KitchenAid KP26M1XLC Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer, Licorice

KitchenAid KP26M1XLC Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer, Licorice

A comparison to the Artisan Mixer
I already own a 5 Qt mixer from the "Artisan Series" but decided to upgrade to this model so that I could make larger batches of bread dough. For my recipe, a single batch is 2 cups of bread flour. I tried making a double batch (4 cups) in my new Pro 600, but after about 15 min. of kneading, the motor just turned off. I thought I had burned it out, but after consulting the instruction manual, it seems this is normal. Normal?! Yes, that's what it said--all I needed to do was wait for the motor to cool off (it's also "normal" for it to get so hot it is uncomfortable to touch) for 30 min. and then try again. I find it hard to believe that this mixer could make bread with 14 cups of AP flour, as the box says. Having said that, here are my thoughts on this mixer vs. the "Artisan Series" mixer I already own:

1. The motor consumes over 50% more electricity (and is certainly more noisy) in the pro 600, but how much of that is being converted to extra torque, I'm not really...

SUPER but READ this important info BEFORE YOU BUY ONE!!
UPDATE: 1/15/12: Please note that my original review was written in 2007, so serial numbers mentioned are different now, so unsure what has changed at KA. Hope all is good by now!

NEWLY EDITED 11/30/07:
IF YOU ARE ABOUT TO BUY a PRO 600 & you have done your research, you already know there is a plastic/metal parts issue, so PLEASE read my info: KA customer service KNOWS which Pro 600s have the metal transmission cover "fix" (via serial numbers), but some reps are refusing to give you the serial numbers to look for; but they might "allow" you to call them from the store with the serial number off a Pro 600 box before you buy to ensure it has the metal transmission cover. So, be insistent! Here's my story:
The first rep I called was a supervisor "Kelly", who refused to tell me which serial numbers to look for! Nice! I spent too much time researching ,so I called back & the next rep (Rachel) gave me her extension & told me to call her from the store & she would tell...

Product Info regarding gear housing upgrade from KitchenAid
Due to the very high number of complaints about the problems people were having with heavy duty tasks (which is what the mixer should have been made for!) due to cheap plastic housing holding the heavy duty metal gears, I contact KitchenAid to find out if this design flaw has been fixed. It has been and here is their response (note that they are saying that if you receive one of the models with the plastic housing they will replace it under warranty with the new metal housing. It is also important to note that the people who've had the problem have almost all stated that KitchenAid had great customer service and replaced their mixers with no ones with no problems.

RESPONSE FROM KITCHENAID: Thank you for visiting the KitchenAid website!

I would like to reassure you that our engineering and product teams have addressed the gear box issue. In fact, we have already implemented a change in the manufacturing of the Pro 600 Stand Mixers to a metal gear box...

The Professional 600 TM has a powerful motor that is crafted for commercial-style performance, the direct drive, all-steel gear transmission delivers unyielding power for professional results. The mixer can effectively mix up to 14 cups of all-purpose flour per recipe and produce up to 8 pounds of mashed potatoes. The Soft Start mixing feature helps minimize ingredient splatter and flour puff with gentle acceleration to selected speed after start-up. Electronic Speed Sensor monitors operation to maintain precise mixer speed. Commercial-style motor protection automatically shuts off the mixer when overload is sensed to protect the motor. Durable all-steel gears provide reliable service. The mixer includes a 6-quart-capacity stainless-steel mixing bowl with a contoured handle, as well as a professional wire whip, a burnished flat beater, a spiral dough hook, and a one piece pouring shield. Its multipurpose attachment hub with a hinged hub cover flips open to allow for easy installation of attachments. The Professional 600 Series bowl-lift design raises the bowl into the mixing position, and its solid, truly seamless one-piece motor head design is easy to clean and comes in a variety of fashionable colors.

• All-metal 10-speed stand mixer with powerful 575-watt motor
• 6-quart stainless-steel mixing bowl; direct-drive transmission
• Electronic speed sensor; auto shut-off; Soft Start minimizes splatter
• Wire whip, burnished flat beater, spiral dough hook, and pouring shield included
• Measurements H: 16.5, W:11.3, D:14.6