KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 17.3 x 19.4 inches ; 29.5 pounds
Shipping Weight: 30 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
ASIN: B005Z2L3L8
Item model number: KP26M1PSL

By : KitchenAid
List Price : ~~$499.99~~
Price : $259.99
You Save : $240.00 (48%)

Product Description

Color: Silver
KitchenAid Professional 600 series (KP26M1P) stand mixer's deliver power, versatility and reliable performance to make this the 1 choice for the kitchen.

Product Features

575 watt motor, 10 speed control
6-quart polished stainless steel wide-mouth bowl with contoured steel handle
67 point planetary mixing action
Packaged and shipped in recyclable, easy-to-open packaging
Includes: 6 quart stainless steel bowl with comfort handle, burnished powerknead spiral dough hook, flat beater and wire whip.

Customer Reviews

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 sure. What I do know is that I can only do a single batch of bread at a time in either mixer.
2. As has been mentioned in other reviews, the Artisan mixer came with a "coated" paddle and dough hook, whereas the pro 600 has "Brandished steel". This means the Artisan's implements are dishwasher safe but the pro 600's are not. I had assumed those bright, shiny implements that I saw in the store display were stainless steel, but I guess not. If it weren't for this problem and the huge price tag, I would have given this mixer 5 stars.
On the plus side...
3. I love the new spiral dough hook--it is much better than the C shaped one in my Artisan
4. The soft start feature is a nice touch. Then again, it would be even nicer if there was a speed lower than the lowest one provided.
5. The larger bowl is nice
6. There is more of a difference between speeds 7-10 than the Artisan
Things I'd like to see changed in the next iteration:
--A gear box. I have a cordless drill that has a high and low gear. As could be expected, low is for more power, high is for more speed. Why don't these mixers use a simple gear selector like that? This would be a HUGE improvement--it would not only provide more power, but the lower speed I would like, as mentioned in point 4.
--Stainless steel implements as mentioned in point 2
CONCLUSION:
A very nice mixer, but so is my "Artisan". If you are going to buy a new mixer (and don't have an unlimited supply of money to throw at it), I wouldn't recommend the Pro 600--get one from the Artisan series instead--it is much cheaper and does just about as good a job. There are small advantages to the Pro 600, but even all together, I don't think they are worth the added price.

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 me if the one I found was made after the "fix". By the time I found one I wanted - at the second store visited - KA cust serv was closed. I bought it anyway, crossed my fingers, ; called the next day. "Rachel" wasn't available, but another rep told me the serial number was one of the newer mixers I wanted. (pls read all the "negative" reviews here for good info)
IMPORTANT: This rep also gave me crucial I want to pass on as it's the info I tried to get before I bought my mixer - the serial numbers of the Pro 600 6 qt, 575 watt mixers with the metal cover "fix" (made from mid-April 2007)begin with numbers higher than "14" (my serial number is WU1503109, so it's above "14") Depending on the rep you get, only a couple are willing to confirm this info, so be prepared for frustration but just hang up and keep trying until you get a good rep.
ALSO IMPT: There are a few 6 quart KA mixers made - I am only speaking of the store bought PRO 600 6 QT, 575 watt mixer found in stores like Bed N Bath/Linens N Things. So, read all these reviews carefully ; note the dates they were written - I think there is a possibility of people writing both pro ; con reviews about 6 qt mixers that might be different. However, the plastic issue is the same, just the power would be different. For example, QVC sells a 6 qt KA mixer with a smaller motor, and there's a Williams Sonoma 6 qt mixer as well.
I wanted this powerful mixer as I have a 30 yr old KA mixer with a 250 watt motor, but it has a small bowl. My old mixer has never had a problem with a thick batter cookie I make every year at this time. I was anxious for the large bowl ; to see how my new "workhorse" with its 575 watts would handle this batter because many have complained that it burns out on thick doughs/batters. UPDATE: I just made my thick cookie batter with my new 575 mixer ; it did a super job!( My recipe uses 1 1/2 lbs of brown sugar, 8+ cups of flour, one pound of butter and 2 cups of Karo syrup - no other liquids or eggs so it's a tough batter for any machine) Once I began to add the flour (using the nice pouring shield) I never went above speed 2 (as suggested by KA for heavy batters/doughs) ; speed 2 was all that was needed. A nice rep also suggested to rest the mixer if I needed to mix beyond 7 mins, but I never came close to that.
SIDE NOTE: when I opened the box last nite, the electric cord was folded in half ; tied into a knot; there was a very sharp/jagged piece of metal on the lifting guide; a blob of dried paint on the top of the bowl holder; ; bits of white crystals in the bowl that tasted like salt. Of course I called KA ; Robert, with permission from his supervisor, offered a replacement immediately which I didn't ask for ; certainly wasn't expecting! He said the "presentation upon opening the box" wasn't professional ; they wanted to correct that. He also told me to go ahead ; use this unit until the replacement arrives! WOW! Once it arrives, KA will send UPS to pick up the one I bought. Another WOW! I then told Robert about my Serial Number fiasco ; he said that he would have provided the S/N info before I shopped! He also said that he stood by his fellow reps, but he agreed that someone like me, who had done hours of research, should have been given the requested info from the first call ; certainly not have been forced to call from a store! In my case, I wanted a mixer made after the mid-April date which is the date KA began putting metal transmission covers on instead of plastic.
My WARNING: There is old stock, with the plastic cover, out there, yet KA still insists there is nothing wrong with this, so I'm giving you a big head's up..
Until I made my batter, I rated this mixer a 2 for the lousy customer service/runaround I got from 2 of 5 reps. Now that I've made my batter, I am vamping it up to 5 stars BUT KA needs to get more reps like Robert and the other guy who helped me. (If not for them, KA would NOT have this sale) So, while I wasn't treated right at the beginning, I am happy now ; have edited my review accordingly. KA has quality issues re cust serv, especially supervisor "Kelly". (Try to avoid her as she thinks she works for the CIA.) I hope I have saved at least ONE person from all the frustration I suffered through to get what I wanted. In the long run, I think you'll be happy ; customer service is great IF you get a good rep!