Prioritized Note: If you’re on the fence as to whether you “need” this, BUY IT. It’s so much easier than fussing with a hand mixer (and I have a very good one) Especially if you have a health situation where you tire easily, and maybe don’t bake much, if at all, anymore. That applies to me. This isn’t merely a mixer on a stand, this is a valuable machine that does most of the work. Normally, the batch of apple muffins I just made would’ve exhausted me. They’re mixed and baked and it was EASY. Be good to yourself and get one!

This is my first ever stand mixer. I have never even used one, or even been in the same room where one was being used. I know absolutely nothing. There’s no hard copy user manual in the box! My food processors and my refurbished hand mixer all came with a manual. Yes I was able to download one from their website. TIP: Register your machine first, then go to your registered items area, scroll to your mixer and the manual will be there. Don’t try searching because it’s not linked to every color.

She’s a beautiful, impressive machine, I just wish it wasn’t assumed that every unit is purchased by someone who knows what to do. The bowl is big and sturdy, and the coated attachments are made of metal. She does lock in both the up and down positions. Which is a good thing because that motor unit is HEAVY. She sits perfectly on my counter, because I used the “view in your room” feature to make sure she’d fit.

Will update more, as I learn to use it. I did purchase a spring, washer, and EverDime adapter. All were installed before I even cut the zip tie off the plug.

UPDATE: After my first use, I can’t imagine myself ever going back to the hand mixer (KA9speed) what a joy to use! So much easier and more efficient to work with this. Just add your ingredients accordingly and let the machine do the work. I made a Mise en place first, and this had to be my easiest baking project ever.

4.5 STARS. As always, I prefer to give credit where credit is due rather than short change a product, but just keep in mind there are a few drawbacks to this mixer. But first the pros, this sucker is STURDY! Most of us have seen these mixers everywhere for what seems to be decades, but it was probably just me that didn't realize all kitchenmaid stand mixers aren't created equal. While they may look alike, different models have different capacities, speeds and effectiveness in various applications. I really wanted to wait to write this review until I had really explored this machine because it's such a big investment (in my opinion at least!). Now that I have, the sturdiness of this product has definitely proven to be true. We have a rather small kitchen and so it gets moved around quite a bit, this hasn't resulted in any sort of loosening or wiggling which is important when you have that dough hook running at top speed (some of the cheaper mixers act like poorly balanced washing machines). The sturdiness, however, can be a double edged sword due to the heft. If you have trouble lifting things or perhaps a bit of arthritis be sure to store this on a mobile kitchen cart or simply give it a permanent countertop space to avoid having to lift it from a bottom (or worse-top) cabinet which can be a task. Next is function, I cannot tell you how nice it is to be able to toss something into this mixer and walk away to get the other ingredients without having to babysit a bowl! Especially when I'm working with something dense like honey or doughs. The attachments have all been easy to put on/take off and are sized well enough to store away easily. There is room for improvement though, the rubber spatula sided mixer attachment is sold separately which is what can scrape down the sides of your bowl without you having to angle a separate spatula into the mixer, I would have been open to forgoing some of the other attachments in order to have this one right off the bat, but they are cheaper and easy to find at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc.. Also, the swing back mechanism for the top of the mixer via the hinge at the neck has no protection against it flipping up and down hard. Think about the drawer add-ons you can install so they don't slam, that would be great for the head of this mixer, just to protect the hinge. Color-wise, the blue color of this mixer is absolutely dreamy! It's beautiful and a bit novel without being overly kitschy and is still easy to match to other kitchen products out there. Overall, I really do love this piece of equipment and think it is a great investment for anyone who likes to cook or bake. This model and size is great for families and even sturdy enough to teach the little ones on. Half star loss for the lack of slow-down mechanism for the head and the lack of spatula on the mixer attachment leaving you to clean up the walls of the bowl pretty frequently, but apart from that this machine is fantastic.

PROS: Built To Last, BEAUTIFUL color, Easy On/Off Attachments, Does Not Slow Down When Dealing With Thick/Difficult Foods (i.e. Honey, Doughs, etc.), Great Size, Good Investment Piece (I bought this two years ago and the price hasn't fallen).

