I had always wanted a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer. Finally after retirement, my husband purchased one for me for Christmas. I have used it multi times and it is wonderful. I made a cake yesterday and it was the lightest cake I have ever eaten. Received the ice cream maker attachment as a gift and plan to start making ice cream for summer.
Well my mom has had a kitchenaid mixer for over twenty years, and I absolutely love it! It has never had a problem ever! So my boyfriend got me one for Christmas, a beautiful orange one, and all it is is okay. When I go past the third speed it makes a loud noise which my mom's of over twenty years doesn't. When I put the whisk attachment on, no matter the speed its way too loud to be normal. Its just okay, nothing special. Kind of disappointed.
This blender is a great come up from my previous blender. I love the different attachments that could be used. My favorite one is the pasta maker. This is by far the best item that I've bought this year.