Kitcheaide stand mixers

[Bedlam]

Reb thanks for the post I was wondering if those gears were metal in the older models.I don't thin the plastic ones should wear out after less than a year.And they wouldn't cover it.
So I have told many people since to not buy them. I assume they don't mind this kind of negative advertising.???

 

[Bill Barrett]

Ours is who knows how old, we have the grinder and love it.
Hate to hear about the new ones.
Years ago a buddy and I use to run 25 pounds of pork through his 3 or 4 times a year.
Get your meat very cold, just about freezing, helps alot.

 

[jdbower]

Out of curiosity, where is this plastic gear and which model are you talking about? The cheap models are, well, cheap. However it seems like the high end KitchenAids have metal drivetrains. The Costco box, for example, shows a picture of the gears and they all seem to be metal.

 

[Bedlam]

ill check the model but it sells for just under 200 at wal mart and some of the kitchen stores its 25 plus.

 

[kenmac]

I don't know about the mixers. They may not have cheapened them like they did the large appliances. We have an older KitchenAid mixer that is a gem. Hopefully, they are still built the old fashioned way.

They are still good mixers . But,
Like everythng else.... They Ain't what they used to be

 

[Scooby074]

I wonder if some of the mixers people are having problems with may be ones made to a price point for Costco or Walmart? Ive always known Kitchenaid mixers to have a all metal drive. I almost bought a 5qt professional at Costco last year, It was over $125 cheaper than my local restaurant supply house. I didnt get it then, but this thread has me considering whether i should get it at Costco or the specialist store. Im all about saving money, but not if the mixer will be of lesser quality.

 

[Bedlam]

Mine was bought at the local kitchen center .(far from cheap store).

It caries the same numbers as the Wahl mart brand, which is what I bought for the the replacement part.

Are you meaning you feel that there are two ''classes'' of mixers produced? One for up scale purchase? and one for Wal Mart?

My overall take is that they know they have built a reputation so they can now cut back on quality as people tend to think they are getting a huge bargain, and then when the people have the trouble. they assume that they have only lost one customer.

This is similar to the food store that offers the item free if its marked wrong.You have to go to the service desk to get a refund, assuming they are going to go change the price for everyone else (to the sale price). But many times they don't and they don't need to because as they give me the milk for free. several other customers are paying the full price not knowing or caring.
For a week I got free milk LOL

 

[jdbower]

Actually there are a lot more than two variations. All KitchenAid mixers are about the same: a motor, a gearbox, a nice metal housing. Yet the MSRP ranges from $239 to $545. Yes, there are different motor powers, but that doesn't explain the huge price range.

I'm getting the impression that many of the faults are more a lesson in getting what one pays for. Walmart does make most manufacturers modify the packaging if not the product for their stores. Costco also typically uses proprietary models (and the Costco KitchenAid isn't available elsewhere, this is also true of many of their other products). If you use it for cake batter or things other than grinding up large animals and making dense bread any model may do, but if you want to do anything that will need the extra power and durability upgrading is good. The idea of only using it once every so often doesn't fly, it's like saying you only need a 40HP tractor once a year so you'll just get a 20HP CUT. The Costco model shows a metal gearbox and mentions an "all-steel, direct drive transmission" so I have hopes about that model. It also has an MSRP in the $425 range from what I've read (although a Costco Street Price of closer to $300) and the Professional 600 series isn't that much more (MSRP of $500 but street of $350).

Think of it like a Ford Mustang. Should Ford sell anything other than the $80,000 Shelby GT500KR? The $20k V6 version cheapens the brand, but it gives a lot of people something that looks like a Mustang in their price range. If someone doesn't know about cars they'd find the Mustang pretty anemic based on the V6 model. Similarly, someone who buys a KitchenAid at WalMart without doing proper research runs the risk of cheap components and getting a bad image of the brand, but it opens up a huge market for KA.

 

[jdbower]

Interesting, according to this KAs now may all be metal gearing as of 4 years ago (see the post on 12/13/2004 at 09:29:30 AM). However an intriguing spin is the thought that the nylon gear was actually not so much a cost savings but simply a cheap failure point that protected the motor - much like a shear pin.

 

[Bedlam]

However an intriguing spin is the thought that the nylon gear was actually not so much a cost savings but simply a cheap failure point that protected the motor - much like a shear pin.[/QUOTE]



That was just my thought, and I like that concept but to make the part so expensive and hard to get defeats the purpose in my mind.perhaps if it were a metal gear and had a nylon pin that would break I could understand.

Tought o tell my 9.99 HF grinders come with spare brushes. i wondered if that ment they would cook out fast. yet I end up not having to use the replacements.

 

[czechsonofagun]

I use ours twice a week to make a loaf of bread ( cups of flour) since 2002 when it was a Christmas gift to wife best of all. It works still the same - great - only some bolts had to be tightened.

The meat grinder we use for a year now, works great.

