Mixer is dying...

[Loren]

My ancient Braun mixer is at the end of it's life so I started looking for a new mixer for dough.

Looks like the kitchenaid is off the list.

The SP5 looks like a great machine but I don't use the machine enough to justify it at the moment. Thanks for the great write up Jim! http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f18/mixers-596.html

The Globe is a planetary mixer and pricey.

Bosch, not so sure.

I am leaning towards the Electrolux, glad to see the FB store will carry it soon.

So my question is between the Bosch and Electrolux. Has anyone used both? Looking for pro's and con's if any. Can you mix small batches in the Electrolux?

Thanks!!

Loren

[james]

Re: Mixer is dying...

I can relate. :-)

I just heard that the Electrolux is going through the UL gauntlet, and delivery might slip into Oct/Nov. More to come on that.

Still, I've decided to stick it out. I'm going to run my brutal KA until the day the Electrolux arrives. I even used it today -- making banana bread. Gotta do something with those brown bananas. But that noise.....

James

[Les]

Re: Mixer is dying...

I thought I saw a thread a couple of weeks ago that said KA is going back to metal gears so all is good.

Les...

[Loren]

Re: Mixer is dying...

James,

Will you stock the Electrolux at the Windsor location? I pass through that area occasionally. I would also like to pick up some of the bake ware. Not sure if you stock it there since I have never been to the store.

I also read the release date would be Novemberish... Mixing by hand will help me appreciate the new mixer that much more whenever it arrives!

Loren

[Loren]

Re: Mixer is dying...

I thought I saw a thread a couple of weeks ago that said KA is going back to metal gears so all is good.

Les...

Les,

Do you have any other information on that? Just curious...

Loren

[Les]

Re: Mixer is dying...

It was Ken's thread

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f18/...ries-4814.html

[james]

Re: Mixer is dying...

We will be able to stock in the Windsor showroom, or drop ship to you from Electrolux. We have fun stuff you can see and touch in the showroom -- just call ahead to book a time to make sure we're there. Hey, we're a flexible bunch.

When was the date that KA switched to metal gears? My KA Pro 600 is 2 1/2 years old.

James

[Les]

Re: Mixer is dying...

We will be able to stock in the Windsor showroom, or drop ship to you from Electrolux. We have fun stuff you can see and touch in the showroom -- just call ahead to book a time to make sure we're there. Hey, we're a flexible bunch.

When was the date that KA switched to metal gears? My KA Pro 600 is 2 1/2 years old.

James

According to the post - April 2007

[james]

Re: Mixer is dying...

I'm feeling pre-upgrade.
James

[Les]

Re: Mixer is dying...

No worries James - you are going to carry a better product.

Les...

[Modthyrth]

Re: Mixer is dying...

I'm sure the electrolux is great, but with the metal innards, the KAs are spectacular workhorses. Mine is from some time in the 50s or 60s, did a stint as my grandmother's main machine for 10 years (a professional cake decorator, she switched KAs every 10 years, and regulated the old ones and stuck them in the basement as backups). I got it when I was 18, and have been pushing it hard for the last 15 years. We make a couple hundred gingerbread houses each year, I make homemade fondant, etc. Every few years I have to take it apart and put it back together to get the gears realigned nicely, but I don't think this thing will ever stop.

[Les]

Re: Mixer is dying...

Every few years I have to take it apart and put it back together to get the gears realigned nicely, but I don't think this thing will ever stop.

Wow! I have yet to cook a thing, let alone break a mixer - I think you are way above my pay grade. I did re-build my chain saw

Les...

[Wiley]

Re: Mixer is dying...

Loren, When you say it is dying just what do you mean? Perhaps it just needs new brushes, or a dissassembly and re lube of the gears. If it's an older model and made to last (and you are happy with it before it started to die) I would expect that it is repairable or at least worth the look.
Wiley

[Loren]

Re: Mixer is dying...

The old Kitchenaid mixers are workhorses as is my old Braun; however I think I would like to switch to a spiral mixer after reading Jim's elaborate post on mixers. He explains how a planetary hook style mixer with a fixed bowl risks overworking the dough. The Kitchenaid, Braun, Viking and Globe are all planetary mixers, I have used one for years but I think I will try something new. I will only be making pizza dough and bread dough so the Electrolux should be a good choice for me.

My old Braun has a plastic bowl with a ring gear built in to it. That is what turns the bowl. It is a bit under powered for dough, it struggles quite a bit. The main problem with it is the latch that releases the arm so you can remove the hook and bowl is not functioning. If I push it any harder to try and release it I know it will snap off. So it makes clean up a pain in the butt. I have to wash it all as one unit, and removing the dough is quite comical. It takes two people, one to turn the mixer upside-down and the other to dig the dough off the hook and out of the bowl.

When that started happening I was going to buy a Kitchenaid and started reading bad reports on Amazon. That was the start and here I am now?

I would really like the SP5 but at $1300 that is a lot of dough for me at the moment. I have a feeling as soon as the new mixer arrives the latch on the Braun will start working again!

Loren

[Ken524]

Re: Mixer is dying...

So far so good on my new (refurbished) Kitchenaid Pro600. I really haven't stressed it out yet. Only single 750gr batches. Big party in mid September. I'll let you know what happens!

As Les mentioned, I think the new gear boxes came out after April '07.