advice about Kitchenaid w/bowl lift

i am looking at a this mixer and am wondering about the bowl-lift feature. i keep reading mixed reviews about it being harder to add ingredients and scrape down the bowl. But, i also see that it is a stronger motor, bigger bowl, etc. i currently have a tilt head that is about 70 yrs old and the bowl is small for me, so that is something i am taking into consideration.

it is the Pro 500 model 325 watts.
http://www.target.com/KitchenAid-Pro-50 ... B0018MYBJ0

any opinions.

Hi Becky. I have worked with many bowl slide mixers, up to 5 ft tall. The slides work fine as long as you keep them clean and lubed. as far as keeping your bowl well scraped, you just need to be creative with your spatula and manually move the mixing bar around to keep the bottom stirred. My concern is your wattage. 325 is on the low side. 450 and up is better. It depends on your usage, but generally speaking, it will last longer. If the price difference is too much, go with the 325, especially if it is on sale!!!

yup my husband worked with those huge mixers at one time. actually, i tell him that is what i want in my kitchen...

I have never touched a mixer with a bowl lift and i have read that it is tricky getting it to lock in place. also issues with pinching yourself while working it... ??

I know the wattage is on the low side. I dont make breads, but would try if i had a mixer to help with kneading. i make a lot of quick breads and huge batches as well. I dont make anything extraordinary, the only thing is what i do make is in large amounts.

as for price..... it is 150 used.

Becky, I've got a 6-quart Kitchenaid with the "bowl lift". I've been VERY happy with it for years. Not sure of the motor size on mine, but it's a big one. Plenty of power for all the attachments I've accumulated. I use the meat grinder, sausage stuffer, pasta roller and pasta cutter on a pretty regular basis as well as the dough hook for pretty stiff bread doughs. The only "problem" I've had is that, when you lower the bowl, the whip or hook or beater do not actually clear the batter, but it's never really been an issue for me.

"More power!"

yup my husband worked with those huge mixers at one time. actually, i tell him that is what i want in my kitchen...

I have never touched a mixer with a bowl lift and i have read that it is tricky getting it to lock in place. also issues with pinching yourself while working it... ??

I know the wattage is on the low side. I dont make breads, but would try if i had a mixer to help with kneading. i make a lot of quick breads and huge batches as well. I dont make anything extraordinary, the only thing is what i do make is in large amounts.

as for price..... it is 150 used.

Becky,

I've had my 5 qt with a bowl lift for over 20 years now ( that's scary). I Love, love, love it! I've never had any issues with the bowl lift. In fact, my now almost 7 year old son has been operating it for 2 years now when we cook together- one of his jobs is to raise and lower the bowl lock at the appropriate times.
DEb

Also, the problem with the blade not reaching the bottom of the bowl is now solved with a great new attachment ( available for most stand mixers) called a Beater Blade.. My husband bought me one for Xmas- works exactly as designed for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Design-Beater-5-Q ... pd_sim_k_2

So happy to not have to keep turning the mixer off and scraping- I wish I'd had one several years ago.

Deb

thanks for the input Lois and Deb. i have an older kitchen and had to make sure that a mixer that size would fit under there. I believe it does, but here is another question... (hopefully the last)....

With the lifting mechanism, is the whole head (have no other word for it) going to move up and down? or is it just the area where the bowl is? If the whole head (top of mixer) goes up and down, then it wont fit under my counter and it the whole thing would just be too big. I have absolutely no counter space.

Becky, it's just the bowl part. Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocnETNExLc0

It's just the bowl part that moves and you'll have to have a fair amount of space for it to fit under the cabinets. I've only had one kitchen that had enough space to fit my KA under the cabinets smoothly, and it's not as tall as some of the other Pro models. Though it was the oldest of the kitchens, built in the early 60's...my condo (1992), old house (1997) and current (1989) were a few inches shy or scraping the top of the mixer.