Hobart Kitchenaid mixers

[bethzaring]

I have been researching the vintage Hobart Kitchenaid mixers, looking for the immaculate, perfect one to buy. I recently bought one, but it did not come with many attachments, and for the cost of the attachments, I may as well buy another whole mixer. uh-oh, I have a tendency to "collect" things and I hope this is not my next collectible.

But what I don't understand is, what is the difference between the K5-A and the K5-SS? I see some with a metal colored flat beater and some with a white coated beater. Are the metal colored ones from an older model? How old a model were/are the good ones? I have been watching eBay and they have a lot of these for sale there.

Any wisdom to impart?

 

[AllenOK]

I had one of the original Hobart K5-A's. I still have the mixing bowl, and maybe even the whip, dough hook, and flat beater. I remember that my flat beater is the white plastic-coated kind, as was the dough hook. Sadly, the mixer itself developed a short somewhere in the power switch, and I was never able to get it fixed.

My one real complaint was that dough hook wasn't angled exactly like the bigger dough hooks for a 30 or 40 qt machine. Those hooks actually help to push the dough down into the bowl. The dough hook for my machine was just a regular hook, and the dough would "ride up" onto the top of the hook.

If you live near a decently-sized city, try to find a restaurant supply store that's open to the public. Go in, and see if they carry professional-grade attachments for your 5 qt mixer. Those attachments will probably be steel of some kind, no plastic. We have some where I work.

 

[bethzaring]

oh, the dough hook is one of the attachments I'm looking for.

You may want to see if you still have your K5-A bowl and three attachments. What got me into this investigation is I burned up the motor in my modern kitchenaid mixer a few months ago. I trashed the base, but sold the bowl plus 3 attachments on eBay for $50. I was shocked.

 

[wysiwyg]

bethrazing,
I am not familiar with the K5-A model, the K5-SS is the less powerful of the lift-bowl models that KA actually produces.

Relative to white (Nylon Coated) vs. metal colored (Burnished) flat beater and dough hook: White accessories are currently provided with all KA mixers except for the KP-26M1X and KL-26M8X, the two top of the line, that come with metal colored accessories.
I hope this will answer your question.

 

[bethzaring]

thanks, wysiwyg, for the info. I am seeking info on the "vintage" pre-1986 models of the lift bowl models. The ones where Hobart made the motors.

I am wanting to find out the difference between the K5-A and the K5-SS. I think the SS stands for solid state. The K5-A's seem to command a higher price than the K5-SS, just wanting to know why.

 

[wysiwyg]

bethzaring,
Unfortunately, I don't have information on the K5-A model.
The K5-SS is in production now, is called Heavy Duty Stand Mixer, motor sixe is 325 Watts and comes with white accessories.
This is the less powerful of the four Bowl-lift models. The other three models are:
KL26M8X (Pro Line series, 575 Watts, burnished accessories)
KP26M1X (Professional 600 Series, 575 Watts, burnished accessories)
KV25G0X (Professional 5 Plus Series, 450 Watts, white accessories)

 

[Corey123]

The model # of the K'Aid K5SS has been changed to the KSM-500.

The machine looks very identical to the K5SS in all features and performance. The KSM-500 is available in red, silver and Onyx Black. The K5SS is available in white only, but there is no overall signifigence in design changes from one to the other of these two machines. just the model number and color options has changed

Bethzaring, the difference between the K-5 and the K-5SS is that the K-5SS has a more reliable solid state system which allows the internal components to run cooler and more efficiently.

 

[bethzaring]

thanks corey, I really appreciate it! So I guess the K5SS is the more modern mixer. Did the older ones, pre solid state, have problems with over heating? Or was the K5SS just a minor improvement over the K5-A?

 

[Corey123]

You're welcome!

I think it was just a mnor improvement over the previous models.


But I think now, that K'Aid has worked all of the chinks in the chain out of the pressent and new models that come along. Only once in a while you might hear of a bad apple in the bunch.