Hi marleesmom. Where were you in January when I made my post about immersion/stick blenders? I was considering a Russell Hobbs from Ebay but I couldn't find any reviews of it, so I went to Wal-mart (because of their liberal return policy) and bought one just to see if I liked the style. I planned to return it after using it a week and then buy the Russell Hobbs... it never happened. Glad you like yours... mine works, but it's so cheaply made I'm surprised the blades and cord wires aren't plastic... ugly too! Here is a link that might be useful: my immersion blender post

I use the hand mixer more than I use the stand mixer, except that I keep the cheese grating attachment on the stand mixer, and that gets used almost every day. I also have the meat grinder and ice cream maker attachments, but those do not get used as much. My immersion blender (also KA) has a whisk attachment, and that is great for whipping small amounts of cream, but can get messy if not careful. I mix pancake batter by hand - I never thought of using a mixer for that. Lars

Another stand mixer owner here. Like meskauskas, I have a Viking stand mixer. Santa (er, Mr. Marv) bought it for me for Christmas. It was a replacement for an old KA that went to mixer heaven. I researched many brands and models and decided that the Viking would fit my needs. I have the 5 qt/800 watt model, which is perfect for me. I decided that the 7qt. model would be overkill, since I usually bake quite frequently as opposed to large quantities (I find it very therapeutic) and there are only two of us at home. I bake alot of bread and do desserts at least twice a week, as well. It can handle a double batch of bread dough with ease, and makes quick work of cake batter, cookie dough, etc. King Arthur Flour/Baker's Catalogue is a good place to start if you have questions. They are very knowledgeable and use many products in their test kitchens. They will give you alot of feedback, answer questions and ask you questions (like how many times a week do you bake, what do you bake, how many people are in your household). I would suggest calling their toll-free number and ask to speak to one of their bakers. It might be a good place to start. One of the criteria for a replacement mixer was how much room it would take up, and how easy it would be to move. The Viking has wheels on the back, so it's very easy to maneuver around the countertop. I'm extremely happy with my choice. I also have a food processor, which I use for shredding veggies, pureeing soups, etc. I very rarely use it for baking ingredients, except for the occasional pie crust, where you need speed and little kneading. Here is a link that might be useful: Viking mixer

This is such an old thread, but thought I would tell you what I did buy. Recently I bought a stand mixer that can be used as a hand mixer. It came with a stainless bowl and has a lot of power for a hand mixer and was only $24.99. I bought it from Aldi. I have the small handheld one that has very little power plus the two Kitchen Aid stand mixers. One is very old and one is new. Sue