A jet engine is exactly what I thought of when I first turned mine on.

Mine sounds like a jet on higher speeds but I mostly use it for bread. Still noisy at low speeds, but it's tolerable. It's my first stand mixer so I thought it was supposed to be loud. It's about 2 years old.

Bread is what I use it for the most and I don't turn it up above speeds 1 or 2 very often (maybe for creaming butter or briefly whipping something), so I've lived with it. I just shipped it off for repair. I hope they can actually improve it.

I can't say mine is really noisy but I have to hold it to keep it from jumping off the pegs. I got it to knead dough and had to send the first one back as it did not work on speed 1 and 2. I think the quality is just not reliable. It is so heavy that I don't use it for much, not even for most breads since I discovered no-knead. Sorry I didn't send the second one back before the warranty expired. I'm in the market for a second hand mixer as a hand mixer is all I need for most things. When I get my kitchen remodeled (dreamer), I plan to have a lowered section on my counter to keep the stand mixer so I don't have to carry it out of the cupboard to use it. And, no it doesn't sound like a jet engine, thank goodness.

Do you mean the bowl wants to lift off the side pegs? Does it snap into place in the center back? It should snap down and lock in -- there is a piece -- a simple metal clip screwed onto the center back of the machine that the bump on the center of the bowl should slide down over and into the grove between the clip and the back of the U-shaped arm that has the pegs on the ends of it. That will hold it down in back. It has happened to me a couple of times when the bowl didn't lock in and I have simply turned the machine off and snapped it down and that has fixed it. If you didn't follow that, I'll try to get a photo of what I'm talking about.

Is yours not holding or missing that piece? That looks like a part that should cost about a dollar or less (means it will be $5 or $10) and could easily be put on your self if it is missing or worn out. That sounds like it should be a fairly easy fix. Hope that helps.

Mine is quiet enough that I never thought about the noise, but it's pretty old. I think I bought it around 1992. I have an ice cream attachment that I use with it because it is so much quieter than the Cuisinart ice cream machine that I have. The Cuisinart I have to put in another room that I can close off because the noise from it is so bad. It's possible that older KA machines are better, but I don't have experience with the newer ones.

Lars

My older 5 qt is in the generation of your machine, Lars. I also have the Cuisinart ice cream maker. I hadn't' thought about that, but the 5 qt one is quieter than that and the 6 qt is much louder. When the ice cream maker dies, if I have a working, quiet mixer, I might buy the attachment instead of a new ice cream maker. But there are a couple of hurdles there. ;-) Thanks for your input.

I had never noticed the clip at the back, thank you lasca. I had to push down really hard, almost to unalignment but it grabs it and keeps it down. I didn't use it but that should hold it down when I get around to using it. I feel like I just got a new mixer! It's still heavy but if and when it has a permanent home it can be used in I'll be happy. Is it possible to send yours in to a shop to have it "muzzled" somehow? I realize any shop charges an arm and a leg to just look at things.

Mine is about medium in the noise department but I have had it for about 20 years. When I purchased mine they were still made by Hobart with the same insides as commercial mixers.

DL

I have a 6 qt KA, it's not unbearably loud, but not as quiet as the two older ones I've had. I've kept my 5 qt Hobart made KA as a backup. This newer (about 5 yrs old now) version sounds like it will eventually have problems, I just keep on using it. I took it apart one day...just to peek at the insides, promptly put it back together... yukky black grease every where. When it dies, I'll probably look at some other kind, they just don't make them like they used too.

Nancy

terrapots, glad that helped. It isn't hard to have that bowl in place and not have it quite in all the way. The first time it happened to me, I didn't know what was happening but it sure got my attention.

I sent the noisy one back to KA and they'd better find a way to make her purr. It's $32 plus tax to get the shipping and $25 diagnostic fee if they don't repair it. With tax, it will be about $60 if they can't, but at least 3 people listened to it over the phone and said I should send it in -- it should be quieter. If I get a new one, I won't accept one that is too loud from the start now that I know they can do better. I'm really surprised at the lack of consistency.

UPDATE -- just got the mixer back. It is much quieter and the sound is much less objectionable. When they called to get approval on the cost, I asked what they were going to do and got a laundry list of parts being replaced. The repairs were $91 ($44 for labor and $47 for parts -- gears, pins and a whole list of things they didn't put on the invoice) and the shipping both ways (Fed Ex ground) plus sending me the box was $32, so the whole thing was a little over $125 including tax. That's less than I feared, less that the shop in Dallas quoted me and the shipping was less too, plus KA sent me the shipping box. It is still a lot, but at least I got personal attention and it appears I got the results I wanted. It just arrived back today and I have just plugged it in to hear it. I will have to test it in actual use now.

I keep eyeing a ka mixer at Costco -- thinking for my "big birthday" this year.

Two questions: is the 5 quart big enough for a double batch of chocolate chip cookies?

If you buy it at Costco, won't they take it back at any time if it breaks?

I am a little scared off by how many people have problems with these machines.

I have a KA from Costco..yes it's loud..my husband uses ear mufflers when I use it and he's home..LOL

Yes you can make a double batch of cookies..

Well, I haven't used it yet, but I've run it a few times and I'm wondering if it is getting louder. It had a couple of hits or bumps at high speed, if you know what I mean. I'm going to put it to actual use and if it isn't okay, it's going back during the 90 days.

A 6qt can do double cookie batches (and since I double a lot of my recipes to begin with, I should say it would do a quadruple of those) and double most cake recipes. I think I did one triple cake recipe once -- that was a pretty full bowl. LOL