Kitchen

[wagirl]

OMG!!! that hibiscus color just rocks my world!!!! I have a white one from about 30 years ago--I bought it at Target for $169!! and it is still running great---I prob won't be getting another one but that hibiscus-----heart:

[Othereeeen]

@LizzieInSRQ 

Nope...sorry....

The CASE and the BASE may be all metal, but the parts inside are some metal, some not..

And yesterday, if you watched the overhead shots closely....when Tina DIDN'T have her arm or hand on the mixer, it shakes like crazy.

And don't get me started on the glass bowl reviews on KA's own site.

Google is your friend!!!!

"Do KA tilt head mixers have plastic gears?"

YES they have at least ONE gear that is NOT metal...it is probably a "sacrificial" gear designed to fail FIRST to prevent even worse damage to the machine...mostly from overheating.

This on a machine that is supposed to handle 14 dozen cookie batches and tough bread dough.

There are repair kits for KA that have this non-metallic gear, and there are dozens of You Tube videos showing how to repair KA mixers.

Fortunately, they are easy to disassemble with just some small common tools. (it was put together in pieces by humans, can be disassembled by humans!!!)

I had a bowl lift KA mixer from 2002. The bowl lift mechanism had a LOT of plastic parts and it did not last. I gave the thing away. It siezed up and would no longer lift the bowl.

In my opinion, KA is coasting on it's reputation from 50+ years ago. They are NOT the same quality or build construction.

Nothing is today.

They aren't even a stand alone company any more...owned by Whirlpool since 1986.

[marky]

I have all of the attachments that make it possible for my husband and me to make the best tomato juice from our homegrown tomatoes each summer.

I watched a few YouTube videos and now we have it down to a fine assembly line.  It makes the best juice with no waste and very little mess. We just have to process it once the tomatoes are juiced.

[SharkE]

why i haven't ordered the pretty Hibiscus one. I hate to give away my Cuisinart. KA's was King once up a time, time has come and gone.

Dang ! wish other companies would have a pinky one. LOL

SMEG has a light pink one , but, I still got the red.

this Hibiscus is my fav color. Maybe they will come out with a hand mixer be cheaper and I can still admire it. LOL

[ninjawife]

I got my Kitchen Aid as bridal shower gift from my mother 28 years ago.  It was my favorite gift.  Mine is white.

[LizzieInSRQ]

@Othereeeen thanks for your presentation to me. i heard EXACTLY what i heard on air..

[gardenman]

Regarding "plastic" gears. Those gears are typically made from modern nylon-type materials and are typically better than metal gears. Most metal gears are made by a process call sintering, where a metal powder is heated and compressed in a mold to form the gear.  Lots of things can go wrong with a gear made by the sintering process. If the heat, pressure, powdered metal is wrong, you get a bad gear. And when there's a gearbox issue with metal gears, there's no give. With modern nylon compounds there are fewer issues that arise. If something goes wrong you simply need to replace that one nylon gear rather than the whole motor or drive train. In many cases the nylon gears cost more and are better, so automatically labeling any nonmetal gear as "plastic" and inferior is misleading. That can often be the mark of a superior product.

[Othereeeen]

@gardenman 

I agree with your comment ( in my note, I noted there is at least one "sacrificial gear", the one designed to fail first, and therefore prevent further damage.)

The "weakest link"!!

Actually, some repair parts kits say that gear is of Kevlar material ( like police vests).

What I object to is the statement that it's "ALL metal construction" which implies a better manufacturing process. 

Once that gear fails, the unit must be disassembled, something I am not afraid to do because it IS fairly easy to accomplish, but beyond the ability of most purchasers who are afraid to tackle simple repairs.

I DID take apart my 2002 model ( 21 year old) bowl lift model, and was surprised to find that the plastic parts in the lift mechanism were so worn out and binded together you could no longer operate the bowl lift. The repair kit had many plastic parts in it...and I ditched that machine. 

It was the model they now call the Pro600. When it DID operate, the motor sounded like it would fly apart making a double batch of cookies.

I remember being annoyed because I bought it with the idea it was "all metal construction" too.

I hope the new ones work better than the ones made AFTER 1986 ( when Whirlpool took over). But the reviews on many sites, including thier own, are not encouragaing.

And I am not talking about reviews that prattle on about "Mom used to have one in the fifties and it was so wonderful!!!!" or "Took too long to ship"....which are the type that mean nothing.

The glass bowl on this one is the deal breaker for me too. Read the reviews on KA's site.

Everyone who uses THIS site knows how to use the internet to research items sold anywhere. It amazes me when they don't. 

Or, read ths ones on this site. They cleverly say 8000 positive reviews ( or some such large number  many of which are NOT purchasers on THIS site...a new gimmick)

The best way to read the reviews on THIS site are to sort by most recent.  Look for yourself on any model with reviews.

Especially disappointing on such a heavy object that WE have to pay to return.

I'll look forward to the reviews on THIS unit when they start coming in.

There are MANY other mixer choices out there today. KA mixers are coasting on thier 1950s reputation, IN MY OPINION. 

I have no axe to grind here. I've actually WANTED to purchase another one....because they are so useful and attractive, but I want to USE it.... not make a counter queen out of it. ( Look-At-Me appliance that never gets operated).

But then I start reading reviews.

[gardenman]

@Othereeeen 

My newest KA mixer is a bowl lift model that I've had for three (I think) years now. It's been great. It has the stainless bowl instead of glass. When the glass bowls came out they were breaking like mad. I saw multiple ones break on cooking shows which made me opt for the stainless steel. It handles all of my bread recipes with ease and has had no hiccups. I got it at a pre-Black Friday sale through Best Buy. My older KA mixer is a bowl lock type that I got in the 1980s. It still works but I mostly use the newer one now.