Our KA stand mixer is going on 33 years (it was a wedding gift. Durable machine; durable marriage). My go-to bread recipe makes 4-1/2 lbs. of dough, so it gets a workout. We also mix all sorts of batters, mash potatoes and veggies, grind meat, stuff sausage, etc. I'm thinking about taking it apart to paint it a nice red for an accent piece in our white/gray/black kitchen, and maybe replace any worn-out parts, if there are any.

Our Robot Coupe food processor is from the same wedding, and likewise is still humming along, although the handle broke on the bowl. Both of these appliances were far more expensive than what we would have spent, but they sure have proven their worth!

Sadly, most things today are simply not built for the long run. I remember an appliance repair man telling me that the average lifespan of a washing machine was 15 years; I doubt that today they last half that. As a guy, I like tools, and try to buy 'lifetime' tools when I buy them. I have several power tools that I bought some 40 years ago that are still on the job. Now, all of those 'American' brands are made in China, and again, I doubt that they are lifetime tools.

On a semi-related note, we recently looked at new recliners for our new home. I read the various reviews, and it turns out that the $1000 chair I wanted typically lasts 5-7 years. For a $1000 chair?!? I was so disappointed that I've retreated from the new furniture market for a while.

I guess the good news is that being in my 60's, lifetime purchases don't need to last nearly as long!

I have a KA stand mixer, the slightly heavier "pro" version. It's now a decade old, which is not very old. In the time I have enjoyed it, never showed any warning signs of dying or had repair issues. I've used that dough hook many times, which I think gives the motor the hardest workout. I've made as many as four loaves at once.

There is some padding missing from the handle, but that is not KA's fault. It is the fault of a certain parrot that lives at my house.

Interesting that yours "walked" itself off the counter. I've never seen that happen! I guess I'll have to remember this is possible!

I can imagine working without the mixer, but I really, really like having it.

So glad your KA is OK, TexasGem. And glad it didn't damage your floor when it crashed or the front of your cabinets on the way down. I've never seen mine walk but I'll certainly watch for that in the future.

I can't imagine life without my KA. I use it at least 4-5 times a week, sometimes more. I love that you don't need to stand there and spin the bowl. About a year ago I splurged on the mixer with the built-in scraper. I didn't think the KA could be any better but that took it to a whole new level. I rarely have to scrape at all anymore. This all makes my little clean-as-I-cook-heart flutter as I can put away and clean as it works for me. And, even though I don't like a lot of counter clutter, it's pretty and proudly lives on my counter. If mine died, I wouldn't hesitate to splurge on another one. And I beat most everyone I know on the cheapness scale. I think the only other things I'm brand loyal to are Best Foods mayo, Heinz ketchup, and UnderArmor.

I sometimes make my own pasta but I just roll it out and cut strips with a pizza cutter. So I've been lusting after the pasta makers. Can't decide between the cutter or the press. I've been watching YouTubes of both in action trying to decide. They're expensive attachments. I paid $175 for my KA about 20 years ago at a great sale I found and the cheaper pasta press costs about the same. The cutter is about double that. Yikes! So I want to be sure before I hand over my card. I'm also keeping my eye out for sales. I know I'd make pasta more often if I had an easier way to do it. And homemade is sooooo much better tasting.

I've also been thinking about the peeler/spiralizer attachment. The peeler would be handy when DH and I peel a few bushels of apples to make applesauce and to can apple pie filling. And I'm thinking the spiralizer would be a fun way to make "noodles" from squash and zucchini.

My wedding gift mixer was an Oster Kitchen Center. It was a mixer with a shredder/slicer attachment. I actually liked that attachment better than the mixer because you had to stand there and guide the bowl or it would start spinning madly and wobbly. Once, when I turned to do something else for a brief few seconds, the bowl spun off the stand and crashed to the floor spewing flour all over the place. So you really had to stand there the whole time it was mixing. And it had a dough hook that just didn't work. The motor didn't have enough power to turn it for more than a minute or so before it would lock up. Even though I liked how the shredder/slicer worked, it took forever to put that unit on and then to remove and clean after so even though it worked fine, I didn't use it much either. I almost felt guilty selling it in a garage sale for, IIRC, $10.

If you paint yours, Mushcreek, please let me know how it turns out and how you did it. Mine is cobalt blue and, if my kitchen is ever done, it will not match anything in it as the original linoleum we revealed and are keeping is a marble-effect pattern of cream, red, green and yellow.

My only other must-have gadget is my Blend-Tec blender. Green smoothies keep me healthier. I would have a hard time getting my 5-a-day in without it. With it, I get closer to 10-a-day in me. The dollop of orange-flavored Omega 3 I put in my smoothie is a way to get it without having to burp up fish oil pills. And I hate swallowing pills. I also enjoy the home-made fresh-fruit sorbets and ice cream. I keep planning on using it for nut butters and to grind my own flour but haven't gotten around to it yet. We go through PB so fast around here that I don't think I could keep up with making it fresh so it would be more of a treat than a regular thing. It's another item I don't mind on my counter although it lives in my laundry/pantry room at the beverage center instead of the kitchen.

