Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

[Ken524]

I had a lapse of sanity while shopping at the outlet mall last week.

The "Kitchen Collection" store had a stack of refurbished KA Pro 600 stand mixers for $249. After looking at them we left the store and I used my smartphone to read several dozen (mostly negative) Amazon reviews.

It seems that Kitchenaid has redesigned the faulty plastic gearbox and updated it with a metal one. Units built after April, 2007 come with the updated part. Reviews of the machines with the update were, for the most part, better than the ones with the old part.

I made a quick call to customer service and asked if refurb machines would have the new box. The lady said that if the store stock was fresh (it was), I would likely get one with the new metal part. In any case the refurb comes with a bumper-to-bumper 6 month warranty. So I took the bait and bought the new toy.

So far so good. I made a batch of dough this morning (750gr flour) and the mixer worked fine. The motor didn't appear to strain under the load. I'll make the next batch a little larger.

I'm hoping that for our casual once-a-week use that the machine will hold up. It certainly did a better job than my Cuisinart processor (I was getting worried I would trash the motor in the Cuisinart) and it was a LOT easier than hand mixing.

I'll update this thread if there are any changes, but for now - A-OK!

[Modthyrth]

Re: Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

I'm a big fan of Kitchenaid mixers in general. Mine is probably 40 years old now, and used to belong to my grandmother, who was a professional cake decorator (and really put her machines to good use). But when my mom was in the Pastry and Baking program at SCI, all the students raced to the Globe machines first. My mom has since bought a Globe for her home, and I have to say, it's nice. It has this awesome timer function--you can set it to mix for a certain number of minutes and it automatically turns off at the end. If your Kitchenaid does conk out, it's worth checking into the Globe brand.

[Ken524]

Re: Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

If your Kitchenaid does conk out, it's worth checking into the Globe brand.

I'd love to have something like a Globe. Unfortunately, I just can't justify the price. They start at around $1000; my KA was $250 and that was about all I was willing to spend on a mixer

[Modthyrth]

Re: Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

Yeah, the price is why I don't have one already, too. But I do see them come up semi-regularly on craigslist from failed restaurants. Enough go under that I'd never pay retail on professional equipment.

[james]

Re: Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

$250 is a good price. Let us know how the new gear box works.

I'm still considering the Cuisinart ($365 on eBay) and the Electrolux ($500 from various Internet stores).

Also, Costco has a nice-looking deLonghi for $399. It has a lot of attachments and has a monster motor. Does anyone have experience with that mixer?

James

[Ed_]

Re: Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

I'd say you got a deal!

When I bought mine (new) a couple of years ago, I bought the 5.5 quart model, partly because it was the least expensive one that was made with the metal gears. Somewhere I read that the smaller mixers still have the plastic gearbox, but maybe they've changed those too.

Anyway, it's stood up to my relatively small batches pretty handily so far, but I haven't pushed it past 1500g total dough weight.

Ed

(Edit: Just had a look at the Globe mixers. Wow! You know you're dealing with serious stuff when the smallest model has an 8 qt bowl.)

[Ken524]

Re: Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

Hi Ed,

Glad to hear you are having good luck. I made a couple loaves of bread yesterday with no problems. So far I'm really pleased with the machine. SO MUCH easier to make dough. I'll get more use out of the oven.

We are having a pizza party next month for 20 or so adults. I'll give the KA a good push for that and see what happens.

[Frances]

Re: Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

Good discussion, keep going!

I'm still working on my husband to get a good mixer. The latest was that he kneads the dough for me... Which is really cool, and he does a great job.


...But only as long as I bake on the weekends . Next bake day is thursday, about 4kg of bread dough to see us through the week plus another kilo or so for pizzas. ...I really think I need a dough mixer!

[Wiley]

Re: Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

The price has dropped, the "Kitchen Collection" are now offering this mixer for $229.97 online. Interesting in many stores prices ending with .97 indicate a discontinued item. Is there a newer model out?
Wiley

[james]

Re: Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

I heard from Electrolux and their mixer, now called the Assistent, is scheduled to be UL Listed and available in the U.S. in mid-December. I have found a place to leave my KA Pro600 on the counter, which is very helpful with all the bread I am making -- plus having it out makes it easier to use it for everyday tasks -- cake batter, quick breads, whipping cream, etc.

Still, I am looking forward to working with the Electrolux for bread dough.

More to come.
James

[Jed]

Re: Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

James,

Are you still planning to carry the Assistant in the FB Store?

I will be interested to hear your report on how this model compares to the Kitchen Aid.

JED

[james]

Re: Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series

Hi Jed,

Yes, we are going to be selling the Assistent and I'm going to be a happy guinea pig. I've written this before, but I have killed my KA. That said, I'm a pretty extreme user, and there are reports that they have upgreaded the Pro since I bought my mixer.

I'm looking forward to starting to use it.
James