Kitchen Aid Mixer - Worth it?

[Raymond Lin]

I want one, talk me out of it, tell me they are bad and there are better and cheaper alternatives.

(do they ever go on sale?)

 

[Raymond Lin]

Sorry, but I can't! We bought one about 10 years ago and it hasn't skipped a beat. It weighs a tonne and I can imagine we'll still have it in another 4 decades, it just feels like the kind of machine you could and would repair, solid metal etc.

If you bake (or want to bake) or anything else mixing-related they're fantastic. It makes the best Yorkshire pudding batter and meringues!

We've never used any of the weird/fancy nozzles like the ice cream maker or sausage maker or whatever, just the plain whisk and dough mixer.

Baking as in cakes and cookies, not so much but making dough for Gyozas, or even try my hand at nikuman (steamed bun). Those are my jam.

I made Gyoza on the weekend but it feels like I can speed up, less messy with a mixer. I’m also looking into the Artisan version for the more powerful motor because I plan to make bread dough.

The pasta accessory might be good too, then I can make my own noodles for ramen!

 

[Raymond Lin]

Yep, read loads of reviews and found a lot of complaints about the motors being underpowered, and the thing vibrating and rattling so much when under full tilt (which is required for bread dough, apparently) that it was walking across the counter top.

Went with a Kenwood Kmix instead and had very happy reports from the marital recipient. Even I have used the thing a few times, though mainly for the spiraliser attachment.

Sounds like user error from people who bought the Classic rather than the Artisan. It says in the their material/manual that for bread dough get the Artisan.

I also have heard that it breaks from the strain of trying to do too much, but from what I have found this is to do with the design. There is a sacrificial gear inside that if it strains too much on the motor a plastic gear will break to prevent the motor killing itself. The actual gear is user replaceable for about £15. So a mass majority of the people who breaks their Kitchenaid can be easily fixed with this.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I saw no such thing on the website...

It does say on their website that the Classic comes with a dough hook... presumably for mixing dough, but I'm sure that's more user error... and the Classic manual hosted on their website gives instructions on using the hook for "Breads, rolls, pizza dough, coffee cakes, buns", but that you should "not exceed Speed 2 when preparing yeast doughs as this may cause damage to the Stand Mixer"... but I'm sure that's just user error, too.


I read something similar... but unless you're mixing concrete, the machine shouldn't break in the first place. It sounds like a BS money grab, to me.
I don't know of anything else designed like that and TBH I'd probably not want one that is. I'd much rather get a machine that will cope with whatever I throw at it, and not have parts designed to fail every time I want a home-made sandwich!!

I think you are being overly dramatic. $15 for a part is hardly Ferrari charging £2k for a wing mirror. Money grab lol.

Also, generally when you look for user feedback, the people who are happy with it never say anything and it is those that who have problems make the loudest noises.

I made a thread here and in another forum, both I am getting the ratio about 30 positive good feedback (no problem) for 1 post like yours pointing at OTHER people having problems. The other forum there’s currently 108 replies, and all positive.

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...d-mixer-worth-it.2321344/page-2#post-33940253

I haven’t actually found any user with a direct failure of a kitchenaid. Only hearsay so far in my research. If I missed one, it’s currently under 1%.

Basically, eg, the ONLY negative comment about the KA is your (non-owner) comment, so if I were to do a poll, I can’t in good conscience to go by your non-experience over all the others? Wouldn’t you say? Certainly not base on the positive vs negative here.

yet there are others who said they bought another brand which broke.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Me?
I'm not the one compiling threads with market research levels of complaint ratios...

So again, we have parts designed to fail, and the supposed insistence (feel free to substantiate that assertion) that if you want to do something all models ought to be capable of, you need the one costing twice as much....


Now it just sounds like you're making excuses for the brand.
I tend to ignore 'user feedback' for that reason, looking more at professional and objective reviewer findings.


You've got a couple here in this very thread....


Fine, go buy the ******* thing and shut up, then.
You specifically requested, "talk me out of it, tell me they are bad and there are better and cheaper alternatives"... no need to get all up your own arse when you get what you asked for!!

I welcome hearing your personal experience but siting hearsay’s is something I can look up myself.

Right now we have 2 against vs 20 positives. So keep the negatives coming.

I’m just being fair, it’s still seem like a overwhelmingly good product.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Me?
I'm not the one compiling threads with market research levels of complaint ratios...

