"Good Plus"
This isn't a Hobart mixer*. On the other hand, it doesn't cost $1800, either - and that's for the Hobart countertop 5 quart model - the 12 is closer to $4200. So don't fool yourself about what level of quality is actually possible in this price range. What the KitchenAid is, is the best consumer-grade mixer on the US market, in my opinion including Viking, Cuisinart, Kenmore (the UK brand, not Sears), and all the rest.
(*As an FYI, KitchenAid once was a division of Hobart, and the modern KitchenAid mixers are basically variations of the K-5, in itself the consumer version of that $1800 Hobart N50 mixer! Hobart is the world leader in commercial mixers by quite a margin. The message is that the KitchenAid is quite good.)
The KitchenAid does most things very well indeed, including all basic stirring, mixing and whipping tasks. It shows some shortcomings with heavy doughs, and particularly kneading large batches of bread. The machine will rock and walk under those conditions, and even pop the bowl off at times. If you have a bread machine, you might consider using it for kneading, even if you don't use it for mixing and baking, as the bread machines are specifically designed to handle this. The KitchenAid, by contrast, is a multi-purpose mixer.
The extra wattage on this model helps with attachments like slicers, grinders, pasta rollers, etc.
My wife and I are quite satisfied with KitchenAid's mixers, and we have 2 (a 5 quart also). Both have been happily running for years. Interestingly, KitchenAid mixers are in widespread professional use for lighter-duty tasks. I recently spotted them in the background of several bakeries on a Food Channel wedding cake series. KitchenAid mixers may not be perfect, but they are the industry standard in consumer mixers for good reason.
I want to respond to the "metal gears, plastic cover" "issue" mentioned in the first review, which, unfortunately, isn't as clearcut as some might think. I have power tools costing far more than this mixer that house their gears in plastic and that take far more abuse than this mixer ever will. Design and material specification is what makes or breaks (literally!) the product, not plastic per se. That reviewer's experience is real and unfortunate. It is also not the norm. By contrast, our 5-quart mixer was dropped down a flight of stairs onto a concrete floor by a mover. Works just fine.
5 stars for nailing its target market and making all the right compromises.
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Nice Mixer
I haven't used this mixer too much, but I do like it. I think it has good power and does a good job of mixing things up. The one small regret I have is that the head does not tilt back on it. You have to lower the bowl to add ingredients and I just find it to not be as easy as my old one where the head tilted back. This one is way more powerful then my old one though, so I can live without the tilting head. I'm sure once I have gotten use to it, I will be happier with it. This is the model I see them all using on the food network shows.
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