There is a learning curve with anything new and the Electrolux is no exception. I was fortunate to have been at the King Arthur test kitchen and they showed me how to use the machine. Let's take the above items one at a time... 1.) I don't know what they are talking about with the height adjustment. I've never adjusted anything to do with height. The bowl sits on top of the motor so there's no motor head above the bowl to get in your way...hence nothing to "adjust". 2.) The assembly arm can't be "stiff". There is a knob on the side of the arm with large groves to make it easy to grasp...you just simply turn it one way to loosen and the other way to tighten. I have arthritis in both hands and can easily grasp the knob. It's large and if it's hard to move it's because you tightened it too much...operator error not the machine. 3.) The pin holding the attachments is solid SS (about 3" long with a little knobby thing at the top). I can't figure out for the life of me what could be hard to clean. It's a solid piece of SS for goodness sake. I've never had to do anything but wipe it down for a little bit of flour dust. There are NO grooves, crannies, etc. to catch any food particles on or in. It looks sorta like a gigantic SS nail. 4.) Assemble and disassemble...too much work? Huh? Preparing the mixer for use consists of the following: a.) put scaper arm in hole (this is again a solid piece of SS and just drops into a hole...how hard can that be?) b.) push the pin into the roller (wow, that's hard!) and that it...assembly complete...time required...maybe, 2 seconds. 5.) Creaming butter/sugar requires knowing how to use the machine. The Owner's Manual is quite good but sometimes folks don't really pay that much attention to Owner's Manual instructions. The roller adjusts from tight against the bowl to completely loose and floating. If the butter was getting caught on the scraper then the roller was not adjusted property...too loose...the roller should have been tighter against the bowl. If you go into using this machine expecting it to be a KA then you'll be frustrated. It works on a completely different design. It is, IMO, much superior for all mixing but it is extraordinarily superior for kneading bread dough. The roller acts like the palm of your hand in the kneading process. With each rotation of the bowl, the roller pushes the dough against the side of the bowl the same way in hand kneading you push the dough down against the table. You end up with a thoroughly kneaded dough that is silky smooth. My machine came with a separate mixing bowl and wire whip for doing egg whites. I've never used it. The Owner's Manual tells you that the roller does a better job but since most American's are used to the whip attachment they included one. I find the roller does a beautiful job on anything from a single egg to a couple dozen for angel food cakes. I especially think it does a great job with meatloaves. The roller is more gently than a hook and so you end up with a more tender meatloaf, meatballs, etc. Cookies...the Electrolux is so much better here it's almost funny. The roller does not beat so much air into the cookie dough so your cookies will not have that awful commercial texture even doing a triple batch loaded with chocolate and nuts. The speed control is excellent...it using a sliding knob that gives infinite control of the speed rather than separate speed zones. I've never needed a timer with more than 12 minutes. Six to eight minutes will perfectly knead even the heaviest of rye doughs. Capacity is huge at 22 cups. I'm not sure what else to address...if you have more questions, I'll try to answer...wish I could have you over for a slice of fresh, warm bread and show you how the machine works. I was so fortunate to live within driving distance of King Arthur.

I have the Magic Mill. Purchased it from King Arthur. I went to their store & we worked all of the major brands for an entire day. I'd been using a Bosch for 20+ years but after using them side-by-side that day...switched to Magic Mill. I've now had it about six years & have never regretted my decision. The Magic Mill will handle 22-24 cups of flour. I'm also impressed with the lack of splatter when mixing liquids. A couple years ago, I made 6 white chocolate/macadamia nut bread puddings at the same time. I had over 2 dozen eggs & enough milk/cream to fill the bowl to just under the rolled rim. I held my breathe & turned the dial...stood back in case eggs flew everywhere. Not a drop left that bowl! It was sorta fun to watch those rollers mixing the custard. Sorry, can't help with the Cuisinart mixer but I have one of their food processors & am happy. /tricia

I don't think that the higher water levels on old FLs were the reason you didn't experience mold. If you leave the door open, ocasionally wipe the gasket down, use the right kinds and amounts of detergents you should not have any problems with mold no matter how low the water level is. Keep in mind that many complaints on this and other forums are due to misinformation of the users. Many people never read the manual, don't leave the door open and use way too much detergent. All of those things contribute to the problems with stinky washers. I have only had my new FL for three and a half months now, but I have used FLs for many years in Germany. They have the same low water levels and didn't develop any mold builup in the drum. Ocasionally, I had some smelly gunk (lint and hair) in the gasket, but just cleaning it with some dish soap took care of that. I have never used bleach and from my experience a FL does a much better job at getting rid of nasty smells than a TL. I find that true for both American and European FLs. I don't think you'll have to worry about mold since you already know how to use a FL.

Mrs Dirk I agree w/fly - I don't see roller shades with our without valance for your particular application - it seems it would be taking away from the formal lovely room btw can't wait to see more of that LR looks lovely - I had similiar dilema - I just put up solid cream colored drapery panels in our LR - my windows aren't as large. I love the old windows & trim - but the room/windows needed some softening - the panels take up minimal glass so really don't obstruct view - I really do like the outcome - just what I wanted & what the windows needed. I am considering putting up internal mounted flat fabric romans - as I need something to keep the hot summer sun out. Good luck