KitchenAidCommercial Series 8 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer with Stainless Steel Bowl Guard - KSMC895

We purchased this mixer when we got fed up by the Hamilton Beach 63227 that we’ve had for about 1 year. I was always eyeballing a KitchenAid, but when I found the Hamilton for just 60 bucks new I pulled the trigger. It was not a bad mixer, but it was never powerful enough, and regretted my decision every time I was using it. Well, time came to get a meat grinder attachment (the stainless SmokehouseChef one) and what a better opportunity to change our mixer? So we searched and researched and stumbled upon this commercial KitchenAid. What a great find!This mixer is similar in size to the Professional 600 we also considered. It is almost 17” tall, so it fits perfectly under the cabinet (and it looks fantastic too, orange cord included - tucked away in the back). And because it doesn’t tilt, I can keep it in one position and never move it (the Hamilton - a tilt head model - we needed to take out every time as we couldn’t tilt it under the cabinet). Also, the 8qt bowl is big (or at least that's my impression after switching from a 4.5qt one), but it is mostly tall. It is so tall in fact that there are issues adding ingredients - when we use this bowl we always have to lower it to add ingredients. It seems (from what I read) that the pouring shield from the Professional 600 6qt bowl fits this unit. But we never bought the shield - instead, to mitigate this issue we purchased the KitchenAid KSMC5QBOWL 5qt bowl for about 40 bucks) and that one is perfect for our everyday mixing needs.We love the fact that all attachments are stainless steel. Very good quality too and NSF rated for restaurant use. They are BIG, and solid! We switched most of our small appliances and cookware to stainless, and this is one very important reason we chose this KitchenAid unit (the Hamilton aluminum-coated attachments started to chip after just a few uses). We have tried all attachments and all performed very well. But we needed to adjust the bowl height to get them to properly scrape the edges. There is one attachment that we considered (the KitchenAid KAFE7L) but didn’t yet really feel the need for it.Using it is a pleasure! This thing is a beast. Nothing can stop it! It has so much torque! And it is do quiet too. It features a slow start - when it gets to the speed selected all you hear is a very quiet motor driving the gear drive (I cannot really explain it; it just sounds like a well-built, solid machinery). It mixes anything we through at it - pizza dough, play dough, paleo (sticky) dough, panettone dough, eggs, etc. - with so much ease. It also drives that meat grinder without any strain - almost as if nothing is there.The lift-bowl is a bit more inconvenient than the tilt-head model (as my Hamilton was) but the torque on this puppy would have probably torn that hinge apart. To see the true difference in the motor design please refer to the pictures I uploaded - the KSM8990 has direct drive, and the entire motor unit is actually cheaper to replace (about 50 bucks) than replacing all parts that could go wrong in the other 2 models.It is one of my best appliances (I try to purchase commercial quality as often as I can - I also have the Waring WFP14SC, the Waring MX1200XTX, the Weston 08-0801-W, among others) and I reach for it every time I have the chance.All in all, highly recommended!

I just received my KitchenAid 8 qt. Stand Mixer. I have previously owned one 5.5 qt., and two 6 qt. KitchenAid Stand Mixers. After purchasing the 5.5 qt., I bought the first 6 qt. because I needed a larger capacity bowl for the dozens of cookies I make in one session. Subsequently, a more powerful 6 qt. was released and I bought that one because the cookie dough I make is pretty thick. I gave the 1st 6 qt. to my daughter. However, the thick cookie dough continued to make even the new mixer work really hard. Although, it did get the job done. When I saw that a 7 qt. 1.3 hp was being produced, I decided to upgrade again. However, right before I ordered it, I came across the commercial NSF 8 qt. 1.3 hp.. So, I ordered that one instead. I'm keeping the 6 qt. for smaller jobs and for when I need to use 2 mixers at the same time for different projects.I have so far set the mixer up and run the motor for over 20 minutes to ensure it works before I start making the large batches of cookies later this week. Well, it works great. The 6 qt. was louder and it also wobbled across the counter as it mixed and I didn't feel comfortable leaving it running without being very close by at all times. That was a hassle as I could not easily accomplish other cooking tasks at the same time. This machine does not wobble at all. And, after 20 minutes the motor became warm but not hot like with the 6 qt.. I will not know for sure how it handles the thick dough until later this week. But, I expect no problems.I did not find an issue with snapping the bowl in place, like some others have reported. But, I do have a lower counter that I use for my mixer and food processor that gives me more leverage than if they were at normal counter height. Yes, the edge of the bowl is not rolled like the 6 qt.. That's because it's National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) Certified and it prevents food from getting trapped in the roll and then allowing bacteria to grow (I looked it up :) ). The edge is not sharp either. Another big benefit that I like is that the beater, whip and dough hook are all stainless steel. This is unlike the aluminum ones that come with the smaller KitchenAid mixers.Also, the pouring shield from my 6 qt. works with this machine. It's also great that the 6 qt. bowls, beaters, ice cream maker and all my other attachments fit (e.g. pasta maker, juicer, food processer, meat grinder, etc.). Additionally, it's a bit taller than the 6 qt.. But, it's not much wider and the KitchenAid cover I used on the 6 qt. fits just fine. I love the Empire Red color too (even with the orange cord). I think this will be the last mixer I will ever have to buy - unless I decide to open my dream bakery at which time I will probably have to go with a Hobart. Thanks KitchenAid!Update: I have now made over 30 dozen cookies and this machine works without hesitation. It did wobble a bit; but, nothing like the smaller KitchenAid machines.

I purchased another unit just like this from Amazon recently. It suddenly started making loud noises. Bearing failure in the planetary drive unit of the mixer where tool connects. Great, so I ordered a new one (planetary drive) and thought to fix the older one. It has a completely new drive train which is good. No one so far has done video showing how to repair. And I noticed they are selling the drive train as a single unit and the parts therein are not offered for sale at this time. Dumb me I took the drive train apart thinking I needed to. For my old fingers putting it back together was a b_ _ _ _ _! But I finally got it done. The weakness now for the whole mixer is the bearing that failed on my older unit. That bearing is certainly necessary and is available to purchase, but the entire planetary drive is for sale for about $70 delivered. Suggest that is the way to go. In fact, if you really use your unit as much as I do for my baking, I would suggest this unit is great and buy the planetary unit and drivetrain unit as spares. Your cost would be about $200 for the parts. If you pay to have someone fix it for you, then your cost goes up by their labor which is very likely at least $100 per hour. Your call, but to me an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. OH, sorry, but you need to know the level of grease inside the planetary drive and drivetrain is substantially less than older units. Not as much to clean!!!! Great unit. This is my forth one and yes I thought to change and upgrade, but it I do that, the unit gets very ugly and very ugly does not play well with momma!!!!!! So this is the unit to purchase!!!!!