Do you bake A LOT? Need kitchen Aid mixer replacement

[uummm]

I had a Kitchen Aid Special Edition Stand Mixer, they only made them around 1995 I think it was an anniversary edition thing...My mom got it as a gift for me back then.
Anyway it is a 350 watt, lift bowl type with a 5qt bowl-so it isn't the base model but it isn't the professional series either which has 500 watts, 6qt bowl, lift bowl type...

The other day when my friend was borrowing it, it broke. It was a pretty heavily used piece of equipment in my house. I love to bake and make bread and I make bread on average once a week in it for the past few months and prior to that have been making bread probably on average at least once a month for the past few years, but I do make cookies and cakes with it on average a few times a week. My friend had the base model I think and used it only around christmas time and she had started using it for bread weekly about a month ago and her transmission went out on hers 2 weeks ago -and why she was using mine and my transmission broke too. Though in her defense, we use the exact same bread recipe and I am inclined to believe it would have happened to me the next time I made bread.

I thought I wanted a Bosch Universal mixer...The blogs that I read (where they are people that make 98-100% of the foods, buy ZERO processed foods, so they make EVERYTHING) several of them have a Bosch universal mixer and love it. I started doing a search on them and found a site that was unbiased and basically they said that for bread making the Bosch is BY FAR superior BUT for cookies the Kitchen Aid Professional wins hands down....
Um, I make both of those regularly!
Upon further searching I also came across a Viking stand mixer, Cuisinart stand mixer and one made by Breville that was rated pretty well on amazon.

I am not looking for cheap, I know I need professional grade pretty much for how I use things...

Bosch has 800watt motor and 6.5qt bowl
KA professional has 500watts and 6qt bowl
Viking has 1000 watt motor and 6qt bowl
Breville 550 watt motor and 5qt bowl

The Bosch is a universal thing, so you can buy the add ons that are a blender, food processor, meat grinder plus a few other things, but I already have a very good food processor (it is a Cuisinart from the 80's used very little), a blender (a Cuisinart and I don't really use it that much)and I have the meat attachment for the Kitchen Aid-though I don't use it that much, but I do grind pork with it when I buy a whole pork loin.

I am not even sure I am opposed to buying another kitchen aid...I mean mine was 15+yrs old and I did use it quite a bit so I don't feel like I have been ripped off.

Does anyone have an experience with any of these? I know Kitchen Aid will be what most people have...I had never even heard of the Bosch up until a few months ago...and the Viking and Breville I literally found out about today.

[foggierbard9]

I don't have any experience with any of them, but I dream of a new mixer. I looked into the Bosch too recently, but like you, I don't know that it will meet my needs with wanting to make lots of other baked goods besides bread.

I will watch this thread for what others have to say.

[Mama Stu]

I have the Kitchen Aid also. I have a hard time believing anything could beat that for an overall mixer. I have had mine for probably ten years and use it several times a week. I make cookies, and desserts, and use it to mash potatoes. I mix my homemade bread by hand so don't use it for that, but pretty much everything else.

Let us know what you decide and I would be interested also to see what everyone else has to say.

[Merczilla]

I have a KitchenAid Professional, bought at least 10 years ago....probably more. The thing about KA is that they are now all Chinese made. I especially don't trust Chinese made electrical stuff. I think Viking may still be Scandanavian made, but I''l bet some of it isn't. Cuisinart I'm pretty sure has gone to all Chinese. This is an important part of buying, for me. I don't know where Bosch is made.

I would look for brands that are German, French, Italian, Scandanavian (Swiss, Dutch, Swedish, etc) or US made, then go from there. I start by looking for the quality first. If I'm paying that much for something, it better last more than a year.

[uummm]

I have found Everything Kitchen to be very helpful and have asked them what they think.
From what I understand the more whole wheat that is in bread the harder it is on the mixer and of course it is 100% whole wheat bread (that totally is soo AWESOME) that I make and use my mixer for about once a week.

Bosch is MADE in Germany
Kitchen Aid if you go to the WS Site you can watch a video of them being made BUT I noticed they are "ASSEMBLED" in OH, so I will assume assembled from parts MADE in China...
The Cuisinart 5.5 Qt Stand mixer is the "Highly Recommended" from Cooks Illustrated and the Kitchen Aid Professional 600 is next on the list as recommended...
Bosch is way down on the list because -
Shaped like a food processor with mixer attachments, the Bosch did a commendable job when kneading bread dough. But the decentralized mixing space (a "doughnut" around a central spindle) kept less cohesive contents from meeting in the middle. Condensation from the lid affected dough moisture.

I also read that the Kitchen Aid Professional 600 WILL NOT Fit under my cabinet! I have to say I that I think that FOR ME is a HUGE deciding factor! I only have counter space for this under cabinets and to have to pull out and put away a 30lb piece of equipment several times a week is REALLY a turn off! Seems silly to have the fact something won't fit under my cabinet as a deciding factor....but I have to say that really bothers me!

I also read that watts mean next to nothing unless they are talking output...they are all referring to INPUT...great so it uses more energy...they say it is a popular marketing gimmick!

[Merczilla]

My KitchedAid Pro is 17" tall. I don't know what I'll do when it dies. Maybe we'll be on a boat by then and it won't matter anymore. lol

[uummm]

Actually, I googled kitchen aid transmission repair and wouldn't you know, there is a video on how to fix the problem! I am waiting for a neighbor to bring me a Pin Punch and then I can see if that is my problem! I am very excited. I don't hate my KA...but I am always willing to buy something better but, we seem to be hemorrhaging money lately, today's problem is our vehicle wont' start and it isn't' the battery.

I am so consulting How to Fix a KitchenAid Mixer That Isn't Spinning : eReplacementParts.com when I have a problem from now on.

[tammyinwv]

I love my kitchen aid. I bought it at a great price, refurbished from Amazon prob 10 yrs ago, and it is still going strong. We wont discuss the $10-$15 can openers I keep buying because they conk out, and this new one is a black and decker, and powers out on me on larger cans.
Tammy

[lasab]

I have a Bosch Universal, but a VERY old one. It is a 1970's model and it even has olive green knobs.(Very vintage LOL) I absoluetly love it, and when it dies I will purchase a new Bosch. I did have to have a lower bearing repaired a couple of years ago, but other than that it has worked perfectly for both me and my mom. She made bread once a week and so do I. I don't use it for cookies or other baked goods so I can't add any imput on that aspect of things. Here are some of the things that I love about a Bosch:

• they haven't changed the parts and accessories. For me that is very important because mine is so old. I recently purchased the wheat grinding attachment and it fits perfectly. All of the newer model attachments will fit my machine with no problem.

• It has a larger capacity than a Kitchen Aid. This is a plus to me because I use it to make bread. My recipe calls for 14-16 cups of flour and my machine is able to handle it without a problem.

The only downside for me is that they are expensive. When mine finally breaks is will be hard to cave for the cost of a new one.

[3timesoccermom]

So uummm - how did it go? Were you able to fix it?? I'm assuming you did and that you're in there busily baking right now.