393330 Thu Apr 19 08:44:22 -0700 2007 11 41 Cookware 0 2495599 I'm about to make a purchase but am confused on the best size to purchase - I make bread on accasion but would love to make my own fresh pastas - I'm leaning toward the pro 6 but the Artisan model is less expensive(heard it has plastic gears???) Any help out there??? Thu Apr 19 08:44:22 -0700 2007 31750 drobbia 1 2495623 Get the big one. It is absolutely worth the extra. You will have this mixer all your life, don't skimp. I'm a pastry chef, and I bought my home use Kitchenaid right before they came out with the larger model. I'm tempted to replace it. I use the large one at work, and it has one feature that is worth its weight in gold--it starts mixing a little bit slowly, for just a second, so flour doesn't go flying out of the bowl with the initial agitation. I'm telling you, this is genius. Thu Apr 19 08:50:50 -0700 2007 2495599 42089 mancina 1 2496340 I like the Artisan model for the tilting head (as opposed to the bowl moving up and down), it makes it easier to get into the bowl to scrape it down or add large quantities of ingredients. Thu Apr 19 11:28:59 -0700 2007 2495599 29811 Buckethead 2 2498081 I have the opposite point of view, and I've had this conversation with other chefs. Don't get any model where the bowl screws in at the bottom. If you ever ding the threads of the bowl (common over the years), you're out. Far more durable and less troublesome is the model in which the bowl sits on prongs, and you use the level to life the bowl up and down. Good buys on Ebay. Thu Apr 19 20:01:32 -0700 2007 2496340 18222 maria lorraine 3 2499759 I've never had that problem in the 3 or 4 years I've had mine, but I'm not a professional baker so mine probably doesn't receive the amount of use and abuse that it would in a commercial kitchen. Of course, there are also tilt-head models that are not made by Kitchenaid, I don't know what method they use to secure the bowl to the mixer but it may be worth looking into if the OP would prefer the tilting head to the up-and-down bowl. Fri Apr 20 11:08:43 -0700 2007 2498081 29811 Buckethead 3 2500350 We have one that's 20+ years old. Bowl screws in without a problem. Fri Apr 20 13:32:18 -0700 2007 2498081 49823 Terrieltr 1 2496910 By all means get the Pro 6, you won't be sorry especially for mixing stiff pasta dough you need all the oomph you can get. If I had it to do over I would get the Hobart N50. Thu Apr 19 13:51:25 -0700 2007 2495599 55556 gargantua 1 2497346 There's a compromise between the Artisan and the Pro 6--the Pro 5 Plus--wattage is between artisan and pro 6 (450, iirc), spiral dough hook, 5 qt capacity. Definitely cheaper than the Pro 6. It's worked wonderfully for me. Thu Apr 19 15:53:20 -0700 2007 2495599 49541 debbiel 2 2498074 I love my Pro 6, but it's noisy with the metal gears. I use it quite often for grinding meat for sausage and it doesn't bog down at all. The Artisan is so much quieter though. The Pro 6 is best used with ear plugs. Thu Apr 19 19:57:13 -0700 2007 2497346 24178 Calamityville 3 2498656 I thought I was the only one with the whiny, 6 quart... love it though, make those double volume batters and doughs with ease. strong, resilient machine. Fri Apr 20 05:08:48 -0700 2007 2498074 58782 flipss 1 2499059 another comment re: tilt head v bowl lift (disclosure: I have the pro 6 and looooove it for big jobs and small). Although the height of the artisan is shorter than the pro 6, keep in mind that you'll need a taller space to tilt up the head to scrape. meaning if you put it under a cabinet, you'll most likely have to move it to tilt the head. not so with the bowl lift. my cabinets have a 17 inch clearance from the counter, and i don't have to move the mixer at all to do my work. and i find if i have to move things a lot i don't use them. if this bad boy were in a cabinet i'd never use it. one suggestion, though, if you do get the tilt head and are going to be sliding it from underneath your cabinets to get the clearance you need, a pretty tray to put the mixer on helps a lot in sliding (and in cleaning). Fri Apr 20 08:04:01 -0700 2007 2495599 12724 eLizard 1 2511660 I have the Accolade, which has a little more oomph than an Artisan (400W vs. 325W), metal gears, and an all-metal body. However, it looks exactly like the Artisan with the tilt head and the screw-in bowl. I think the color choices are much more limited (black or white), if that's a concern at all. http://www.kitchenaid.com/catalog/product.jsp?src=Stand+Mixers&cat=310&prod=776 The Kitchen Aid website lists them as cheaper than the Artisan, so that might be a plus. My BF picked ours up when Robinsons-May was going out of business and all the mixers were deeply discounted. I haven't see much of them around, so they might be a little harder to find. Tue Apr 24 15:18:42 -0700 2007 2495599 93901 geekyfoodie