Would buying more attachments have you use it enough to warrant leaving out? 😛

I’ve used mine more in the past year than I did in all previous years combined, just because it‘s out. Not that I ever really do anything healthy with it so maybe that’s not the best thing.

Sorry, I’m not being helpful. Let me try again. What do you use it for and do you really need it for that? My mom does a ton more baking than I do, she’s about to turn 91 and hasn’t asked for one yet. Unless it’s required equipment for something specific I’d just get rid of it if it became too cumbersome.

I bought a new KA mixer last fall, and yes, it's really heavy. I put it on a medium sized plastic cutting board and now I can slide it in or out of the corner to use it, just leave it on the cutting board at all times. I did look at a cheaper never-heard-of-brand mixer that was light weight. Don't go there, it looks awful.

Try these:

https://www.amazon.com/Rev-Shelf-RAS-ML-HDSC-Cabinet-Soft-Close/dp/B01CFNINBC/ref=sr_1_43?dchild=1&keywords=Heavy+Duty+Appliance+Lift+Pull+Out+Drawer&qid=1609692686&sr=8-43

https://www.amazon.com/RAS-ML-HDCRX-Height-Butcher-Platform-Material/dp/B082QV4LXY/ref=pd_sbs_201_5/134-8641004-4048327?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B082QV4LXY&pd_rd_r=8c4c8349-db0d-4d02-a348-8ad7ff520a90&pd_rd_w=mHUzJ&pd_rd_wg=0Zrqj&pf_rd_p=ed1e2146-ecfe-435e-b3b5-d79fa072fd58&pf_rd_r=4HC8PC9P1NWJ6BXNM7JT&psc=1&refRID=4HC8PC9P1NWJ6BXNM7JT

dcarch

I just posted on this recently. I offered mine to my niece, she's happy to have it. I don't use the KA mixer often enough to warrant keeping it, and it's too heavy to dig out of the storage closet in the basement and navigate the stairs with it, so off it goes. As long as I can make a cake or two a year with a hand mixer, I'm fine without a stand mixer.

It is unfortunate that buyers feel weight = quality. So they make them incredibly heavy.

In fact, a mixer can be 1/5 the weight and still with more power. Most powerful hand tools are now small, light weight, powerful and battery operated.

Motor technologies have advanced in recent years.

dcarch

Mine is an old model that was passed on from my mom -- she bought that thing back in the 80s, they were built like tanks back then.

Maybe it’s time to start a weightlifting regimen?

Early covid I gave mine prime real estate in the pantry on a waist high shelf being easy to grab and move. I was making lots of crackers and flatbreads. Then had a 'duh' moment early November when I started testing different nut/bean flours. I have a bowl set at the counter far end always/anywho for ripening tomatoes and avocados, etc. Put in that spot with the motor arm up. Covered the bowl with the dough hook and mixer thing inside with a plastic hair net over, then a nice linen cloth. Avocados on top. Fruit bowl style.

Now back in the pantry but did not mind it out at all for a couple months. With a few balls of cracker dough in the freezer I doubt I'll use it for a couple months. Now I want a pasta roller attachment since using the hand crank for years. Excellent for crackers. A powered pasta roller might be nice.

I use my small cuisinart more often. That lives right under my prep counter and not heavy. It does small batches of just about everything I would use my stand mixer for.

I don't think another one exists that would be lighter weight and give the same results. I did see a new one from a well known brand but the name escapes me. Though probably twice the price.

I gave my KitchenAid mixer to my son, because it was too heavy to lift. @Sammy, I do some light weightlifting to strengthen muscles; however, that doesn't improve an elderly person's ability to lift a very heavy countertop mixer.

dcarch - Perhaps it’s partly an appeal to the senses but I think there’s also a functional reason it’s the one heavy countertop appliance: With the planetary action, any decent mass of dough will try to make the mixer walk. Some heft helps counteract that.

Any possibility you could leave it out? I agree that if it's out and you have more attachments you'd probably use it more.