So again, we have parts designed to fail, and the supposed insistence (feel free to substantiate that assertion) that if you want to do something all models ought to be capable of, you need the one costing twice as much....


Now it just sounds like you're making excuses for the brand.
I tend to ignore 'user feedback' for that reason, looking more at professional and objective reviewer findings.


You've got a couple here in this very thread....


Fine, go buy the ******* thing and shut up, then.
You specifically requested, "talk me out of it, tell me they are bad and there are better and cheaper alternatives"... no need to get all up your own arse when you get what you asked for!!

So this is the gear

Replacement Nylon (Plastic) Worm Gear/Shear and 5qt for KitchenAid Tilt-Head Mixer (Artisan, KSM90, Classic, K45, K45SS etc) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F5IC...t_i_G5ADHNKY999NAQEYB6SR?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

This CNBC video, 4 min 10s in

Ps why are you so angry?

 

[Raymond Lin]

You obviously didn't look all that hard.



I'm told that ours was from the Artisan range. Other half can't remember the exact model.

sorry missed yours, thanks.

i don’t think the exact model matters, model numbers only differentiate accessories and not wattage in the artisan range.

 

[Raymond Lin]

But my personal experience would be nothing more than user feedback, which is subject to user error just like all the others, remember...
Using actual professional reviews, which would be subject to legal action if they published falsehoods, is far more reliable and far more concrete than 'heresay'.


It's good, yes... but you asked for "better and cheaper alternatives". Why are you so averse to being given exactly what you asked for?


Don't care.
It's the principle behind it, same as this supposed insistence on customers buying more expensive models that you mentioned...


I'm not at all angry. I'm just entertained by your gushing fanboy attitude over all this. It's like listening to a Harley Davidson owner!

Relax, you are getting all worked up because the statistics from the majority disagree with you. I take your user feedback ad welcome and on the exact same level of a single positive feedback. That’s fair right? Or should I take yours as 100 users?

I’m essentially making a For and Against tick column in my head and at the moment it’s like 120 For and 3 Against across the 2 forums I’ve posted. I might ask another.

“Don’t care…” lol you assumed I made some baseless assertion so I sited my source from CNBC.

My purchasing decision will be base on number of positive vs negative with each user’s experience weighted equally.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Not at all - I very nearly bought a KitchenAid one myself. They're very good... but as per your request, there are better ones for less money.
It seems you are the one getting upset because not everyone is encouraging you to do what you ought to be doing for yourself.


It sounds like you never intended to take it anyway.
It sounds like you already made up your mind.


So basically doing what hundreds (probably thousands, by now) of articles have already done for you...?


Nope, and you're assuming an assumption on my part.
I don't care what the details are, as it's the principle of the design I disagreed with. Nothing to do with you or your assertions.

I will note down your vote for against.

Like I said, I take your point equally as one that is For. I think that is only fair. My mine is currently like 99% made up because that's about the statistic between the For and Against thus far. It can change if more people come and have the same experience as you do.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Why, when I have not voted against?
I've only done what you asked, which is to offer cheaper, better alternatives.

So you want me to get a KitchenAid?

i can only get 1…if you vote for another brand for whatever reason then it’s a vote against KitchenAid. Imagine if I am making a shortlist and a vote under each. Your vote will be for the alternative.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I want you to decide what it is you actually want, here...

- Do you want to buy a KitchenAid?
- Do you want to hear about alternatives?
- Do you want peoples' opinions just so you can rubbish them and ignore them?

Beyond that, it makes no odds to me what the **** you do. It's not my money...



Well **** it, then. With that kind of autocracy, why would you even need to ask for others' opinions?
Like I said, you already made up your mind before you even posted the OP...

you are very angry! Lol

I’m just listening out for OTHER opinions. FYI, your opinion is not better or worse than another. It’s the same.

I want to buy a Stand Mixer.

KitchenAid seems popular.

Ask forum.

Hundreds of people have one and like it.

A few have something else and are happy with their choices.

That’s it. I can go with either and I’ll probably be happy with either. But statistically it looks to me the KitchenAid is winning my vote. (100+ vs a handful)

 

[Raymond Lin]

I'm really not. Lol... ambivalent, perhaps, while also somewhat entertained by your contradiction, but certainly not angry... Lol....


No, you're dismissing those that don't gushingly affirm what you've already decided.


You don't appear to even know what my actual opinion is...

