KitchenAid KP26M1XNP Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer, Nickel Pearl
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of KitchenAid KP26M1XNP Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer, Nickel Pearl
Customer Review: FANTISTIC MIXER
Summary: 5 Stars
First, let me say Amazon is super-swift in processing orders. I ordered on Sunday (19th) & received in excellent condition (UPS, of course) late morning on Thursday (22nd). Not expecting to receive until Saturday at the earliest. It didn't prove to be a problem on this shipment but there was a sticker on the outside of the box stating that the packing slip was inside the box. There was no packing slip anywhere.
I would like to address the negative reviews on this mixer:
1. Beaters clanging side and/or bottom of bowl: I tested with water in the bowl & the beater did touch the bottom in one place - MY ERROR. Bowl was not seated properly on the back side of the bowl. Before realizing it, I moved the set screw & could not tell any difference. It took me about one minute to figure out it was operator error. I readjusted the set screw back to the manufacturer setting as there was obviously no need to change it in the first place.
2. Space, Height, Weight and Tilt Head versus Fixed Head: Being a fixed head actually takes up less space than a tilt head because you're not forced to move it toward the front of the counter in order to use it. Having to move the mixer to tilt the head would mean you would be using even more valuable counter space. My husband is a builder (built our house) & he installs cabinets/countertops to a normal standard. We have at least 2-3" between the top of the mixer & cabinet allowing for heat to escape & to cover the unit without moving it. This mixer only weighs maybe 2 lbs. more than the lesser wattage models. The only time you would need to move it is to give your counter a more thorough cleaning. Yes, it will take some getting used to inserting & taking the bowl out but I think I can manage. This unit is so convenient I may never use a hand mixer again. Ridding myself of the hand mixer would certainly free up an already busy cabinet.
3. Inability to dishwash beaters: Not a problem for me as I only cook for my husband & myself. I clean as I go so the kitchen won't look like an impossible task once I've finished eating. My mother cooks without cleaning during prep & it looks like Hurricane Katrina has taken up permanent residence before she begins cleanup. Since I don't normally use my dishwasher just cooking for 2, I might find it more problematic if I cooked for 4 or more.
4. Mixing 14 cups of flour: I know KitchenAid touts that on the label & in the product description but to me, I don't want to push an appliance to unreal limits. I have to wonder what people are preparing even using 10 cups of flour! Wouldn't it be simpler for them to just spring for a bread machine?
5. 6-Quart Mixer too big for small batches? Why would it make a difference when the beater moves through every part of the bowl? I certainly don't understand why that comment was made.
That pretty much sets the record straight on the negativity in the reviews I read.
I chose the Nickel Pearl color because it's neutral & will go with any decor. Fingerprints don't show on this color since it is not a shiney finish. "Flour puffs" probably won't show should I overlook one. (By the way, I used a box brownie mix to test it as I was pressed for time & there were no "dust plumes." Although I didn't need it I inserted the pour spout cover just to examine clearance for adding ingredients. The slow start eliminates flying flour). I'm not a flashy gal so red, blue or black were never considered. Why bother with color when I plan to keep it covered anyway.
My recommendations are:
If you cook, buy good equipment. Looking back, I could kick myself for making me so miserable in the kitchen with cheap stuff. You'll enjoy cooking with the right equipment. And your cooking ventures will prove it to you.
Go for the wattage whether you think you need it or not. Cooking habits & desires change with time & circumstances. With this model, you get metal beaters whereas on the lesser models, the flat & dough beaters are plastic.
Make sure the mixer has metal gears, not nylon or chances are really good you'll be shopping again soon for another mixer because the nylon gears are stripped. If it's not stated that it has metal gears, it probably has nylon.
I did notice on my KitchenAid mixer bowl that the bottom of the stainless bowl where it's concave is finished differetly from the rest of the bowl & left a black substance on my counter top. It wiped up easily but now I know to use a silicone mat or marble hot plate to protect possible damage to my counter.
If there's something to dislike about this mixer, it's that there's not as much batter left on the beater for me to lick clean as there was on the beaters of my old glorified Sunbeam mixer diguised as a stand mixer.
Customer Review: So far, so great!