The only place I have to store my big KitchenAid was under the counter and lifting was heavy and awkward. I was afraid one day I would drop it on my foot. I gave that to my son and bought the smaller version, which is still heavy-ish but much smaller in size and easier to handle.

One problem with the smaller version..... the bowl holds less so have to frequently cut my favorite recipes in half. 😄 But..... all my attachments still work off the still powerful motor.

Kate

Do you have a pantry, laundry, closet someplace near your kitchen? My KA 6 qt is on an Ikea butcher block rolling cart (has two locking wheels). I can roll it in and out of the pantry as needed. There are two places in my kitchen the mixer can be used depending on what else I am doing. I wasn't willing to store it either low and have to bend for it, or high and risk dropping it on myself.

My KA food processor weighs no less. It does sit out and I can slide it back on the counter under a cabinet when not using. The mixer? About 1/4" too tall ;0)

"Too heavy to lift........" Hmmm....... :-) I am in my 7th decade but I still manage to schlepp my KA mixer around as needed. It lives in my pantry when not in use as there is no available counter space, so I hoick it from pantry to counter as required. As someone in my family is fond of saying, "use it or lose it" 😁 And I do!! I also routinely schlepp 40# bags of dog food and potting soils and compost the 100 yds or so from my parking spot to my garden or door.

Mine also sits on my counter, in a corner, on a plastic cutting board, one of those thin "mat" type ones that come color coded and are meant to be somewhat disposable. I just slide mine out to the edge of the counter when I want to use it, like sushipup. I store the beater, the dough hook and the wisk inside the bowl. It's not a tilt head one. Mine gets a LOT of use, year round. I use the meat grinder as often as I use it for a mixer, and I never use the pasta making attachment, but I use the slicing attachment in the summer when the garden is going strong.

The issue isn't just that it's heavy but it's bulky and difficult to handle. Do you need one? I guess that depends on the things you use it for. I didn't have anything except an extremely cheap hand mixer and a wooden spoon for a lot of years, when I was a broke single Mom. I once had a man (whose wife was a now deceased member and dear friend) tell me that the thing that impressed him most was that I could make anything with that wooden spoon that others used hundreds of dollars worth of equipment to make. My reply was that I COULD, but it was a lot easier with the right tools!

I do have a KitchenAid hand mixer and it works pretty well for a cake, some frosting, my daughter uses it to mash potatoes. I wouldn't try to beat fudge or knead bread with it, which I can do with the stand mixer if it suits me. I did have a Sunbeam counter top mixer and my stepmother had one of those old Oster kitchen centers. I burned up the Sunbeam within two weeks, the store replaced it and I promptly burned up a second one, both by making divinity. They were less than $50, so I guess I got what I paid for. My stepmother didn't cook very much, but we used the Oster every year to shred cabbage for sauerkraut and it lasted for years.

Again, I think it depends on what you use it for. I grind meat and make sausage because I raise grassfed beef. I also make and decorate birthday cakes and an occasional wedding cake and host all the big family holiday dinners, at least I did when we were allowed to do that and will again. The Grandkids have even named mine. She's "Kay", because I would say something about using the KA. Madison calls her Grandma Kay, because "she makes all the cakes". She has earned her counter space but if I didn't do those things, I'd probably be looking for something lighter and cheaper that still did the job I needed it to do.

Annie

I had 3. I inherited my MIL's cream color, I bought one on half-price sale many years ago in white, and then I found one at Goodwill for $15 - cobalt blue. I gave one to my granddaughter, one to my DIL and the other lives on my counter. It is not any different than having a coffee maker there. I have an extra bowl next to it that keeps the regular tools contained and the utensil drawer below stores the lesser used tools. I use it more often because it is there! No lugging required.

That's why mine lives on the counter, even though I have limited counter space.

I have very little counter space and little storage space as well - our kitchen is tiny!

This is what I have and it suits me fine:

I do weights for my arms too and do not shy away from lifting heavy bags of potting soil, etc., but using a heavy hand mixer makes my arm ache after awhile.