This non-cook uses her nearly 20-year-old Krups toaster-oven-broiler twice a day -- to toast bread or English muffins in the morning and to bake or warm rolls at night. I've never broiled in it, but have used its broiler grill often in my oven. It's just the right size for chops or a steak for two adults; not big broiler pan to clean. (I wish there was an all-in-one toaster-oven-broiler-MICROWAVE.)

I'm pretty happy with the Fisher & Paykel dishdrawers. First set died this year at 14; replaced with same.

I've had my KA about 5 years and it doesn't get a big workout but the nylon coating on the flat-edge beater is splitting off already. So now I have to figure out how to get a new one.

Most kitchen stores that sell KA items and Amazon.

Never had a KA mixer so I guess I don't know what I am missing (I might make bread more often if I had one but probably not and I really don't have anywhere to keep it!). I do love my cuisinart though! I think I bought it my first year out of college and it's going strong. It's been partially replaced by my hand mixer thing but it's still my favorite and would drive me nuts not to have one.

Does my espresso machine count? I was without it for a couple of days and man, this house had two crabby inhabitants.

My KA died a couple weeks ago and I have been on a mission to replace it. In fact it was just delivered from Amazon an hour ago, so I guess I don't have any excuse not to get the Christmas baking done unless it happens to walk off the counter and right out the door. Lol. Glad your floor and your KA survived TexasGem! I bought a lift bowl model this time instead of a tilt head thinking I will try bread more often.

I am so happy your KA survived!

Funny story about coffee beans!

Our 1981 KA mixer. God bless it! And, our Breville smart oven, circa 2013 - used daily and would replace the same day it dies. Our Vitamix circa 2010 - a few times a week and going strong.

BTW - we put all removable parts in the DW :)

We have a food processor, a Cuisinart that has held up fine for 5 years or so. But, we must like knives and cutting boards better as we rarely think to get it out. Mostly for making humus and slicing onions when we have a lot to do. Perhaps with the new kitchen storage, it will be easier to get out and we may use it more.

My things are rather modest, since I bake rarely and my cooking is simple. First is my original "Little Oscar" food chopper. I "borrowed" this from my mother some 20 years ago and it never found its way home (LOL!) I've almost never changed the blade out, just use the same one for everything -- chopping veggies, chopping and mixing fruit and oatmeal for biscuits, blending frozen fruit and yoghurt for instant soft-serve ice cream, pureeing pumpkin etc. Small enough for easy storage and easy to clean, too. Don't know if they are made anymore... I see choppers but they seem cheaper and more lightweight and don't know if they would handle the same tasks as well. I guess this fits the "reliability" category.

I also have a Nutribullet, which can do some of the same jobs (but it purees too quickly to replace the chopping function) but is so great for those nutritious smoothies and pureed soups. I am really happy that I got it.

I have mentioned it in the setting up temporary kitchens threads, but I never used my George Foreman griller before the remodel. Now I am a true fan, and use it regularly, especially to grill fish fillets.

Now, how reliable and long lived those two will prove to be remains to be seen! But I would miss them if I didn't have them.

Oh, and how about a piece of cookware? My large Magnalite pot has got to be somewhere close to 60 years old. I don't know what happened to the rest of the set, I think it was dispersed among various siblings. But, it is a great pot, easy to clean (doesn't need non-stick coating), heavy, even heating, perfect for long slow cooking. Rather illustrative of my mother's personality, when she heard about a possible link between dementia and aluminum cookware, she got the set out of her kitchen -- by giving it to her kids.

I think your KA was so thrilled to be welcomed into its own special spot in your new kitchen that it thought it was a valued member of the family. As such, it was probably trying to walk over to the window to "wave off" your beloved hubby too!

Just hug and reassure your KA that it is still loved!

I don't have a stand mixer, KA or otherwise -- but it is something I plan to get when I move to a new home with a kitchen big enough really to cook in!

I did get a Cuisinart Smart Stick (SMALL footprint and easy to store) and I do love that!

I don't have the KA mixer, but I'm sure most readers on this forum know that there is more than one version. The Pro version, while expensive compared to the lower models, is the only one with all-metal parts and gears. This isn't to say that the less expensive ones are a 'bad buy', but it's something to be aware of when investing in a lifetime appliance.

I do however have a KA food processor that I've had for about 8 years, and the ProLine KA Burr Coffee Grinder (about 9 years old.) Both are incredible workhorses.

I've had a Soyabella soy milk maker for almost 20 years and it is a great machine. I've had the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite for about 10 years, and wow... another fantastic machine!

For good measure I'll just mention the simple 2 slot Corningware Toaster I bought 20 years ago on sale for $10 at Kmart, have used multiple times each morning, and is still fine.

I just got a Weston Vacuum ProAdvantage sealer that I'm hoping for good things from, and am eyeing a Chefs Choice Smart Kettle that will take me a few years to save for lol.

Lastly, and I know this doesn't really qualify, but I have a Frieling stainless steel french press that is almost 10 years old and looks like new (however, my sis needs one, and I'll get her the Bodum Columbia instead of the Frieling - based on America's Test Kitchen test and review.)