Summary: 5 Stars
Update 8/22/08 - This mixer still works beautifully. While I don't make bread daily, I do make pizza dough almost weekly and I love this mixer. It also whips cream better (because of the flatter bowl bottom design) than my slightly smaller, older KitchenAid. I'm still thrilled with this product and Amazon.com.....(Previous Review) Like the reviewer, "Cats Rule", I, too, have an old workhorse KitchenAid mixer that is about twenty-five years old and has only needed one repair throughout all of those years and hundreds of cookies and cakes. I will never let "Old Reliable" go (I had withdrawal symptoms when I had to send it to KitchenAid for the repair which took a month) but I also wanted a larger capacity mixer. I purchased this one from Amazon.com a couple of weeks ago and so far it has been fabulous. For the first time in my life I made pizza dough, three batches in two weeks, using the KitchenAid recipe, at the recommended speed of 2, and both the mixer and pizza dough are great. I did find another recipe that differed only in the amount of olive oil used (1 Tablespoon vs the KitchenAid 1 tsp) which worked even better for us (slightly less crisp crust and works beautifully with the dough hook). I found that if I use too much flour and/or too little olive oil, the mixer did vibrate a tiny bit but still kept mixing. One really great difference between the older, five quart mixer and this new, larger one is the shape of the bowl. The 600 Series has a slightly flatter bowl which allows better mixing without having to use a spatula at frequent intervals to incorporate the batter at the bottom of the bowl. I read all of the reviews before purchasing this mixer, which really helps, and I am looking for any sign of the gear box breaking (we haven't taken it apart yet to see if we have a metal or plastic box). I did speak to KitchenAid before I made this investment and they said they would replace the gear box with a metal one if mine should have a problem. I intend to keep making bread or pizza dough each week, and larger batches of cookies during this first year - not only to test the mixer, but because the mixer works so well, so far, and there are so many fantastic cookie, cake, bread and pizza recipes out there! My husband (voluntarily) said that he would rather have our pizzas than any other he's ever tasted, and we can choose healthier alternatives by making our own - like canadian bacon or turkey, Italian sausage pizzas. I have noticed a difference in sound when mixing pumpkin pie ingredients, but that might be normal (and I might be overly concerned about the gear box). KitchenAid documented my concern, at my request, in case I should have a bigger problem down the road. I might also take an idea from "Cats Rule" and purchase a few other attachments from Amazon.com. I am thrilled with my KitchenAid mixer, the KitchenAid company, and always with Amazon.com!Customer Review: A comparison to the Artisan Mixer
Summary: 3 Stars
I already own a 5 Qt mixer from the "Artisan Series" but decided to upgrade to this model so that I could make larger batches of bread dough. For my recipe, a single batch is 2 cups of bread flour. I tried making a double batch (4 cups) in my new Pro 600, but after about 15 min. of kneading, the motor just turned off. I thought I had burned it out, but after consulting the instruction manual, it seems this is normal. Normal?! Yes, that's what it said--all I needed to do was wait for the motor to cool off (it's also "normal" for it to get so hot it is uncomfortable to touch) for 30 min. and then try again. I find it hard to believe that this mixer could make bread with 14 cups of AP flour, as the box says. Having said that, here are my thoughts on this mixer vs. the "Artisan Series" mixer I already own:
1. The motor consumes over 50% more electricity (and is certainly more noisy) in the pro 600, but how much of that is being converted to extra torque, I'm not really sure. What I do know is that I can only do a single batch of bread at a time in either mixer.
2. As has been mentioned in other reviews, the Artisan mixer came with a "coated" paddle and dough hook, whereas the pro 600 has "Brandished steel". This means the Artisan's implements are dishwasher safe but the pro 600's are not. I had assumed those bright, shiny implements that I saw in the store display were stainless steel, but I guess not. If it weren't for this problem and the huge price tag, I would have given this mixer 5 stars.
On the plus side...
3. I love the new spiral dough hook--it is much better than the C shaped one in my Artisan
4. The soft start feature is a nice touch. Then again, it would be even nicer if there was a speed lower than the lowest one provided.
5. The larger bowl is nice
6. There is more of a difference between speeds 7-10 than the Artisan
Things I'd like to see changed in the next iteration:
--A gear box. I have a cordless drill that has a high and low gear. As could be expected, low is for more power, high is for more speed. Why don't these mixers use a simple gear selector like that? This would be a HUGE improvement--it would not only provide more power, but the lower speed I would like, as mentioned in point 4.
--Stainless steel implements as mentioned in point #2
CONCLUSION:
A very nice mixer, but so is my "Artisan". If you are going to buy a new mixer (and don't have an unlimited supply of money to throw at it), I wouldn't recommend the Pro 600--get one from the Artisan series instead--it is much cheaper and does just about as good a job. There are small advantages to the Pro 600, but even all together, I don't think they are worth the added price.