Dcarch - weight may not be indicitive of power, but when I gave my KA mixer to my daughter and bought a much lighter Cuisinart (I have shoulder issues and it was a bear to lift) I hadn't used it but for a week, when it "walked" off the counter while kneading my normal batch of bread dough.

MY DH surprised me with the large KA in 1980. I keep it on my pantry floor, and I no longer use it because it is so heavy to lift. I offered it to my son, but his kitchen doesn't have the storage space. He would like it some day, so I hang on to it for the day he moves to a roomier kitchen.

I would leave it out, see how much you use it *when it is readily accessible*, then decide whether it is worth building in a mixer lift, getting a rolling cart, leaving it on the counter, etc.

nekotish, design and manufacturing for a powerful and light weight mixer should be easy.

This thread and the other thread about cast iron cookware are very important topics.

The whole world is finally waking up to a major crisis humanity is facing. No. Not about covid-19.

In another few years, more than half of the world population will be over 60 years old and not too many things for everyday life are designed for that age group. There will not be enough care takers to take care that group. Certainly there will not be enough money for health issues ---etc. etc.

dcarch

Powered exoskeletons will bridge us until we have servant cyborgs or regenerated bodies!

Or, we can just be a teensy bit better with senior-friendly product and home designs . . .

Mine sits on the counter in a corner. DD put felt pads on the feet to make it easier to pull in and out of the corner. To make it easier to push and pull, I lock the head down. I was afraid the felt pads would allow it to “walk” at high speeds, but it has been working like a charm with no “walking” for about 11 years now.

Mine sits in a corner on a cloth place mat. Makes it extremely easy to slide in and out. I also use seasonal place mats. Makes me happy to look at it!

Felt pads are a good idea, too.

Mine, too, sits in a corner and I slide it out. I use it a lot. John has a point. If it was more accessible, you might find you use it more often. I'd give it some counter room for a couple of months before deciding.

I keep mine on the counter too. I do not use it all that often. Probably not enough to justify it living there all the time. But I cannot shut it up in a cabinet somewhere! It's such a beautiful shade of pink! Also, I think that if I had to lug it out and more importantly, lug it back to its hiding place every time i did need it i would use it even less.

My 'bowl lift' KA stand mixer lives full time on the counter, as I use it a lot. If I had to get it out of the pantry every time, I would likely never bake.

I only have a hand mixer at our other home, and I have been surprised how useful it has been. We pair it with a large food processor w/ a dough blade. This allows me to make bread when we are there. If you don't bake a ton, this is a good solution.

My suggestion would be to leave the stand mixer out, if possible, and if not consider a nice quality light hand mixer.

I have a porcelain topped table that I keep both of mine on plus my food processor. Never have to lift them and they sit on plastic cutting boards for easy moving about the table.

Sue

Like many others here, I moved my KA off of my small countertop because I was not using it like I had for many years. Like many others, I am finding it quite heavy to lift from where it is stored under the sink and onto the adjacent countertop.

I have to make sure that I have a firm grip on it before I lift it.

It. has to be heavy to be able to stay in place when in heavy use.

I basically, only use if for kneading bread. Actually that was it's most used function for most of the time I have had it. I always enjoyed having it sitting right there, ready to tackle what ever I could throw at it. But, it got to being used less and less so I moved it out of prime real estate.

I do have a small hand mixer that serves for lighter use.

I have a friend who did the same with her KA. She moved it a bit further out of her kitchen than I did mine and she has developed some pretty incapacitating arthritis in her hands and not sure if she can actually handle it anymore.

I felt that moving out the KA was a step in life for me. It indicates that life has changed and that part were I used it so much has passed.

The next step will be when I can no longer lift it.

For some small kneading purposes I have found it to be a bit of a pleasure to do it the old fashioned way. But, yesterday , I baked five loafs of bread and it was in its glory.

dcarch posted a couple of Rev-a-Shelf mixer lifts. Here is a video of one in action.

"bbstx

dcarch posted a couple of Rev-a-Shelf mixer lifts. Here is a video of one in action."

