KitchenAid stand mixer choice...

[Jinba_ittai]

I have a limited time opportunity in two different stores to purchase a KitchenAid stand mixer. One is at Sears, the Classic for $200.00 (reg. $399.99), and the other is at Costco, a Pro HD for $300.00 (reg. $399.99). On one hand I like the price point of the Classic better, but I can only get a white one. I am also not thrilled about only having 250 watts. The price is higher on the Pro, but it has way better wattage (575) and I get four color choices.

I primarily will be making cupcakes and icings, but I will also be trying my hand at bread and such. In the future I may be doing cupcakes for weddings and such, so it might be a good idea to go with the bigger machine now, but that also may be a few years off.

I don't know what to do. Any tips for making a good choice or which is the better deal? Thanks all.

 

[garlicjosh]

actually watt is not important. the more watt means the more power it will use up. What's important is the work it's able to do in an amount of time.
Honeslty I would not go with the classic either way, the amount of work it can do compared to the artisan is not very good and you can get the artisan for the same price here and there. Honestly, the Pro is a better bet for the price. It will hold up better, do more work (meaning using total less energy).
Plus the pro just has better reviews and is not an uncommon model in professional settings.

 

[Jinba_ittai]

Thanks so much! That's kind of what I was thinking as well - the Classic is the same price regularly as the Pro is at Costco, so the deal is far better on the Pro. I just wondered if it would be too much machine for me. Anything is better than a hand-mixer for buttercream though!

 

[mkaylady]

Thanks so much! That's kind of what I was thinking as well - the Classic is the same price regularly as the Pro is at Costco, so the deal is far better on the Pro. I just wondered if it would be too much machine for me. Anything is better than a hand-mixer for buttercream though!

I don't know if you need it right away or not but Costco usually runs a $30 off coupon on the Pro about once a year. They had it around holiday time. If you can wait you will get it for about $269.

 

[Jinba_ittai]

Well, I just got a bonus at work, so this is my little reward to me. Although that coupon would be all kinds of awesome. I will ask about it when I go in to buy the mixer. Maybe I will get lucky...

 

[garlicjosh]

the pro is going to be more machine then you may need for what you generally want to do but I can promise you that once you start using it, you'll use it a lot more.
I really just wanted one for the same reason and because I think they are pretty..now I use mine roughly 3 times a week for various things..will probably be more once I get attachments for pasta rolling and jazz like that..so I think if it's that much more and you can afford it, it's money well spent.

 

[Jinba_ittai]

Thanks Josh...tonight I an picking up a red Pro. I figure it may be too much for now, but should I decide to do things that are heavier duty I won't have to upgrade - I'd rather spend an extra $100 now than another $300-$400 in a couple years.

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks Josh...tonight I an picking up a red Pro. I figure it may be too much for now, but should I decide to do things that are heavier duty I won't have to upgrade - I'd rather spend an extra $100 now than another $300-$400 in a couple years.

That's a good choice. You'll love it.

 

[FrankZ]

I have the 600Pro and love it.

As you already have decided I just wanted to add having more power is better than running close to the top end of a machine usually.

Also the classic seems to be a tilt head and I can see how that might cause clearance problems (it would for me) and swinging the attatchment up through what your are mixing seems messy to me.

Empire red is a fine color choice.

 

[roadfix]

I have the 600 Pro too. The extra $100+ for the cost of the Pro is irrelevant if you stretch that over 10 years of use, for instance. That's just pennies a week. That's one way to sometimes justify the additional initial cost if you can afford it.

 

[pacanis]

Red rules

 

[Jinba_ittai]

Red is the superior and therefore obvious choice.

 

[Janet H]

Red rules

Red is the superior and therefore obvious choice.

I also have the 600 Pro but in Caviar (Black with little sparkles). Classic color, sophisticated and best of all the sparkles hide any dust or flour fallout. Black goes with everything....

 

[mkaylady]

Red is the superior and therefore obvious choice.

As far as I know Costco only has a choice of Red, White, Silver or Black. Red does not match my kitchen and I don't like the other three choices.

I got Aqua Sky which I love. That is one of the reasons I ended up getting an Artisan, more choices of colors.

Of course, if I needed a heavier duty machine I would have to compromise when it comes to color.

 

[garlicjosh]

I got the white one but mine was a gift. I would have got the aqua, green or Silver..actually I really want the silver. Black just seems like a bad idea..it would be white in 45 seconds.
honestly though, the white is sorta sexy and if you really wanted, there are plenty of tutorials online about customizing them.

 

[mkaylady]

I got the white one but mine was a gift. I would have got the aqua, green or Silver..actually I really want the silver. Black just seems like a bad idea..it would be white in 45 seconds.
honestly though, the white is sorta sexy and if you really wanted, there are plenty of tutorials online about customizing them.

I just think if it matches your kitchen then it is OK. White would match my kitchen but, since all my walls and cabinets are white I think that is enough white. Black is only good if you have a black kitchen. I like silver too but that definitely would not go good in my kitchen. My kitchen is kind of retro so the Aqua works the best. I have yellow tile on my countertop with an aqua stripe of tile running diagonally through it. So I put aqua handles on my white kitchen cabinets and it all works well together.

 

[roadfix]

Red is fast. I got copper because I thought it was a cool color and different. White is always safe.....can't go wrong with that.

 

[garlicjosh]

I just think if it matches your kitchen then it is OK. White would match my kitchen but, since all my walls and cabinets are white I think that is enough white. Black is only good if you have a black kitchen. I like silver too but that definitely would not go good in my kitchen. My kitchen is kind of retro so the Aqua works the best. I have yellow tile on my countertop with an aqua stripe of tile running diagonally through it. So I put aqua handles on my white kitchen cabinets and it all works well together.

Yeah, if you have that much white already then I wouldn't advise going with it. I don't really worry about any of my stuff matching to much due to still moving around to much to care so white is just a safe bet for me plus I didn't say I wanted Chrome so it's my own fault. but I think the aqua would look great with your setup though.