CONS: No Cushion For Mixer Head When Lifting up/Down To Prevent Hard Slam, Spatula Mixer Attachment Not Included Requiring You to Scrape Down The Bowl Pretty Often, Expensive (but again, it's not bad for an investment piece-I can't see this thing breaking any time soon or ever maybe)

TIPS: TJ Maxx and Marshalls have attachment for these mixers on sale regularly for 60% off the selling price so if you have one nearby go and check for that spatula attachment or even a pasta maker or meat grinder I've seen them all there!, If you are working with dough (or especially if a young one is learning) watch out for it coiling up your dough hook and into the gears-it can happen quickly if you're not careful. Last, I've found that a metal blemish extractor (bought and dedicated for mixer cleaning) is the best tool to get into the attachment holder and metal pieces in the head of the mixer in case they get dirty (or gunked up with aforementioned dough... ). It is sturdier than a toothpick which runs the risk of breaking and getting caught in the gears.

***Did you find my review helpful? I hope so! Let me know if you have questions by using the comments section below ***

I bought this mixer for my grandson and his fiance for their wedding gift. I have it to them early so they could start using it. It is a wonderful item to gift someone because it will last FOREVER! My Mom got hers when I was 8 years old. I'm 63 and my sister has it now since my Mom passed away. It looks new, works like it is new, and it's 55 years old! ! They are AMAZING mixers! They offer excellent tools you can purchase to go with them, pasta maker, slicers, food processors, meat slicers, grain mills, etc. KITCHENAID is the best out there! EVERY kitchen should have one! They are a joy to use and truly help anything you make with the Kitchenaid come out better!

Tremendous product! Color as shown! Arrived promptly! The bride to be loves it!!

This KitchenAid Artisan mixer feels like the old-school mixer I grew up baking with in the 70s alongside my mom — and it’s a million times better than I expected. The way the bowl locks into place is solid and easy, and the mixing action is incredible. Unlike the old mixers where you had to manually turn the bowl by hand and constantly scrape the sides, this paddle is designed to reach everything on its own. It pulls the batter from the sides into the center so everything gets mixed thoroughly without scratching the bowl.

I love how deep the bowl is, too. Nothing flies out while mixing, and I didn’t even need the plastic shield when adding flour or other ingredients. It handled everything beautifully.

The color is stunning. I was torn because our kitchen is white with black accents, so I originally thought black would look best on the counter. But this mixer is heavy and definitely not something you want to put away after every use — it’s meant to stay out and be part of your kitchen. I debated between Dried Rose and Feather Pink for a long time. Feather Pink looked a little too light, and I was worried Dried Rose would be too bright, but it’s absolutely perfect. It adds the most beautiful pop of color to our kitchen — feminine, soft, and classy.

I bought this so my 86-year-old mother and I could bake together again, just like when she baked for me as a child and let me help. Now the roles are reversed, and she gets to lick the batter off the beater. That alone makes this mixer priceless.

I am so happy with this purchase. It makes baking easier, more fun, and honestly brings back so many memories. Everything is dishwasher-safe, which makes cleanup easy. I also ordered an additional glass bowl (still waiting for it to arrive), but the stainless steel bowl it comes with is beautiful too.

Works great. It's got some weight to it letting you know it is built to last, looks great. Quality is not cheap and this mixer is worth the money

Great little mixer looks great in the kitchen and I am using it for more than I thought . Actually becoming a Fun hobby .

I think I am going to get the pasta attachments.

This is a great mixer. You should probably own one. Not sure? Read on!

Before we bought this mixer, I thought of residential model kitchen stand mixers in terms of my mother's Oster Kitchen Center or my grandmother's Sunbeam 2371 MixMaster Stand Mixer, White (but about 60 years older, with yellowed plastic...) Think: two beaters, a bowl that turns based on beater friction, basically a hand mixer on a stand of some sort, in concept if not design.

When you think of the KitchenAid, you should think of a large restaurant/commercial Hobart mixer down-sized to fit on your counter. It works exactly the same way - and it's an awesome thing.

Pros:

- Powerful. You can put cold butter or refrigerated cookie dough in this and begin mixing it immediately. The motor is very powerful, and I have seen almost nothing that it can't get through. Kneading very stiff dough even works here - sometimes you might hear the motor strain a little, but I've never run into something that it simply couldn't get through.