Whether you have a bad back or not, it's just a nice feature to have. Especially if you tie a rope to the lift platform and a hook for the rope inside the cabinet, you don't even have to bend down to raise the platform.

dcarch

So you feel that your mixer is too heavy?

Some time ago, I had a big garden party. Tossed salad, chicken wings, drumsticks, spare ribs, shrimps -------- Spanish rice --- all in huge quantities. To make preparations easy, delicious and quick, I had to use a big mixer.

So I bought a cement mixer. This one: $150 from Harborfreight. Worked better than a $500 Kitchenaid.

I am not the only one who is crazy enough to use a cement mixer. Found these on youtube:

dcarch

Dcarch.....I'd never have thought of that 😂😂😂🙂

Dcarch... wow!!!

"I am not the only one who is crazy enough to use a cement mixer."

But isn't it just way easier to clean the KA mixer? Or just have it catered LOL!

My niece has a very small kitchen so gives priority to her VItamix and canning equipment, LOL. She reports being very happy with her Cuisinart hand mixer, however. It won't handle traditional bread dough, but does fine with cake, most cookie, and quickbread batters.

She cooks a lot, and very well, so I'm confident with her recommendations. I envy her the Vitamix, but OTOH my old K45 KA stand mixer sits on my countertop, as I'm fortunate to have a good expanse of kitchen RE.

I sympathize with the OP's issues. I would HATE to have to lug my KA off a shelf and up onto a countertop!

"mxk3 -- But isn't it just way easier to clean the
KA mixer? Or just have it catered LOL!"

It was a huge party with a ton of food. More than a KA mixer can handle. And catering would not be as much fun

"Islay Corbel -Dcarch.....I'd never have thought of that 😂😂😂🙂"

Well here was what I did:

The cement mixer was not meant for the cooking, I bought it to build a stone wall for the garden.

I also have a very powerful propane blowtorch for killing weeds before planting. I used that BTU monster torch to BBQ the chickenwings while the cement mixer was rotating, kind of like a strange rotisserie. Fast and delicious.

I also have two fire pits I made from clothes washer stainless drums. The fire pits are for making ash for fertilizer for the garden. They were fantastic for BBQing drumsticks and ribs.

The party was fun, and very successful.

dcarch

Dcarch - I am so impressed!!!! Using what you had to solve a problem. Where did you find the washing machine drums?

Nancy, depends on where you live, in my town, On Tuesdays, the town will collect large bulky items, old furniture , dead appliances, etc. Plenty of old washer on sidewalks.

There are many youtube videos on how to turn a clothes washer drum into a firepit. I bought a firepit a few years back and it rusted away in a couple of years. Clothes washer drums are rust proof.

dcarch

I have the Rev-A-Shelf mixer lift and love it. I seldom used my KA mixer before I got the lift because it was too heavy for me for carry up stairs.

I have my mother's ancient Sunbeam. I don't bake much so it meets my needs so far but I fear I'll eventually have to buy a new stand mixer. There is no way I way I want a 20-30 lb KA mixer sitting on my counter all the time, not to mention moving it to where I want to use it. I have the old Sunbeam on a lower pullout shelf and it's easy to lift and move. I've researched for a couple years now and when I finally decide to buy a new one it will be this 8 lb Bosch model. Bosch MUM4405 Compact Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 400 watt, 4 Quart. Someone who bakes more than I do might prefer the larger 12.3 lb model. Bosch MUM6N10UC Universal Plus Stand Mixer, 800 watt, 6.5-Quarts

I am intrigued with the washing machine drum firepit idea but the way things look is important to me, however, this one from Bob Villa's site is nice. Still quite a bit of work involved.Fire pit

Bumblebeez, my fire pit was made that way because:

1. The opening has to be big enough for the grill for BBQ, and for large logs to drop in. If you look again, you can also see mine is also equipped for a rotisserie.

2. The drum itself has to be as light as possible so that lifting to empty ash can be easy.

3. The height of the opening for the grill is just right for BBQing.

4. The stand for the pit was an outdoor metal table. Not much work was involved in modifying it for the drum.

dcarch