Your opinion isn’t advising me to get a KitchenAid.

Right?

At the moment I see over 100+ For and a handful against, each one noted equally.

You think I should ignore those 100 people saying KitchenAid are reliable and good and only listen to you and you only.

Right?

I picked a small selection from other forums but each one of these comments are weighted equally, together with yours.

Spoiler

I included this one just for you. I think that's like 2 or 3 votes for the Kenwood and 100 for the KitchenAid.

Ok, enough guys. Let's keep this civil, and on topic....

I know, he keep on swearing! Lol

 

[Raymond Lin]

Wrong.
Up to this point I've not actually advised you either way. I'm letting you know what alternatives are "cheaper and better", which is exactly what you asked for...

If you are CHOOSE something else NOT KitchenAid then you are NOT choosing KitchenAid? I know there are other options, if you think they are Cheaper And Better then you think I should get them?

Unless you think I should get the more EXPENSIVE and WORSE KitchenAid?

Nope.
I do think you should consider why some people still chose other models when the KA is reputedly the god of stand mixers, while giving the gushing fanboy comments the same subjectivity weighting as those 'user error' complaints - People who drop a lot of money on top end kit will often understate, trivialise or even ignore niggles, problems and the like... I forget the actual term for it, but it's somewhere between commitment bias and the sunk cost fallacy.
.

I dunno, I call it democracy!

To put someone who has one working for 30 years and on the same level with people who dismiss it due to user error or small niggles seems VERY fair to me. In reality I should ignore those with negative due to user error but i am not.

I also know that when something is wrong, more people will come out to say it, there is an actual term for that too. Vs when someone is just happy using it, those people don't make any noise, because when something works, you forget its existence as it just works.

Have you read any objective reviews, assessments, product test or similar, that merely present the product as is and thus allow you to make up your own mind?

Yes, I watched an hour video by some Canadian tear down of one, he talks about all kinds of things from the way the screws are made, the motor, how he thinks the PCB should be seated better, impressed by the composition of the metal, all sorts weird details.

I also watched a couple of direct comparison. I am not saying the Kenwood is BAD (which is the direct competitor, from my research they don't seem to be better than the KitchenAid. If I were to get it on looks alone I will be honest with you i am getting the KitchenAid, everytime.

And you keep on procrastinating... Just buy the ******* thing, or don't. You've already decided you want one, and if yours happens to fail or simply does not meet your expectations, no amount of statistical opinion profiling is going to make any difference to your personal experience.
The fact that you're asking people to talk you out of buying one suggests that you already know it's not worth that amount of money to you.

I am not procrastinating, I am researching, I am waiting for that flood of negative reviews for KitchenAid to appear or the flood of Kenwood fans to turn up

There is no rush! I still have some left of the Gyoza that i made by hand to eat, until I finish it I don't need to make more.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Thanks for the rant. But life is too short to read that.

All I need is this bit

That's right, *I* did not choose a KitchenAid..

Believe it or not, no matter how many words you write, it has the exact same weight as someone who says “Kenwood”.

Right now it’s like 100 v 5. Is it a marketing thing? Is it a word of mouth thing? Who cares. It’s still 100 v 5 or something so far.

(unless you have a PHD in electrical engineering in Product Design specialising in domestic appliance). No? Vote has weight as everyone else.

Fairness.

I got your “opinion” in black and white right there. You didn’t choose KitchenAid. Got it. Thanks.

Seriously, I did not read a single word past that point.

 

[Raymond Lin]

To be fair @Raymond Lin you asked for people to talk you out of buying one and not for people to talk you into buying one

10/10 for effort.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Ah, but are all of them the right model for the product you want to mix, ie Artisan for bread... or is every vote counted equally, regardless of relevance of circumstances?

This passive-aggressive side of you is lovely to see.

It's not even your money to spend, why do you care so much?

 

[Raymond Lin]

Do hurry up and buy one, the suspense is killing me.
As an Artisan owner, that gets my vote

I’m not in any hurry, just looking for the best deal. But consider it done.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Which colour do you want?

i dunno, whatever has the best deal.

 

[Raymond Lin]

yes I replaced the interesting errant spiralled feet on mine - I need to superglue/loctite them.

mint green is close to matcha - so could be Rays choice ?

It's actually Ice Blue.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Nice, did you nab that in the £295 eBay 10% deal?

No, I think the £279 one is the Classic, I went with the Artisan.