June 22, 2011 - 10:36am
KitchenAid Price Jump?
Is it just me, or did the price on KitchenAid stand mixers jump astronomically when I wasn't looking? I just looked and the Pro600 is listed at $499 on their website! I swear, when I got mine a couple of years ago it was right around $300, maybe $325?
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$323.99 in WHITE other colors go up from there.
I am told that they changed the transmission housing from plastic to metal, which while it doesn't fix the incompetent thermal design may decrease noise and extend planetary gear life if you don't load it down too much.
Ah, well, that'd account for it, perhaps. So far I haven't had any problems with overheating, even when making 4 loaves of sourdough at a time. It IS noisy as all get out though, and my bowl sometimes wants to jump. I wish it had clamps rather than just pins!
Chinese competition is making them sweat. That's my guess. They've gotten away with shoddy mixers for decades (post-Hobart) and now they have to up their quality game, which will come at a cost.
See the new 800 watt from Globe @$587, which until recently stayed far away from the consumer line.
Hobart and Berkel will have to do the same thing, major price drops in their case.
See Bakemax, etc., which are as good at 1/5 the price.
Looks like the Globe is a good purchase to take advantage of ...but I'd monitor those others if they come in late and drop prices, and the lowered prices are on new model numbers. It's not unusual for manufacturers to come up with a reduced-quality version of their product in order to compete price-wise ...the first step towards failure as a company ...I've always believed that quality buys market share, not hidden cheapness and low prices. Ever wonder why you see so many BMWs but hardly ever see a BMW advertisement?
Brian