Janstar

Kitchen Aid is your best bet. I wore out four of them in 15 years with my bakery. Just had them reworked for backups and they just kept going. They said they weren't made for commercial work but no one told them, the mixers, that!!! Plus, they have all those gorgeous colors. I have an emerald green one now.

sewgray

Kitchen Aid hands down.

Piedmont Quilter

The kids gave me money last year at Christmas to get me a stand mixer. I looked and looked. Knowing my spending limit - I purchased a Sunbeam MixMaster from WalMart for $75. (I waited & waited for it to go on sale). Granted, it is not a Kitchen Aid (boy would I love to have one of those)but it does the job just fine. If money is not an issue - Kitchen Aid; if you're on a limited budget check out the Sunbeam Heritage MixMaster.

MadQuilter

I have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer but not the professional one. According to Consumer Reports, the professional one has a very loud boat motor that is not as efficient as the middle of the road model Artisan. Mine is pistachio green and I got it with a 20% off coupon at bed,bath and beyond.

Here is a report on mixers:
http://www.consumersearch.com/mixers

If you get a stand mixer, be very careful when mixing persnickety doughs. That baby packs a whallop and too much speed can cause the cake to explode/run over. (Ask me how I know - lol)

granny216

I also have a Kitchen Aid that my sister gave me and I have a built in kitchen cabinet unit that mixes, grinds, etc. Like them both but find I use the Kitchen Aid more for whisking, beating, cookies, breads and cakes...

King's Daughter

Oh, me too, when I really did a lot of baking! My DH got me one for our anniversary (after the kids were grown), and I used it so much baking cookies that we really packed on the pounds! So now I get it out mostly at Christmas, and only make the kids' favorites. Definitely get Kitchen Aid if you can afford it.

redquilter

I agree with everyone - Kitchen Aid is the way to go if you can. They're pricey, but as one of the others said - you get what you pay for. I've had mine for more years than I care to count and it's still going strong, which is more than I can say for myself! :lol:

quiltykitty

Lisa, I have a Kitchen Aid mixer also. Love it. Just for your info, if you buy from Williams Sonoma, you get a lifetime guarantee. I think that is still true. Check it out. I know they are more expensive, but you could catch a sale. I've had my mixer about 6 years. I love the way the bowls fit on the stand. And there are lots of attachments you can get.

Olivia's Grammy

Kitchen Aide. I have a red one. DH still uses the old cheapy one.

prairiegirl

It's KitchenAid for me, too. It was a gift from DH about 20 years ago. We've replaced the bowl plate and the bowl about 10 years ago. I use it daily for cookies, cakes, yeast breads, butter......just about everything.