KitchenAid KV25GOXMC Stand Mixer

On the positive side:

The mixer "seems" (see below) to be well made. The fit and finish of external parts is excellent. When tightened with vigor, the tightening nob that holds excessories like a grinder (which works very well) in place, no longer falls into the mixing bowl while something is being mixed.

Kitchenaid has an exceptional warrangy. You need only call Kitchenaid, explain the problem and they send a new mixer and prepaid labels to return the defectve mixer. Definitely retain the box the mixer arrives in.

On the negative side:

Mine is the third KV25GOXCV I have had following the return of a proceeding model with a smaller motor. All were returned because the sound made by the mixer suggested that the gearing was self-destructing. All emitted uneven grinding sounds, especially when operating at mid-range speeds. It suggests that the gears were poorly machined and were wearing badly and would fail before long. (The gearing in my last Kitchenaid stand mixer lasted 15 years before it had to be rebuilt after which, the mixer was given to my son who is still using it.)

My present mixer makes the same troubling transmission sounds but after having had three others that made those same sounds, I concluded that Kitchenaid cannot do any better.

When mixing doughs approaching the mixer's maximum capacity, the dough rides up the dough hook and must be dragged back down before mixing can again proceed normally. It must be done every 30 seconds or so.

Do not plan to mix any stiff doughs that an older recipe (nonKitchenaid recipe) suggests mixing for longer than 3 or 4 minutes. If you do, the mixer will overheat and automatically shut off until it cools. When I contacted Kitchenaid's Customer Service Department, I was told that I must follow mixing directions in the accompaning operator's manual. (These suggest limiting mixing times to only a few minutes.)

Before buying one of these mixers I recommend looking at a Viking stand mixer. It is more expensive but its bowl capacity is considerably larger and its motor is much more powerful.

If it comes as an option, I do not recommend buying the plastic splash guard that fits around the top of the mixing bowl. It is a hassle to take off and replace, which will be required because of the need to scrape the bowl frequently as a result of Kitchenaid's questionable beater and dough hook designs.

If you bake heavy bread doughs or large batches, this is the mixer for you. I had a slightly smaller Kitchen Aid mixer, which I also loved, but the extra size and motor power of this model is invaluable. It is a beautiful machine. It is heavy and quiet, and very powerful, like an expensive luxury automobile. It is also very beautiful, I have it in red, and it is just gorgeous with my red le creuset pans (they have the exact same color and finish). It has a very useful feature where it starts out slow when you first turn it on, then gradually speeds up. This keeps things from slopping out of the mixing bowl. There are three things I do not especially like about this mixer, but you will notice I give the machine 5 stars anyway. The first problem is really minor. It takes some degree of coordination to get the bayonet at the back of the mixing bowl attached to the mixer. The other two problems stem from the top of the mixer not swinging up, as it does on the smaller mixers. Using the plastic chute accessory to load ingredients is a bother, so I soon stopped doing that. When I put ingredients into the bowl, it is kind of an awkward, messy procedure. Then, when you finish mixing, it is also awkward to get the beater out of your food product. If something were to happen to the machine I own, these problems would not keep me from buying the same exact machine again. For people who cook large batches, this mixer is just wonderful. If you don't really need the volume, you would be happier with one of the smaller mixers, the top of which swing up.