Cuisinart SM-55BC 5-1/2-Quart 12-Speed Stand Mixer, Brushed Chrome

I will preface this review by saying that I waited a year to write it. That, in large part because of some bad experiences with high-end specialty kitchen equipment which did not last that long, and in part because I feel that reviews written just after the box has been opened are not very telling. That said, my memory was jogged this week by last Black Friday, and the dither it sent me into. I was awake early that day and saw the Kitchenaid mixer posted at an exceptional price. I put it in my cart, and then thought, do I really need this? I have survived cooking for 30+ years without one, have free-standing machines which replace virtually all of the attachments, and have gotten along pretty well without one up to now....and then, there's the issue of counter space. As the clock was ticking, and deal expiring, I read, watched videos, ultimately feeling more than a bit foolish at the time I was spending deciding whether or not I needed a mixer at all. I ordered it, then cancelled my order, and then read some more. Several days and dozens of reviews later my husband told me to just get one already. (I think I was making everyone in the house a little nuts). But, when I make a large purchase, and this qualifies, at least in terms of small kitchen appliances, I read a lot of reviews and consider all the alternatives before I choose. By the time I was done with my exploration I decided that as cute, colorful and iconic as the Kitchenaid was, it wasn't the best, or even the best in it's price range. Most of the sites which tested and compared recommended the Cuisinart over the Kitchenaid. I had personally had a bad experience with a high-power Cuisinart blender and was a bit shy of the brand. However, there was no denying that the specs were better:1. Solid all metal construction (vs. the Kitchenaid's plastic gears, which people on amazon were reporting wore out).2. A motor which is more than twice as powerful3. Overheat protection: automatic shutdown to prevent burn-out4. while attachments for the Kitchenaid are less expensive, again they are plastic, while the Cuisinart's are metal.5. A much much better warranty. (3 years on machine, 5 on motor vs. 1)The fact is that I did not need a mixer for much, occasionally whipping cream, maybe making some of the things I was able to do without the machine a little easier, and tidier. I have been baking quite a bit, and Cooks Illustrated said that for bread dough this was far superior to the Kitchenaid.Not long after it arrived I tried out a new recipe for oatmeal bread. It was the first (and only) time that the machine shut down (that is, the overheat protection kicked in and stopped the machine for a few seconds). That dough was like concrete (and I can not imagine the effort it would have taken to thoroughly mix it by hand). I can not say that that particular bread was very good, but the mixer did a good job, and survived the process. (I have since read stories and seen pictures of the Kitchenaid smoking under a lesser load). In the past year I have made easily 100 loaves of bread, baking several times a week (more than I did when I was mixing and kneading by hand) in fact, a lot more ;) the only negatives I can think of are that my sourdough is a bit more homogenous than when made by hand (not necessarily "bad," it just doesn't look as rustic, and 2. Our entire freezer is full of bread. Through all those loaves, and all kinds of dough I have not had a problem of any sort. Part of my motivation (if you can call it that) for getting this was my son's looking over my should as i was in the midst of my review-reading frenzy, and saying "it makes 7 cups of frosting. Of course we need it. ;) I have not yet made 7 cups of frosting, but I did make half a dozen kinds of cupcakes for his sister on her birthday (something i absolutely would not have done had I been doing it by hand). I've also played with some other recipes I likely would not have tried if I had to do it all by hand. Do I need it? Probably could have lived without it, but it does make my life easier (especially when it comes to cleaning up) and it has expanded my repertoire; not a bad thing. )Note, the Cuisinart comes with a splash shield, while it is an option/ accessory on the Kitchenaid).All in all I am very happy with my purchase, and having lived with it for a year now am glad I went with the Cuisinart instead of the Kitchenaid. I haven't had occasion to test their warranty yet, but that is a good thing, and I think the more powerful motor and overheat protection helped there because this little machine has gotten a pretty good workout. Everyone has to decide for themselves what they need or not, but my feeling is that if you are buying a mixer, this is one that will probably last you a lifetime. It will last at least 5 years, they give you that in writing, and nothing else in this price range gives you that.

After more than twenty years of service, I finally ditched my Kitchen Aid Artisan mixer. Well, it quit working and after the hassle of replacing the most likely failed piece, a 'sacrificial' gear at the end of the drive train, it still didn't work. I live in a remote area so sending it to an authorized center seemed like a shot in the foot: postage for the damned thing would cost almost half the cost of a new one plus whatever it cost to repair it. It seemed to me that regularly mixing artisan-style bread dough became too much for it.I agonized over it's replacement. Commercial mixers were too expensive and too large for my small kitchen. After months of on-and-off looking at reviews and talking to other local bakers, I decided to take a chance on the Cuisinart, not a small consideration was the expense of sending it to be repaired.The SM-55BC has a motor with a thousand watts of power as opposed to the four hundred the comparable Kitchen Aid supplies, the beaters are much easier to adjust and are coated with some sort of serious non-stick stuff, not much help with sticky cookie recipes but bread dough slides right off and cleanup is simple. I've not used the power take-offs (the PTOs) but a blender, a food processor, a meat grinding attachment and an ice cream maker are available. The tools that come with it are the same Kitchen Aid supplies: a whip, a beater, a dough-kneader and a splash guard (which works as well as Kitchen Aid's but is somewhat easier to attach).The machine is rather noisy; that doesn't bother me. It does not 'walk' on my slick granite counter tops with a heavy load of stiff dough. The motor doesn't seem to labor under a load. One thing that took some getting used to is the articulation between the base the 'riser' and the motor unit. This keeps the relatively light machine from 'walking' but the first uses were somewhat disturbing to watch. It has a timer, allowing the baker to wander off and attend other tasks, which shuts the machine off with a discreet 'peep'.In appearance and 'fit' it's adequate. My wife thinks that it's an attractive addition to our (limited) counter space, I much preferred the simple style of the Kitchen Aid. Once you get used to it's articulating parts it looks solid.I've only had a few months with this mixer. I use it three or four times a week for various tasks, so I have no idea of it's longevity. At this time I can say that it's a solid, powerful workhorse performing a variety of tasks with no complaint from me: whipping cream, making cookies and easily kneading very dense bread dough. It is very easy to clean and (I suppose) attractive enough on the counter top. It has a fuse rather than a sacrificial gear to prevent motor damage, something that I consider a great improvement (unless you just like dealing with massive amounts of lubricating grease) in the unlikely event that the motor becomes overloaded. I mix some pretty stiff dough, but I don't torture my machinery.So, so far, it's a five star purchase; I don't dispense 'fivers' lightly. Cuisinart offers a year warranty, plenty of time to evaluate it, I think. Give it a try.

el acabado de este es muy especial y el potente motor tambiena un precio muy bueno solo falta usarlo para ratificarlogracias

The best!

me llego el pedido en tiempo y forma, ha estado trabajando excelente la batidora. y a un excelente precio. recomendado ampliamente

I like everything about this product except it is quite noisy