowl, which is useful for making custard. Sometimes I use it to proof bread dough… Also very happy with the other accessories like the juice extractor, making raspberry juice a bliss (easy to wash as well) and small chop mixer that I use for praline.
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It’s not difficult to learn to use.
Unlike a traditional stand mixer (like the Kitchen Aid) which uses a planetary motion to mix the ingredients, the Ankarsrum is the opposite – it spins the bowl instead of the attachment.
It works just fine, and it’s great a mixer.
But QPR, I think the KA beats it hands down.
With the Ankarsrum I feel like you’re paying for the novelty of the design with little to no added benefit of a traditional planetary motion-based mixer like the KA.
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Thanks for all the comments. There is a lot to consider. I think I’ll have to see some of the other mixers in person before making a decision. At this point I’m still leaning in favour of the KA, simply because the old one has been such a versatile workhorse.
I wish Hobart still made the KitchenAid mixers for home use.
Hobart makes great stuff in the commercial sphere.
Whenever we help franchisees start up from scratch we generally suggest they buy a used Hobart product at auction. They’re essentially bulletrpoof and servicing is easy.
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Another option (if you can find one) would be the varimixer teddy. They’re very popular in Scandinavia: powerful, solid build quality, and quiet