 

[Fultrtl]

I bought 2 used ones off ebay for less than $50.00 each. Mine still say Kitchen aAd by Hobart on them I believe. My wife likes to bake and had gone tru a handful of different mixers till I got these for her. I believe the older model have metal gears in them instead of plastic used now.
Wayne

 

[Scooby074]

It looks like Kitchenaid has a lot of different SKU's .Some of them appear to be retailer exclusive. I think jdbower is right. Ive seen a large variation on the prices on similar Models (same wattage/capacity). There has to be a reason for these lower prices. It all cant be based on volume??? I have worked in the food industry, and can say that the KA bowl lift mixers are the standard when it comes to small mixers. Hobart is pretty well the standard in large mixers. Professional kitchens wouldn't still be buying KA if the quality wasnt there reputation or not. When you need a mixer, you need it if the unit doesnt work then you move on to one that will.

 

[QRTRHRS]

My ex and I used to put up alot of veggies. We processed a lot of tomatoes to make and freeze various sauces with a Kitchen Aid mixer. The juice would find it's way into the front of the mixer and I would have to rebuild it on occasion but other than that, it was a workhorse.

 

[Highbeam]

I ground an entire deer last year with my KA mixer and the grinder attachment. We added pork fat to get the right leanness. Cut into strips that barely fit the throat and as long as possible. Grinding is a low speed operation so the cooling fans are slower but it never got hot enough to stop us.

I ran the whole deer through the grinder twice to ensure a good grind and even mixing. Made for a store bought look and feel.

Every house I've lived in since I was born has been equipped with a KA stand mixer. Every holiday dinner we also break it out to whip cream for desert.

I also grind beef into burger since it is often cheaper to buy a roast than it is to buy ground meat and I know what's in a roast. We'll do 10lbs per batch this way and freeze it in one pound bags. My children know what cows look like, what a cow eats, where the roast comes from, and how that roast turns into burger, and how the burger cooks and tastes. Do your family a favor and be sure that they know how to make their food.

 

[jdbower]

Well, I missed out on the Amazon $69 deal so I opened the Costco KA I bought last weekend. In case anyone has a stripped synthetic worm gear (in use since the 30's apparently - obviously materials engineering has progressed significantly so we can hope that today's gears are better than the original), it can be replaced for the whopping sum of $10 and a bit of time with some hand tools. You can also buy a whole assembly and see the service manual here. I almost want mine to break so I have an excuse to take it apart

Edit: Note that there's a ton of conflicting information out there regarding the use of nylon components. My manual and box indicate "all-steel transmission" and one KA rep indicates that plastic gears are no longer used, other sources cite a nylon "disposable" gear in use since the 30's. Either way replacement parts aren't that pricey so I'm not too concerned.

 

[Bedlam]

Hmm I quote the site

Kitchen Aid 4162897 Stand Mixer Worm Drive Gear Kitchen Aid - JUST $8.99 each when you buy 3


So you have to buy 3 and then I didn't even address shipping.

oh
$25.01 to $50.00 7.95


Point isn't is it cheap . the question why in the first place?


And hey if they are no longer used why??? Troubles??

 

[jdbower]

Check it out a bit closer and you'll find that they're $9.50 each there, to me $10 is cheap to get a $200+ mixer working again. Burn out the motor and you'll probably look at a much larger repair bill. Either way, it's the same way they've been built for over 75 years now so it's not like an older one will be any better in that respect.

 

[N80]

We have had one for about 12 years. Works great. No problems. It is the type that raises up out of the bowl with a lever, not the type that tilts back. It was more expensive than the tilt type.

I recently got the pasta attachment and it works flawlessly for sheets, fettucine and spaghetti.

I have had several consumer counter top meat grinders. None of them could handle any volume of venison unless the meat was already finely chopped and free of any tough bits.

It has been my impression that this Kitchenaide mixer would not be able to handle venison either but some of you guys have experienced otherwise. I've been meaning to buy a good commercial 3/4 hp grinder which runs over $300 but it might be worth giving the Kitchenaide grinder a try.

 

[JC-jetro]

It has been my impression that this Kitchenaide mixer would not be able to handle venison either but some of you guys have experienced otherwise. I've been meaning to buy a good commercial 3/4 hp grinder which runs over $300 but it might be worth giving the Kitchenaide grinder a try.

I have processed 32 deer with my 24 yr old KA stand mixer. I'm still using the original grinding plate (plate with the holes" and original knife that I lightly honed sharpened many times. I use a very fine sand paper placed on a flat piece of glass and with a bit of water slide the knife in a circular /orbital fashion on both sides. As you have a very close tolerance between two blades of the scissor to assist good cutting the key to grinding is that the threaded plastic grinding plate holder (don't know what it is called) pretty tight. that causes very tight tolerance between cutter head and the grinding plate causing a good cutting action. I hardly ever have the meat in frozen condition to help grinding action. Need to use the tightening tool that comes with the grinder as it becomes difficult to open the grinder head up without the leverage it gives.

JC,