Kitchen in the box Stand Mixer, 900W 8.5 QT, 10-Speed

I used the mixer today for the first time. I have used a 6 qt. Kitchenaide mixer for the last 14 years, but I wanted a mixer that had a higher capacity since I do a lot of baking and sometimes need to double recipes. I wanted this one as a backup in case my kitchenaide mixer went out. (It needs needs some parts replaced since I have used it way more than most people. I bake ALOT!!!)
I would have given the Kitchen in a Box Mixer a 4.5 rating if that was an option. There are a few slight issues that I had with it, but for the price of $150 (on sale), those things were not a big deal. I have listed some pros and cons below. Over all, it was a good purchase for me. The true test will be how long it holds up without having problems. I have not use the whip attachment yet, but judging by the way the paddle attachment worked, I think that will be fine. I probably won’t use the bread dough hook, but I don’t know how sturdy it is. It may not be good for people who make a lot of bread. The hook is not very heavy.

Pros: It mixed a doubled recipe for pound cake with no problem.
It is very easy to operate.
It is not extremely heavy like a kitchenaide, so I can move it to another location if needed.
It has a wide variety of speeds.
I didn’t have to do as much scraping down of the batter as I usually do with that sort of paddle.
I was very please with the consistency of the batter.

Cons: I would like for Speed 1 to be more of a “stir” that is slower for mixing in flour so batter is not overmixed.
The opening of the shield needs to be a little larger and have more of a spout on it. It was hard to add the flour to the batter without it spilling all over the shield and counter. I will probably use it without the shield most of the time.
The bottom of the batter was not mixed as well as the rest of the batter, but I did not run it long after adding the flour because I have to avoid over mixing. I had to go in with a spatula and mix by hand more than normal, but if I had run it longer, that may have not happened.
The spatula that came with the mixer was not very sturdy, but that isn’t a game changer for me.

**Note: I would love for there to be an option to get a paddle attachment that has the rubber scraper around it. That helps cut down on having to scrape down the bowl. Also, I would love to be able to get extra bowls and attachments for it.

This Kitchen in the Box stand mixer is a nice alternative to the higher priced name brand models (like Kitchen Aid) – at 8.5 quarts, this mixer is anywhere from $70-200 less than the name brand mixer … and at the time of this review there’s a $50 coupon that makes this even more attractive and less expensive.

As for function, it does what it’s supposed to. My wife’s first use was to make pumpkin bread and the stand mixer stirred the mix easily and the power dial lets you easily adjust the speed as you’re mixing. There’s an included splash shield for mixing thinner batter/liquids but we didn’t need it for what she was making. The mixing attachments go on and off easily and have a solid metal mount that attaches to mixer stem and locks into place with a slight twist.

This is our first mixer, but I am familiar with other mixers (my mother-in-law has a more expensive brand) and the most obvious comparison would be with the Kitchen Aid brand. This Kitchen in the Box mixer has a plastic body whereas the Kitchen Aid mixers I have seen have all metal construction. That makes this mixer *much* lighter than the other brand – but it holds steady on the counter due to integrated suction cups on the base so the mixer isn’t walking all over the place. The cheaper plastic construction undoubtedly contributes to the more affordable price point of this mixer … so while the plastic construction may be seen as a negative, it doesn’t affect the unit’s primary function – mixing.

And this stand mixer does mix, and does it well. For the bread batter my wife didn’t need the dough hook, the whisk attachment was more than sufficient to mix it. The one negative is that 8 quart bowl is almost too big for smaller jobs … after a minute of mixing we did have to stop the unit to scrape some of the flour from the sides back into the batter. With a bigger batch of batter that probably wouldn’t have been an issue. The only other somewhat negative note I would point out is that when twisting the lever that releases the mixer’s top (to remove the mixing attachment) you really need to hold onto to the top to keep it from flying upwards rather quickly. With the base being so light due to the plastic material, releasing the lid without holding it so as to let it slowly raise, it jerks upward so fast that the unit actually rocks slightly.

The negatives though are far outweighed by the functionality at this price point. The name brand versions can be nearly twice as much as this mixer (and many that I found actually have smaller capacity at the higher price point!), so the minor knocks I pointed out aren’t intended to dissuade anyone from purchasing this mixer, or any of the other Kitchen in the Box models. I’d definitely recommend this mixer as a good low cost alternative to much more expensive ‘big name brands.’