Customer Review: KitchenAid Pro 600
Summary: 3 Stars
Amazon.com is such a treasure. I have learn so much here.
Sunday I bought the Pro 600 mixer from a store then read a lot of questions and comments here and elsewhere on the web about problems with the plastic housing of the metal gearbox inside the machine. (I should have come to Amazon first! I will next time.) Under heavy use this plastic gear cover is prone to cracking and then the gears are no longer held together.
I also read where KitchenAid is in the process of changing back to a metal housing for the gears. So I wrote a question for the chat rooms on the KitchenAid site with my model and serial number because I would like to know if the new machine I bought has this plastic box around the gears or maybe I am lucky enough to have the new metal box.
The posting wasn't offensive or nasty. I have no reason to be. I'm not out any money. The machine is new packed in its original, unopened box.
The KitchenAid site refused my question. I received an email saying it was rejected because my question about my machine and the plastic housing is a "non-issue " because they stand behind their products.
(There is a one-year guarantee on the machine. That is good. But after the 1-year is past if this plastic gear cover cracks and fails this "non-issue" has just turned into a pricey little problem for the owner. All that is available to fix it in my area is another plastic housing, I checked.)
The note also said they are still in the process of changing the plastic gearboxes back to metal. I then called a KitchenAid repair place to ask them about the plastic gearbox cover and the man there knew all about it. He has replaced many of them but all he had in stock to use for repairs is the same plastic housing. He did not know of any replacement metal housings for repairs. He did tell me older models have the metal housing on the gears.
Those of you who would be heavy users of this machine take note. As for me I know how I can make it a true "non-issue." Back to the store we go and I will wait and check back with Amazon.com later in the year to see what others are saying. I still want a Pro 600 but I would feel much better with the metal housing on the gearbox. Sooner of later plastic is going to dry out and break.
This was not a throw away purchase to me. It was a life goal, a legacy purchase that you would hand down in the family. I am not wealthy enough to stand the damage of having to toss it out after a couple of years.
I hope the folks at Whirlpool/KitchenAid are listening. Fix this problem now. Stop phasing it in. Every day that you dawdle with this problem you are slowly killing your brand.
Customer Review: I am thrilled with my replacement 600 Pro
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, here I am almost 50 weeks to the day since receiving my 1st Kitchenaid Pro 600.
When I first got my Kitchenaid Pro 600 I was thrilled to say the least - I had been wanting a Hobart/Kitchenaid stand mixer for over 25 years. I had never gotten one until finally my daughter ordered one for me and there it was on my front step. I couldn't wait to use it.
My first disappointment was the noise it made when I plugged it in and turned it on - it was LOUD. I mean you could not carry on a conversation if you were next to it when it was running. I was also a little disappointed over how it seemed to strain when mixing a regular batch of bread dough (no where near the 14 cups touted on the box - more like 7 or 8). But, I continued to use it making bread at least once a week.
Well, to make a long story short (yeah, I know - it's too late for that), at approximately 49 weeks from the the day I received it I was mixing a regular batch of wheat bread dough (2 cups wheat flour, 4 cups bread flour and 1 cup bulgar wheat) when BAM! there was a loud Pop and the dough spiral stopped turning and just sat there quivering while the machine made a chattering noise.
My wife got on the phone and called customer service and after a little phone tag and email tag regarding date of purchase and photocopies of the shipping invoice, they agreed to ship me a replacement machine - Don't get me wrong, Customer service was very friendly, helpful and understanding - I have absolutely no complaints with how all of this has been handled. Once they had my proof of purchase date, my new machine was on the way.
Anyway, it is now only four days later (customer service said it would be 7-10 days) and I just finished mixing up the same recipe with the replacement machine and WOW, what a difference! To my amazement the new machine is MUCH, MUCH quieter than the old one - the gear noise is very acceptable (my wife and I have no problem carrying on a conversation in a normal voice when standing right next to it). Also, this machine doesn't seem to strain anywhere near as hard as the old unit did - by far a much smoother, quieter, better running machine than my first one. I am thrilled to have the new machine!
Bottom line - If you have a machine that has loud to very loud gear whine and/or you hear popping noises from the machine as it's running (mine was doing both near the end - the popping noise started a few months before it died), I strongly recommend calling customer service before your warranty runs out - the gears in your unit are probably misaligned and eventually your machine is going to break like mine did.