If so, do you like it? I have been searching for a KA mixer online, and was comparing the Artisan to the Professional 5 Plus. I decided on the Artisan because the Pro 5 Plus is too tall for under my cabs, plus I like the tilt head of the Artisan better. In my search, I found a discontinued model, the Accolade (which was a Williams- Sonoma exclusive sold from late 2004 until 2006 or 2007). Seems like it combines the best features of larger models in a size similar to the Artisan. It has a tilt head, 5 qt bowl, and 400W of power (artisan is 325w). It also has metal gears, which is a nice advantage over the nylon gears that break more easily. But, as I mentioned, it was discontinued about 3-4 yrs ago because the Artisan was so similar and outsold the Accolade which was in the same price range. So the only way to get the Accolade is through eBay or craigslist. There are none on eBay, but I found one on my local craigslist. The seller said it has been gently used (pics look great) and no problems with it at all. She is moving cross country and doesn't want to haul it with her. Price is $150. Sounds like a good deal, but I wanted to see what some of you think first. Should I go with this one which obviously has no warranty, or purchase a new Artisan for $250 (after rebate)? BTW, I read some reviews on amazon of the Accolade, and the vast majority were favorable. One other thing I like about the Accolade is the black pearl color, a very smooth, matte finish. Not that I'd buy it just for the color ;) So, what do you guys think? I have to decide my tomorrow.

Kristin S, I agree, the Ankarsrum (aka DLX/Electrolux) isn't something one buys on a whim! It will last, and most cooks pass theirs down to daughters and sons... I've a friend who dearly loves her KA and wouldn't trade it for anything... Re: the issues you mentioned with your KA, here's a photo I found after my first unboxing of the Ankarsrum... kinda shows you the inside and the most commonly used attachments (2) I use for mixing breads, brownies, and cookie dough's. This shows the 'roller' and 'scraper' attachment: You can move the roller away from the bowl side and fix it to any distance from the bowl side and tighten that setting easily, but the roller will still move outward into the bowl's middle freely on it's own helping to mix/incorporate. Sometimes, if there's a little something (and it's always precious little) in the middle that's not mixing, I just manually move the roller (holding the chrome arm on top) over to the middle, then let it go, so it moves back. It's a bit odd initially, using something called a 'roller' to mix ingredients... but it does an amazing job incorporating unbeaten eggs, sugar, flour, extracts, raisins and choc chips (without crushing - no more hand mixing chips and raisin!), anything, really. The bowl rotates constantly at the speed setting of your choice, it never stops unless you turn it off. I add ingredients as it's moving, and flours never puff out, or get on anything... easy cleanup, too! You've lots of open room to add ingredients even from large bowls. I always make sure my butter or cream cheese is super soft (for the roller and especially the whisks and cake whisk attachments. There is no lifting of anything... not until your batter/dough is mixed. You un-tighten the roller arm, it moves out of the way on it's own, and you lift the bowl out. You can see the scraper is naturally sitting against the side of the bowl. The scraper gets "everything" and I rarely move it unless there's a bit of unmixed floor or ingredient on the scraper, at which point I just move it gently out toward the middle of the bowl, then let it naturally go back to the bowl side. Now, if you need to whip egg whites first, you'd instead use the clear bowl and use the whipping attachment instead. If you are making a thin batch of cookie dough or a cake that's thinner, again, you'd use the clear bowl but with the cake whisks. The clear bowl does not turn on it's own, it stays stationary while the whisks move. Here's a photo of the dials.. One changes speed (variable so any speed, plus the high speed is well, very high! It's not got labels, so you basically just go by how it feels and looks to you. The other turns it on, and if you turn it past the 'on' it acts as a timer as well... you can walk away if you need to and it will shut itself off. Another nice thing is the scraper, a simple plastic spatula that fits into the grooves of the 'roller', making batter scraping so easy! Weight: it's no lightweight at 19 lbs, but I think the KA weighs in at 25-29 lbs. Height: I've got 18" between counter top and cabinets... easy fit. Noise: You can hear it, but it runs on a belt drive... it's much quieter than any mixer I've used. I ordered mine from Pleasant Hill Grain, and after it arrived they sent me an email with a .pdf to print out explaining attachments to use, speed control conversions, etc. So, yes, a learning curve, but it's not a huge learning curve : ) There are a multitude of attachments also, but you turn the Ankarsrum on it's side to use most of them. I think the KA is great for many people, but has drawbacks. The primary drawback of the Ankarsrum is the price, IMO.

I know! It's difficult! I used to sell Pampered Chef and "earned" my white one for free about 12 years ago. I admit I purchased the yellow today : ) With the $30 back and the free extra attachment, and 5 easy payments plus only $10 shipping I couldn't resist! Plus I used ebates and got 2.5% off that way. There's a free subscription also to Food and Wine Magazine or some other Travel magazine when you do the rebate. Unfortunately there was tax but still was a good deal : ) Good luck!

As an unrepentant kitchen gadget person, I tried to tell myself life wasn't worth living without a Kitchen-Aid. Years ago I had a Sunbeam stand mixer which went to appliance heaven after a horrible kitchen accident, and frankly, it was a blessing it went. It never was any good at yeast breads, which is what I purchased it for. After I won an International Recipe Contest for low-glycemic recipes and a nice cash prize, I kept looking at KA mixers to blow the winnings on. All the lovely colors - what's not to love. Then I was watching Emeril Lagassee one day on TV. His comment about how many KA mixers they burned up in the kitchen made me face reality - not that I shouldn't buy one, but that I really didn't need one. I do just fine with a hand-held electric mixer (like rhizo). My favorite mixers are a rotary OXO mixer (hand-powered) and a Danish Dough Whisk. I can whip egg whites faster in a stainless steel bowl with a whisk than the mixer. As a foods judge at fairs, I found when the popularity of Kitchen-Aid mixers went up, the quality of the baked goods went down substantially. They are great for creaming fat/sugar, but too many people over-mix quick breads, cakes, and other baked goods that don't require a lot of gluten-development. They were full of tunnels and holes, and had tough crust and crumb. Stand mixers are easy to use, but also easy to OVER use. Batters are really best mixed with a Danish Dough Whisk, not an electric mixer of any kind, taking care not to over-develop gluten. Even yeast breads are compromised because the KA tends to aerate the dough too much. A Zojirushi Bread Machine has been developed for making yeast breads, and has been shown, through side-by-side tests, to be superior to stand mixers. King Arthur Flour uses Zojirushi Bread Machines for making bread dough in their test kitchens. -Grainlady