I have a KithenAid Artisian. I love it! I use it for just about everything. I havent pulled out the hand held mixer since I got it a few years back. No timer, but lots of attachments and planning on buying more. Cant advise on a Cuisinart. Never owned one. Hope someone else can be more help. :)

The Cuisinart appears to be a rebadged DeLonghi stand mixer. Those mixers were originally British made Kenwood mixers but the company was bought out a few years ago by DeLonghi and they have since come out with many more upgraded versions. They were and I believe still are very good mixers and are more powerful than the KA's. The attachments are also easier to use and there's a blender that fits on top easily as well. Something the KA doesn't offer. It is also sold as the upscale Viking and as the Sears Elite (in Canada at least). The only mixers better imho are the Bosch Universals or the Electrolux DLX, however they are pricey for just making cakes etc. and are more suited to heavy bread doughs in big quantities that the KA's can't match.

Cooks Illustrated recently rated stand mixers, here's their conclusions

So is KitchenAid still the mixer to beat? Yes. Three mixers survived the gauntlet of tests without showing fatal flaws: the KitchenAid Professional 600 ($369.99), the 5-quart DeLonghi ($349.95), and the Hobart ($1,503.08). Given that $1,500 is far beyond most test cooks' budgets, the kitchen was split down the middle between the KitchenAid and the DeLonghi, but our test results give a slight edge to the KitchenAid.

I had a Sunbeam Mixmaster, it lasted about 30 years, it sill works. I have my mother's Sunbeam Mixmaster from the late 1930's and it still works.

But, I replaced with a KA Artisan (gift from my kids for the new kitchen) and I loved it. I was baking bread one day and my son commented that the motor seemed to be slipping a little, so the kids got me a KA Pro600. I love it.

I have a KitchenAid Pro 600 and a Bosch Concept 7. My DH gave me the KitchenAid, which he got on Amazon. With their $25.00 coupon, free shipping and $50 rebate from the company, he ended up paying $275.00. You may find more price breaks with the KitchenAid than with the Cuisinart.

It is an excellent machine. I love it. (I like the Bosch, too.)

I just looked at the Cuisinart online. The 7-quart does look just like a DeLonghi. It has a tall, deep bowl; I know CI criticized that because it was almost impossible to stir down mixtures without dirtying sleeves.

The KitchenAid Artisan was recommended with reservations; it strained to knead dough and was much less powerful.

CI's top 6 in order were: KitchenAid Pro 600, DeLonghi DSM5, Hobart N50 (top 3 recommended), Viking VSM500, DeLonghi DSM7, KitchenAid Artisan (second tier 3 recommended with reservations).

CI pointed out wattage is misleading since except for Hobart all the companies list it by input (what it draws) rather than by output. A mixer can have lower wattage listed and yet be more powerful, just as a tractor has far less horsepower than a Ferrari but can pull a lot more.

Carol

Well, I have a Kitchen Aid Classic, so I hardly feel qualified to respond... but I was in Williams Sonoma yesterday and saw the Cuisinart. How beautiful. I walked right past the Kitchen Aid display (including a very loud bright orange model), and stared in awe at a white Cuisinart. I was shocked to see a fold button and timer. The speed control knob looks a little more accurate than a KA slider. Very pretty, but of course I can't comment on performance. Good luck on whatever you decide, and please do let us know!

I have an Artisan, and I do bake bread, so here's my general take (no idea about the Cuisinart). First, I don't find that the Artisan strains to knead bread, up to 7 or so cups of flour (2 loaves generally. Again, I'm not comparing it to any other machine becuase I've never had another stand mixer. The thing I don't like about the Artisan is that it is difficult to add ingredients and to scrape down the sides of the bowl -- there's not enough room for either. In general, I like it a lot, and use it a lot. I got mine at BB&B with one of their 20% off coupons.

I have the KA pro 600. My husband and I always agree it is the best kitchen purchase we have made. We use it all the time. I'm a novice bread maker but I give all the credit to the KA. It makes it so easy. I love ours.

I have the kitchenaid pro and love it.

Yup, I, too, love my KA Artisan. It never strains. It whips, mashes, kneads, and doesn't complain, and still shines like new after several years of good use. One of these days I'm going to buy a second bowl, just to have it.

Here's a tip: cut a flexible plastic cutting board just a little smaller than the bottom of the mixer and keep the mixer on it. The mixer then slides easily from its corner on the counter top, but doesn't creep when it's working.

I moved up to the KA Pro 600 from the 5qt, I love it. The new Cuisinart looks interesting but since it is just hitting the stores, I would have to see rave reviews over a 5 year timespan before I would even think about trying one. I've had 3 KA's over 25 years..and all still work!

Nancy

I want to thank everyone for their advice about buying a Cuisinart or KitchenAid mixer. After floating back and forth between the two, my husband bought the Cuisinart 5 1/2 qt. bowl stand mixer for me for my birthday.I just used it for the first time and made a cake (mix) and frosting. I have to say so far I absolutely love it.It is very easy to use; attachments go in easily and clean up well and so does the bowl. The timer is a great feature and so is the tilt head. It was a lot of fun to watch the power of the machine at work, okay, easy to entertain here! I look forward to using it to make quick breads and double batches of cookies in the near future. Thank you all!

I went through a KitchenAid Artisan in three years, which disappointed me. I did some research, found a local store carrying the DeLonghi (now with as much badge engineering as GM: Kenwood, DeLonghi, Cuisinart, Viking). I talked with them, bought it, brought it home and started a batch of Oatmeal Raisin cookies; it blew a circuit halfway through the batch, where the puny KA would just keep mixing. I called the store (their solution? "Let the mixer rest for 30 minutes and resume." My response, "Mix for five minutes, rest for 30? Really?"), and cleaned the mixer, returned it, and got a refund (after much wrangling). Instead, I bought the KitchenAid 600 Professional, which ran for three years before grinding gears off this morning on a batch of PeanutButter cookies.... My mixer gets used twice a week, usually on desserts, and never get close to bowl capacity, so they're not abused.

All of which to say: you can spend $400 for three years of mixing with a KA, or the same for a DeLonghi that shuts down in ten minutes....

The earlier comment about wattage ratings is accurate: it's not about output, but usage. Based on experience, I'd buy the Hobart (KA is a spinoff of Hobart), but based on budget, I'll either repair the KA or replace it with another.

I agree on the wattage. They throw wattage numbers around as if higher is better. My 30 yo KA -- ironically manufacturaed by Hobart back in the day -- claims far less less wattage than nay of the newer models. So why then did my MIL practically beg to trade her brand new 600 watt Artisan with me only days after purchasing it? Because my old one could whip circles around hers without any problems. I'm not mechanic by any means, but seems to me torque matters more than wattage in this case.

PKguy, thanks for mentioning your opinion on the Electrolux. Bertha (the KA) is finally to the point where it makes more sense to replace than repair, and I've been vascillating between the Electrolux and the Viking.

I have a 30 year old KA (back when they were made by Hobart) and it is still going strong. It is used for everything including kneading WW bread. The only thing I regret is the color I chose. LOL
Clare

I am very happy with my KA Pro 600, but I want to be buried with my trusty 30+ year-old K45. It's not as big but I've made batters and doughs right to the top and that motor has never given me a bit of trouble. Not to mention what I've put the grinder attachment through.

Carol