- Mixing attachments. This unit comes with a mixing paddle (the attachment that I use most often), a whisk (next most often) and a dough hook. I use all three - in that order of frequency.

- Accessories. I don't own any of the accessories, but there are some great ones out there. On my list of accessories that I will get someday are: the pasta attachment - KitchenAid KPRA Pasta Roller Attachment for Stand Mixers, and the pasta extruder - KitchenAid KPEXTA Stand-Mixer Pasta-Extruder Attachment. There are others that I'm less sure would get lots of use in my kitchen, but they might in yours! These include the "attachment pack" for meat grinding and vegetable slicing - KitchenAid FPPA Mixer Attachment Pack for Stand Mixers, the grain mill - KitchenAid KGM Stand-Mixer Grain-Mill Attachment and others. Even an ice cream maker KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment which I admit I'll consider if my Cuisinart ice cream maker ever truly dies.

- Tilting head. I really like this feature, since the bowl is securely attached to the mixer base, and you just rotate the head up and out of the way. It keeps the beater over the bowl and lets anything needed drip back into the bowl, reducing mess somewhat.

- Orbital action. This is great, since one mixing implement orbits around the bowl giving full coverage and leaving no places "unmixed" for you to discover later in the recipe.

- Variable speed. You can vary the speed from very slow to "time to clean the spatters off of the ceiling"

As with any tool, I can think of a few cons as well:

- The head rotates on a metal pin. This is a good design feature since you can slide the pin out to remove the mixing head when necessary, though it's never been necessary for me in the 8 years I've owned the device. The problem is that the motion and vibration of the mixer, at least for my unit, causes this pin to "self-remove" and invoke the unit's self-disassembly "feature". The solution, however, was ridiculously simple - I just wrapped a single wrap of electrical tape around that part of the mixer neck, and the pin has stayed put for years now. Black electrical tape on my black mixer is nearly invisible and nobody has ever questioned or commented on it.

- "Walking dough." When using the dough hook and kneading even a moderately-sized dough, the dough tends to "walk up" the dough hook and instead of reaching the wide neck and falling back into the bowl, it keeps walking up and around the hook, sometimes getting up to the mixer head, resulting in discarded greasy dough. If I keep the batch size relatively modest and spray the hook with non-stick spray before kneading, I can usually get it to work just fine, but it's not as fool-proof as mixing with the paddle.

- Cleaning. The bowl is simple - it's stainless steel, and you can wash it by hand or stick it in the dishwasher. The mixing implements, however, should be washed by hand. Hand washing isn't hard, and they'll come out great and last forever. If you put them in the dishwasher, however, the metal (maybe it's aluminum?) will degrade and tarnish with the harsh detergents used in the dishwasher. This will result in a grey powdery substance forming on them, which could get into your food if not carefully cleaned after the dishwasher. And the substance is ugly. So avoid any problems, and hand-wash always!

On balance, I think you should just go buy this mixer. If you don't want this one, you should be looking at more expensive models.

Stepping up the Kitchen Aid line, you can move to a mixer with a stationary head and a bowl lift to lift the bowl into the mixing position like this: KitchenAid KP26M1PSL Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer, Silver or this: KitchenAid KV25GOXBU Professional 5 Plus 5-Quart Bowl Lift Stand Mixer, Cobalt Blue

For those looking for even cooler appliances, you might consider this big boy: Viking Professional 7 -quart Stand Mixer, Black or maybe this: Cuisinart SM-70 7-Quart 12-Speed Stand Mixer, White but I must state I've never used either tool.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Al principio dudaba en comprarla por el precio, sin embargo vale la pena cada centavo por que es de una calidad excelente.

Great brand. Tried, tested and true.

Muy buena batidora.

Excelente calidad

What's not to love. Kitchen Aid Stand mixers are top notch. I love this colour, its a deep watermelon colour which is so bold and bright. The only issue I had with it was my Stainless Steel bowl would not clean. You have to clean the bowl before using it (obviously), but every time I cleaned it I would dry it down with a cloth and black would come off. Because of that, I didn't use the bowl, I ordered a second glass bowl at the same time so I just used that one instead.

Bowl aside, the mixer is really great, I've now had it for some time and I've even purchased a second glass bowl, the ice cream maker and next on my list is the pasta attachment.