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.