I purchased the Artisan Mixer a few months ago, as a retirement present to myself, and I have not been sorry. I love to bake, and I regret depriving myself all these years! It makes cakes and cookies a breeze to make. It looks beautiful on my kitchen counter -- really classy looking and it is wonderful to use -- quick, powerful, clearly worth the money. I bake for friends and church events, so this is a great addition to my kitchen. And I love that it is made in the USA!
I had my "old" mix master for 30 years & then it broke! It was no longer being manufactured. So I thought that I would buy a Kitchen-aid since they came in such great colors. Well... I bought it for the color but I LOVE IT for so much more! It is very sturdy & strong. But it is VERY HEAVY, so I had to find a permanent home for it on my work-space. Once that was done I have found that I love this new mixer even more than my old one. There is a learning curve because the space between the end of the bowl & the motor is kind of close so I had had to alter my way of doing things like the way I pour the ingredients into the bowl. But not having to scrape as much is wonderful! Altho the little recessed circle on the bottom always needs to be scraped and that is a kind of nuisance. It mixes things like whipped cream and egg-whites so quickly I find I am making foods I never thought I could. It is nice that it came with 3 beaters... but I wish it came with 2 bowls. The replacements are very expensive. Don't hesitate to buy this model if you need a replacement for your old mixer!
I received this as a gift & it was a replacement for a similar mixer that I had & used extensively for over 15 years. never had a problem with "old" one but then it just stopped working. I hope this new mixer is made to the same specs as that one was, if it is it will last a long time & serve me well!
I have been using the mixer for 5 months to make 6-12 loaves of bread per week. It handles up to two loaves of dough nicely, but will get very warm after three batches in a row. I would like to try the spiral dough hook to see if it improves performance. Definite improvement to hand kneading.