kitchenaid 7 qt. mixer

my new 7qt. mixer arrived today and i'm really impressed with how quiet it is. the new stand mixer (which came out in august,2012) is incredibly quiet, and not only when compared to the 5 and 6 qt. mixers. for anyone looking to upgrade, or anyone considering the smaller mixers, i would strongly urge you to spend the extra money for the 7qt. if you use it regularly. the 6qt. has a motor that is so noisy that i remember calling up kitchenaid the day i bought it. i really thought something might be wrong with it because it was so loud, but there wasn't. KA gets lots of calls, i was told, from people equally unhappy with the noisy motor. the difference in the new mixer isn't insulation, but rather, a different motor. the 7qt. uses DC current and the energy it pulls varies depending on the contents of the mixing bowl. i was told, when i called KA today, that even when mixing a heavy dough it will always be more energy efficient and draw less power than the 6qt. the smaller mixers all use AC current. an occasional user probably isn't going to mind the horrid noise, but a regular user will definitely appreciate the 7qt. and it's quieter motor. this message was NOT paid for by kitchen aid!

Joan,

I wish your mixer a long and happy life. Sadly, that wasn't the case with the two we've had here at the club. Our pastry chef used it along with a Hobart 20 qt. The first one (7 qt.) died after just six months of use and Kitchen Aid replaced it free of charge. Six months later, the replacement died, and by then it was considered to be out of warranty coverage, so we decided to trash it rather than spend who knows how much just to get it up and running.

The 7 qt. Waring mixer we got is running strong and we're happy with it. The whip actually touches the bottom of the bowl, which isn't always the case with Kitchen Aid

I love my old 5 qt Kitchen Aid that I bought in 1983. Not a single issue with it, even though twice while kneading bread dough, it fell off the counter and hit the floor hard.

I wish your mixer a long and happy life. Sadly, that wasn't the case with the two we've had here at the club.

I love my old 5 qt Kitchen Aid that I bought in 1983. Not a single issue with it, even though twice while kneading bread dough, it fell off the counter and hit the floor hard.

thanks ronnie for instilling fear in my heart! (just kidding). my 6qt. is still going strong, though every 15 months or so i had to replace the control board at a cost of about $130. since i use it daily, i thought that was fair. but my repair guy said the motor was weakening and not to spend any more money on it. so i found a good price online for the 7qt. (no tax and a rebate for a free pasta roller/cutter), so i bought it and now have the 6qt. for backup. let's hope your experience isn't typical....

Interesting. I find my 6qt too big for a lot of uses, especially whipping things like egg whites and cream since the beater doesn't get to the bottom of the bowl. I've gone to a hand mixer for those.

I was given the 6 qt as a gift when I used to do a lot of bread baking, but then the breadmaking culture went over to a minimal kneading approach, more stretch and fold, so I don't even use it for that much anymore.

Joan,

Where do you have your mixer repaired?

I happen to have a 5-Qt I bought around 1980. Only once did I have it fixed: something related to controlling speed snapped.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Joan,

Where do you have your mixer repaired?

I happen to have a 5-Qt I bought around 1980. Only once did I have it fixed: something related to controlling speed snapped.

Regards,

there's a place called manau cutlery, which sharpens knives for restaurants and butchers, etc. and repairs restaurant appliances. i've asked if anyone can bring in home sized kitchenaids and the word is yes. i always get my mixer back the next day. the only official kitchenaid appliance repair place (last time i checked) is in elmhurst and repairs take weeks! so go ahead and bring your mixer in. but i suggest you call ahead, talk to bill, and make sure he has the parts you need as your machine is old. it might be cash only, so ask about that as well.
MANAU CUTLERY
2533 s. western. (773-376-4275)

A friend recently posted photos of his experience disassembling, cleaning, and regreasing his KA mixer. Apparently you are supposed to do this every year?! Ours is eleven years old, though not used daily.

Does anyone here do this kind of maintenance on their mixer? It seems pretty invasive and complicated... I would not feel comfortable doing this on my own at all. But what are the alternatives? Is there a place you can take it in for a lube job?

mamagotcha wrote:But what are the alternatives? Is there a place you can take it in for a lube job?

Yes --

Abesco,Inc
2200 Stonington Ave Suite 200
Hoffman Estates, IL 60195
Phone: 847-884-9595
Fax: 847-884-9554

Call them for pricing. They are quite reasonable and quick.

Also see the related thread Kitchen Aid mixer repair in/near Chicago (west side)

I took my mixer to Abesco for repair about two years ago and they did a great job. I can't remember how long the repair took, but the cost was reasonable. The challenge for me is schlepping a mixer up and down three flights of stairs at my place.

A friend recently posted photos of his experience disassembling, cleaning, and regreasing his KA mixer. Apparently you are supposed to do this every year

Not happening in this lifetime, or any other.

I took my mixer to Abesco for repair about two years ago and they did a great job. . . .the challenge for me is schlepping a mixer up and down three flights of stairs at my place.

Not to mention the schlep to Hoffman Estates. That's a 55+ mile round trip for me.

For those whose beaters don't touch the bottom of the bowl, you can buy beaters that have a flexible rubber edge that scrapes the inside of the bowl. These are made by Kitchenaid as well as by other companies. We have one and it works very well. One place you can find them is by going to Amazon and searching for "kitchenaid mixer beater". You'll notice that different beaters are designed for different size mixers, so get one that says it works with your size mixer.