Well after almost 44 years our KA Mixer made by Hobart is dying. It over speeds on it's own. I'm looking at New 6 Qt #600 Model. Costco has a good price but I'm wondering if the Quality is the same as the same model sold direct from KA? There is a place in Kansas "Mr Mixer" that does repairs but by the time I pay shipping and reair bill that might be stupid? Any Suggestions?
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You can check youtube for repairs. I saw one the other day to fix the switch when it doesn't come on immediately. It looked fairly simple so I might give it a try if the switch on mine gets any worse. -
Really depends on what you plan on using it for. A 6qt KA Pro is fine for most uses. If you do a lot of bread you might want to look at an Ankarsrum.
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I got the 6 qt Costco model a year ago. My KA Classic was undersized and underpowered for a lot of what I was doing, so I passed it on to my son and got the upgrade.
I can't say if it's the same model that's sold direct, but It's met and exceeded my expectations.Comment
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I've never actually used a KitchenAid, even though I've lived with them for 20 years now. My mixing is almost exclusively for bread, and I've always been fearful of the stories online of burning out the newer KA motors. My wife absolutely loves her KA, and she wanted me to use if for my doughs. When I refused, she bought me an Ankarsrum as a birthday present a few years ago. For my needs, it is outstanding.Comment
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Oh, I'm in no way saying the fear mongering online is necessarily true. It's just that the KitchenAid is my wife's, and she's had it for a significant number of years. I would just feel terrible if I did anything to damage it. -
jfmorris commented
I do 10 minute kneads of my pizza dough with the bread hook, on a regular KA, and have never had an issue with the motor. That said, its probably a 1990's model...
As a general comment that applies to almost anything with a motor, the concept of duty cycle applies. So, to use jf's example. 10 minutes with a 30 minute break versus 10 minutes with only a 5 minute break, is very important (this applies to the motor and speed control, not the gears). It's about heat dissipation
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From what I’ve read the KA Pro series has steel gears and a DC motor. If the power is expressed in watts it’s an AC motor if the power is expressed in HP then it’s a DC motor. It also has an ugly orange power cord. That was on line so it has to be true.Comment
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I can't vouch for the gears in our 1990's era KA. Hoping they are plastic! It was a hand-me-down from my mother in law at some point.Originally posted by Oak Smoke View Post
Now, in my home office, up on a high shelf, sits my grandmother's Sunbeam Mixmaster Model 9. I will bet it has solid metal gears, as it was used regularly by my grandmother from the day she got it, until she passed in 1986. And by my mother from then until the early 2000's. I have it because no one else wants it, as it is kinda beat up. But it has 2 bowls, beaters, and still works! I last used it a few years ago. It has stuff my KA does not have, like a metal rest the mixing bowl sits in, spinning the bowl on a bearing.
According to the web, this Mixmaster model 9 was made between August 1948 and 1950, when the Model 10 came out. There as a big gap with no mixer production from 1941 to 1948 I think, due to the war.
I think if the KA ever fails, I'll pull the Mixmaster back out...Comment
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I tried two of those and both could not be adjusted so that the beater didn't hit the bottom of the bowl. Gave up and went back to the classic KA 5 qt.Originally posted by Skip View PostComment
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From what I read on the internet before I bought my current KA mixer two years ago, Costco is selling the real deal. Plus Costco's return policy is fantastic.Comment
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Definitely worth checking before ti goes in the trash. If the parts are available a friend or neighbor might help with installationOriginally posted by RonB View Post
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I’ve struggled with garbage mixers for the past couple of years. My big beef with them is that they don’t have enough wattage for low end torque, so they all spin too fast. They don’t have a low speed.
until I found this one:
I love this one. Highly recommended.
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If Costco has the model you’re interested in 100% buy it there. If something goes wrong take it back. They have one of the best return policies on earth!Comment
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Agree with KA and Costco. My KA is fantastic. I’ve had it almost 25years.Comment
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Anyone here have the 8 Qt Professional model? I've had my eye on that for a long time. I'm wondering how it performs with smaller loads. I need more capacity that my current KA because my dough always climbs up the hook and gets into the upper spring.Comment
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I got SWMBO the 7-qt that surfdog mentions a couple of years ago. Other than a little adjustment period getting used to raising the bowl instead of tilting the head, its been great. Handles small and large loads beautifully, no sign of strain when she mixes up a triple batch of cookie dough. -
I have the 8qt Pro. It does just fine on normal size loads like a single cake recipe. Where it really shines for me is with the all metal meat grinder attachment. That thing grinds as well as any similarly powered grinder. I've put 15lbs of meat through it and the motor casing didn't even get warm. The machine does a great job of mixing the farce, too, because it actually has a solid low gear.
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Old post so I'm guessing you have made your purchased. Old KA was outstanding. New KA is shit, limited to speed 2 & 2 min followed by a MIXER (not dough) rest. I bought mine old KA from Costco in early 2000, finally needed replacing after 24 years, I bought a new KA from Costco in January. That's when I discovered the new limitations, I also found it got bogged down with my batches of dough and struggled with a standard cookie dough recipe, my old one had no such trouble. I gave it 4 months, after trying to massage my recipes. Thankfully Costco has excellent return policies. I even tried a repair kit on my old one, unfortunately the kits are China junk also.Originally posted by Skip View Post
I bought an Ankarsrum, it's a tank, and once you get used to it's quirks, it works great for everything.Last edited by Missin44; August 14, 2025, 04:22 PM.Comment
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