Kitchen Aid - is it worth it?

boltonangel

Recently I've been considering purchasing a Kitchen Aid mixer (probably the classic one) I bake regularly and intend to make bread and make biscuits instead of buying. I hate making pastry due to the mess but I think I would make it in a Kitchen Aid.

I've read a few times that they last a lifetime so I can justify the cost based on this as I'm 28 so will have plenty of use.

Do they ever go on half price sale etc. as I would wait if that's the case.

DUTR

The Grundig UM9140 is going at £130 at present, it uses the same attachments as the kitchenaid, I have recently started baking using a russel hobbs, but other than the missing dough hook, I cannot find an excus to upgrade just yet

dragonlily

I got one for christmas and still haven't recovered from the *shock* happy of course LOL. I had wanted one for like five years. I love mine, it is certainly eye candy for the kitchen BUT I don't feel like I have used it enough.

It is amazing for sticky doughs, like pizza dough.

I have never seen them for half price, you are more likely to get additional items thrown in, to have a good deal x

mildred1978

Mine was worth every penny, but they aren't cheap. You'll never find a brand new one at half the price. Even second hand they get upwards of 70% of new.

Ben84

I have a kenwood chef, which is a similar type of item and it's used virtually every day. The K-beater makes pastry very quickly and easily, but I also use the whisk and dough hook a lot. I also bought the slicer/grater and blender, both of which are used often. The blender attachment pretty much sold me the whole thing though, because a good blender that can crush ice was something I wanted and it would have cost about as much to buy one as the whole second hand kenwood + attachments did. So, for the few extra pounds I got a lot more than just a blender.

Anyway, there's a big economy from having one of these mixers. Buying everything separately with a similar high power motor in every item would have cost a lot and filled up more cupboard space too. So, I'd be tempted to buy the machine with the best selection of attachments available as you'll probably want to take advantage of the options sooner or later.

malamay

I got mine from here a couple of years ago: http://www.hartsofstur.com/acatalog/Kitchenaid_Artisan_Mixer.html

I got a free glass mixing bowl, which was the deal breaker for me. You don't get that now, but there's a free Jamie Oliver bakeware set instead. I sent away from a free Kitchen Aid cookbook once I got mine; details were in the box. Again, I'm not sure if this offer is still on.

Prices don't vary much from the £400 mark. They are a lot cheaper in the US, and I did consider importing one but thought the hassle wasn't worth it.

And yes, definitely worth it! I was lucky to have wedding money to spend; not sure I would have been able to buy it otherwise.

Ben84

malamay wrote: »

I got mine from here a couple of years ago: http://www.hartsofstur.com/acatalog/Kitchenaid_Artisan_Mixer.html

I got a free glass mixing bowl, which was the deal breaker for me. You don't get that now, but there's a free Jamie Oliver bakeware set instead. I sent away from a free Kitchen Aid cookbook once I got mine; details were in the box. Again, I'm not sure if this offer is still on.

Prices don't vary much from the £400 mark. They are a lot cheaper in the US, and I did consider importing one but thought the hassle wasn't worth it.

And yes, definitely worth it! I was lucky to have wedding money to spend; not sure I would have been able to buy it otherwise.

If you imported one you'd be paying some hefty shipping no doubt, plus you need a transformer for the voltage different voltage in the US. Good ones are expensive and it's still not ideal, because to cut a long story short the frequency isn't converted by the transformer and it makes motors run hotter than they're designed to. Returning it, should it ever need it would be prohibitively costly too.

Anyway, sorry to rave about the kenwood again, but they're also a lot cheaper it seems. About £200 new, while second hand or refurbished is possible as well. Mine is second hand and cost just under £100 (delivered) for the mixer, whisk, dough hook, k-beater, blender and slicer/shredder. Attachments turn up often enough on eBay that I found everything I wanted within a few weeks. Due to it not being restored and age there's a chance it will blow a component sooner or later and need a repair, but parts are still widely available and even if the worst happened and I needed a new motor the day after buying it, I'd have still saved hundreds compared to buying the whole lot new.

I was willing to take the chance as they're pretty reliable and I'm fairly good at fixing things anyway, but for the more cautious, buying refurbished with a warranty is possible too. So, there's a range of options at various prices available.

littlegreenparrot

I'd second the vote for the Kenwood chef.
My mum was given my grandmother's old one when she passed away in the early 80's, mum had it another 20 years - and used it regularly.
I was lucky enough to be given one as a wedding present, and use it all the time.
They are one of the few gadgets that can still be fixed if something went wrong.
Definitely worth it.

becs

I got my kitchenaid at least 8 years ago as a Christmas present and I still admire it every day! I absolutely love it, still looks like it's just come out of the box despite being well used! It's just done me 18 batches of cupcakes and nearly 4 kg of butter icing over the weekend for a jubilee street party. Pastry is fantastic in it and takes no time at all, I also have the pasta roller attachment and fresh spaghetti, lasagne sheets or tagliatelle take no effort and no time at all. They absolutely will last you a lifetime, the amount you still see around that have been in use since the 60's is amazing. They are a real workhorse that has the added bonus of being a beautiful piece of equipment that you're happy to have cluttering up the worktop. I'm sure the kenwood is a very good machine but I wouldn't be without my kitchenaid now.

Islandmaid

Another vote for Kitchen Aid - bought mine 10 years plus ago and use it several times a week - still good as new, I,m sure that Kenwood is just as good, never had one so can,t comment - buy the best you can afford in all appliances I reckon, works out cheaper in the long run - I did save for a year to buy my Kichen Aid though...

boltonangel

Thanks for all your replies. I am sold on the Kitchenaid now!

I remember seeing it on Amazon black Friday last year but didn't bake as much then so didn't want to spend that much even at half price.
I *may* hold out for this years Amazon black Friday although the classic is £285 on Amazon at the moment..........