Andrew James Stand Mixer?

lepetite.mommy

I bought the 5.2l little version about 6 months ago with no extra stuff like mincer, etc. Just the stand mixer itself.

It is a bit noisy if you put it on high, and the lifting mechanism has become a little stiff on mine. However, it does not affect its performance though. I've made lots of bread with it, 1kg of flour at a time and it copes just fine. I've also used it to make sausage meat and it does the work beautifully, saving me having to use my food processor as I previously did. The metal flat beater does not come very close to the side but the flexi one does so it's fine to use with batter.

I was toying with the idea of one day replacing it with KitchenAid (when I can afford one) but am now a bit unsure since the KitchenAid Artisan is only 300W whilst this one is very powerful at 1,500W. Is the low wattage on the KA a problem at all?

HTH!

flea72

lepetite.mommy wrote: »

I was toying with the idea of one day replacing it with KitchenAid (when I can afford one) but am now a bit unsure since the KitchenAid Artisan is only 300W whilst this one is very powerful at 1,500W. Is the low wattage on the KA a problem at all?

HTH!

The 300w KA is way more powerful than the 1500w machine you have. Its all in the gears and torque that give the driving power. The watts just refers to the amount of elec it needs to power the machine, so theoretically the KA should be cheaper to run

cheeswright

MissDee71 wrote: »

How are you finding your Puregadgets Mixer? I have been toying with the idea of buying one for a few weeks but scare to take the leap incase its not as good as it looks.

the mixer is fine well made- - mixes to the edges of the bowl - very solid construction
there was an odd smell the first couple of times I used it as the oil burned off but its been no trouble at all
I've made breads - cakes , meringue ..allsorts of things..everythings worked
the bowl is not as big as the andrew james one was - but it does mix to the edges..and the dough hook actually mixes the dough rather than takes it on a tour of the bowl....also .in the spirit of "if i'm going to break it i'd better do it straight away" I made over a kilo of bread dough....and it survived..(a kilo is obviously too much for the bowl size by the way)
oh and it looks gorgeous -
I'm not sure its really good value for money - there are a lot of stand mixers, on amazon for instance, that have really good reviews, the same functions and cost less this one for instance

but not so pretty...or amusing to own...

the_sewing_bird

I've had my Andrew James food mixer for just over 3 years, it was my first food mixer I ever had, I would say it was ok, not something amazing but it did the job, so I was happy. After about 2 years it started to have problems, when turning on the first speed it would not start working, so I had to keep turning it up a speed until it starts and then turn back to speed 1, then it would work. It was rather annoying, but after a few months struggling with it, the problem sorted out itself, which was really bizarre, but since everything was ok I kept using it up until recently, it started to release black dust out from where the whisk/beater connects with the machine and eventually has stopped working altogether. A bit disappointed really as now I have realized there is nowhere to find anyone to repair it, as it is not well known brand. I contacted AJ customer services, if they would advise on the repair, it's been a week since, still waiting for their reply (it doesn't look that they will though). So, considering the price, it may be worth buying, if you only need it occasionally, but do consider aftercare, I feel that I am facing to buy a new one and I don't think it will be Andrew James again.

uksnapper

I know this is late but it may be useful.
I've had two new dough hooks under warranty,the steel insert in both broke during bread making.
Now it will not shut down using the timer. Its only 17 months old and Andrew James want me to pay to have them fix it.
My old Kenwood lasted 30 years.
I will not be recommending an Andrew James product again as their support is,to my way of thinking, less than satisfactory.:mad:

mxn62

Hi I just wanted to advise people that I have found the Andrew James customer service to be very poor indeed. I purchased one of their food processors which despite being only 15 months old developed a fault causing the cutting blade shaft to rub against the lid causing it to melt and contaminate the food in the bowl with plastic, this was so extreme that a part originally attached to the internal shaft welded itself to the cutting tool. Despite this being a design fault reported by another users on Amazon Andrew James have blatantly refused to replace the parts damaged by the fault due to it being outside of their 12 month warranty. They have been advised by myself and Amazon of the EU directive that any consumer goods purchased in the EU has a full 2 year warranty under EU protection law yet they still refuse to replace the items but say that they would be willing to do so at a £17 charge. I think it says a lot about any company that it is prepared to defy EU legislation and loose a customer for the sake of what profit they are likely to make from selling the £17 parts. Personally I wouldn't have another Andrew James product. I would suggest that anyone considering any of their products researches the customer feedback. If anyone else has had similar issues with their multifunction processor please get in touch.

Toulouse_LaPlot

I bought and Andrew James 7l stand mixer, an Andrew James hand mixer and an Andrew James Ice Maker. Each broke down in a matter of months. The stand mixer was replaced about 5 months ago; the hand mixer replaced 6 months ago and the Ice Machine replaced 5 months ago.
Now each has broken down again but the company is refusing to repair or replace them because they say the warranty applies to the original transaction, not to the item. Thus all three are out of warranty.
Their products are obviously of such appalling quality that they refuse to take any responsibility for them. I emailed the CEO twice but got no reply.
Awful quality goods, terrible customer service. That's a British company for you!

tiredwithtwins

ive got the AJ 7l stand mixer ... its noisy and basic, but does the job. only can go on high speed for a few minutes at a time according to the manual, as apparently it will burn the motor out if you run it for more than 3 or 4 mins :eek:

would love a kitchenaid one though ... a girl can dream

kimstreak

Hi, I am currently fighting with AJ - my mixer is not even a year & a half & last week while beating eggs ( so not even a heavy mix) smoke started pouring out the machine & a horrible noise started. the machine got so hot I couldn't even touch it. they say because its over a year old they can not do anything for me other than a small discount on a new one. I asked about repairs & the answer - no as it is out of the warranty period... I am finding it very difficult to correspond with their single line answers. just asked for a complaints phone number - doubt I will get it... I am FUMING!!!

Kashton

As a chef and food writer I often get asked to review kitchen equipment, most of which I turn down due my schedule. I was asked however to review the 7 litre stand food mixer about 17 months ago.

I am very careful what I say in a review because I want my word and opinion to count for something.

I have used the mixer for the last 16 months to make bread, cakes, pastry, mousses, batters, souffles, ice creams and more and have found it to be a very good mixer, especially for the price.
Pluses
It now comes with a 2 year guarantee,
Large capacity
Well made,
Looks good on the counter
Whisk is a lot sturdier than most more expensive models
Turns all the food when mixing
Is stable and has suckers to help keep it in place on your counter.
Powerful motor for the price.
Reliable: no problems in 16 months of use and remember I'm a chef.

Minuses
It will sit on all standard counter tops but because of it's height it is better to place it were there are no wall mounted cupboards above so you can easily lift the whisk/beater blade when you have finished mixing.
Some say it is noisy but when I tested against other 7 litre mixers I found it to be about the same. Remember a 7 litre mixer is a serious bit of kitchen kit.
Conclusions
Not everyone will want a mixer this big but if you do a lot of baking it's a great piece of kit for the money.

I still have an old Kenwood KM190, which I have had for 7 years.
This model is not just a mixer but also a food processor, liquidiser and juicer. Having a small kitchen a multi-functional piece of kit makes a lot of sense. Trouble is to the best of my knowledge no one makes anything like this now. I guess, why buy one kitchen gadget when the makers can sell you 3.