KitchenAid Commercial Mixer: Is It Really Worth The Money?

Thinking about buying a new KitchenAid commercial mixer? Read this review to find out if it’s really worth the money or if you’d be better of skipping it…

A hundred years ago (not really, just 18), my step-mother gave me a KitchenAid Classic stand mixer for my bridal shower. And I have loved the heck out of this thing.

I’ve probably made thousands of cookies in my mixer over the years, not to mention pizza dough, pies, cakes, breads and whatever else I’ve put through it. 

When I say I’ve loved the heck out of my KitchenAid Classic…I really mean it. In fact, I’ve loved that thing so hard that I broke the wire whisk that came with it! 

Lucky for me, my mother-in-law gave me a new whisk for Christmas last year.

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Then, for my birthday this year, my parents shocked me by giving me the KitchenAid commercial mixer as a gift.

Isn’t she beautiful?!

While I’ve been secretly wishing for a new mixer, I never expected to get one as a gift and I definitely didn’t expect to get a commercial mixer! It was a really an awesome surprise and I’m so grateful to them for giving it to me.

Now that I’ve had a couple of months to play with it, I thought it would be a good time to share my thoughts with you. Just in case you’ve been thinking about getting a new mixer of your own.

Side note: Let me just say, wow! It’s been a loooong time since I’ve done a review. The last review that I shared was my Grocery Shopping Review of Jet.com: Is It Worth Trying? in 2017!

Anyway, let’s talk about this mixer…

KitchenAid Commercial Mixer Review

First, let’s have a quick run through of what’s included in the box…

• Stand Mixer
• 8 Quart Bowl
• Wire Whisk
• Flat Paddle
• Dough Hook

Side by Side Comparison of the KitchenAid Classic Mixer vs. the KitchenAid Commercial Mixer

Comparison Of The Classic Mixer and the Commercial Mixer

Below I’ve highlighted 6 categories to compare including the following:

• Price
• Overall use
• Size of the bowl
• Size of the mixer
• Color/appearance
• Speed

Let’s see which KitchenAid mixer is the superior appliance…

Price

Let’s get this out the way first, because I know you’re wondering…

KitchenAid appliances are not cheap. But, they are so worth the price.

Did you see my little note above about the fact that I’ve had my classic mixer for 18 years. 18 YEARS, people!

How many other appliances (large or small) can you say that you’ve had and USED for 18 years? Probably not many, if any.

I don’t know what the price was back in 2001, but today (in 2019), a KitchenAid Classic Mixer will run you about $199.00 on Amazon, which honestly isn’t all that much different than many other good quality brands on the market.

The commercial version, on the other hand, is a great deal more expensive. Currently, the KitchenAid Commercial Mixer is available on Amazon for $615.

Obviously, if you’re looking to save a few bucks and you don’t need the larger space, you’ll want to stick with the classic mixer.

However, if you like to make large batches of things to freeze and/or serve, you’ll want to bite the bullet and spring for the commercial mixer. It’s so worth it!

And think about it as an investment! Seriously!

I’ve had my classic mixer for 18 years! Even if the price was the same $199 back in 2001, that’s only $11 a year (or just $0.03 a day!) to make hundreds or even thousands of cookies, breads, cakes, etc. 

So, on the same note, if the commercial mixer is $615 and it lasts for the same 18 years, that’s still just $34 a year (or $0.09 a day!) for use!

I’ll bet you spend a whole lot more than that on store-bought cookies, cakes and treats that are not nearly as good for you as homemade baked goods!

KitchenAid Classic Mixer

Yes, that’s a BIG difference in price…so is it really worth it? Let’s find out…

Overall Use

KitchenAid wins overall, as far as I’m concerned, when it comes to ease of use of all their appliances.

The simple “stir through 10” speeds on the mixers make it easy for the beginner to go from mixing quick bread batter to kneading pizza dough without having to figure out any fancy buttons or complicated wording.

Both machines are generally easy to use, however, the one MAJOR complaint that I have is that the head-tilt feature from the classic mixer did not make it’s way to the commercial version.

On the KitchenAid Classic Mixer, the head tilts back to allow extra space for placing and removing the bowl, along with switching tools.

However, with the commercial version you have to lift the bowl up and down using a hand-crank on the back of the machine. No head-tilt allowed.

Unfortunately, this set up does not leave lot of space for placing the tools or moving the bowl in and out. You can’t attach a tool when the bowl is not in place, because then there is no room to maneuver the bowl onto its hooks with the tool in the way.

Then, to top it off, when you want to remove the bowl after you’ve mixed everything, you have to remove the tool first and drop it into the bowl before taking it off its hooks.

It’s really quite a hassle and makes a big mess.

KitchenAid Classic Mixer

KitchenAid Commercial Mixer – Big Bowl of Bread Dough

Size Of The Bowl

One of the main reasons that I wanted a new mixer was because the smaller, 4.5 quart size of the KitchenAid Classic Mixer just wasn’t big enough to make my Great-Grandmother’s bread recipe.

I make this bread often (no, I’ll never share that recipe) and it makes roughly 6 loaves of bread each time. So, obviously it requires a very large bowl.

With a hefty 8 quart bowl, there is plenty of room to make a batch of my Great-Grandmother’s bread with the commercial mixer, plus I can even triple my homemade pizza dough recipe to make a ton for the freezer!

Side note: if you regularly make small batches of things, then I highly recommend you stick with the classic mixer. The larger bowl on the commercial mixer does not allow for very good mixing on small batches.

KitchenAid Commercial Mixer

Size Of The Mixer

As you can see from the photo above, the classic mixer is shorter and more compact, as you would expect from a homeowners version. The commercial mixer is taller, thinner and more sleek, but much larger in overall size.

So, I’m calling a tie on this one because the winner really depends on you and your available space.

For me, the commercial mixer fits perfectly on my counter, but then, so does the classic mixer. I don’t keep a lot of appliances on the counter, so I have the available space.

But, if was a choice between the mixer and the coffee pot…well, you know who’s going in the closet. Hint…it’s not the coffee pot.

KitchenAid Commercial Mixer

KitchenAid Classic Mixer

Color and Appearance

While my old, Classic Mixer is white, my parents bought me the black version of the KitchenAid Commercial Mixer because all of my other appliances are now black and they knew I’d want them to match.

In general, I’m very happy with the black…however…there is ALWAYS fingerprints on it. No matter how much you wipe and scrub, somehow, someway a new fingerprint always appears. So, there’s that.

Another thing that I don’t like about color on the commercial mixer is the orange power cord. If you’ll notice in the image above, the classic mixer has a nice white power cord that matches the rest of the design. But, the commercial mixer has a bright orange cord that stands out from the crowd and doesn’t match anything else in my kitchen…except maybe the oranges in the fridge.

On the flip side, while my classic mixer is rusty, stained and in overall rough shape, the fingerprints don’t stick out as much on the white…even in the photo above. But, the rust, the stains and the overall age sticks out like a sore thumb!

The advantage of that is the KitchenAid mixers is they are offered in a variety of colors, so you can choose whatever you like best.

Despite my annoyance for the orange power cord and fingerprints, for overall appearance, KitchenAid Commercial Mixer is the winner, in my opinion. It’s just so sleek and pretty.

The mixer almost looks like a decoration on your counter. A decoration that works really hard to provide you with yummy baked goods. But, a decoration, nonetheless.

KitchenAid Commercial Mixer

Speed

While both mixers have 10 speeds, including the standard “stir” speed, the commercial mixer is by far a much stronger beast. In mere seconds it combines what it would take the classic mixer minutes to do.

With speed in mind, the KitchenAid Commercial Mixer wins again!

KitchenAid Commercial Mixer

Obviously, as you can see from the results in the 5 categories above, the KitchenAid Commercial Mixer and the Classic Mixer are very on par with each other as far as comparisons go.

However, the commercial version won 3 categories, while the classic only took home 2 and they tied when it comes to size.

Now that we’ve compared the two mixers, let’s review the pros and cons of the KitchenAid Commercial Mixer…

PROS

• Speed
• Huge bowl
• Thoroughly mixes large batches of batters and dough
• Sleek design
• Fits nicely on the back of the counter, leaving available work space in front of it.

CONS

• Price
• Lack of head-tilt
• Gets dirty easily – never looks spotlessly clean
• Doesn’t mix small batches well

Overall Review of the KitchenAid Commercial Mixer

While it’s got a few issues and maybe not quite up to a 5 star review, I’m loving my commercial mixer. It’s fast, sits nicely on the counter and it mixes a great deal of dough at one time, so I’m happy!

But, now that you’ve read all that, let me tell you a secret…I think it really comes down to YOU.

I can compare appliances all day long and tell you my findings, but I think the question today is, what do you need a mixer for?

Do you make small batches of cookies for you and your husband? Do you make just one loaf of bread at a time? Stick with the Classic Mixer

Or do you have a few kids that you are trying to feed along with yourself and your husband? Maybe you just like to make large batches of cookies and put them in the freezer? The KitchenAid Commercial Mixer might be your best choice.

Are you considering opening a home bakery business? Or do you often make large batches of things for parties and gatherings? You absolutely need the KitchenAid Commercial Mixer. It will save you so much time and money!

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If you’ve made it all the way here, thank you for reading my review of the KitchenAid Commercial Mixer. I’m so happy to have my own and I hope you’ve learned enough here to make the jump to buy your own!

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