The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

I don't understand the marketing of Bosch

berryblondeboys's picture
berryblondeboys

I don't understand the marketing of Bosch

If Bosch is so slick and great, why do they only offer it in white in the US? I am getting major mixer envy over the ones I see overseas - red, black, shiny bowl - beautiful! So, WHY, when a mixer is something people tend to leave out on a counter, does Bosch only offer it in stark white to the US market? Probably the MOST snooty country for this stuff of them all. Maybe not, but I think so. Bosch offers more options in their major appliances, so what's the deal here?

I don't even keep my mixer out on display in the kitchen, I have a mudroom with counter and kitchen storage space and I still wouldn't like to have a big white appliance. I have 14 year old cuisinart mixer - it's now YELLOW. Though my 14 year old blender is still white - I guess that's it - white is so early 1990s!

They should do like Electrolux DLX does - offer it in white for cheaper, but then offer a jazzed up one for more (if necessary) too. How can it compete with KA and VIking and all the others, when it looks as unattractive as Hamilton Beach?

Maybe I should have been a marketing major in college instead of doing what I did... Geez....

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

should strictly be left to women !!  Gawd, after all these years, we are still dragging a power cord behind the vacuum cleaner......

EvaB's picture
EvaB

tools department, I have the best vac, its a DeWalt cordless with rechargable batteries, and while its small and would equate to one of those silly Dirt Devils in size, it sure as heck picks up tons more! As good as my canister, but of course not going to work for carpet cleaning unless you want to crawl all over the place, but it sure works better than a dust buster for quick pick up. I also own a cordless saw, drill and jig saw, all from DeWalt with the same batterys, its a bit expensive but all in all they cost me less than the canister vac at $3000

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

$3000 for a canister vac ?  Much easier to get a cleaning lady and complain when you still see some lint on the floor, grin grin

EvaB's picture
EvaB

cost me that much a year?? Around here you can't get a cleaning lady for under 20$ an hour and then you'd have to pay milage because I'm out of town! Not to mention I'd have to supply the vacuum too. At least this one doesn't throw the dust into the air, so my asthma kicks in as soon as I start the thing! My old one was only around 800.00 and never did work as good as this one. It also let all the dust back into the air so every time I vacuumed I wound up with a week long asthma attack. My husband used to do the vacuuming while I was out of the house.

This was a one time purchase, and well worth the money, except for the fact it doesn't do stairs well the hand vac works better for that, and its much easier to use for the furniture as well, having way more suction than most hand vacs being made  for using in a shop with sawdust etc.And I don't get an asthma attack if I use the big one or the small one! Filters actually work on them!

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Why don't they make appliances in more appealing colors?

I want a black and orange refrigerator! (Go Giants!)

David

berryblondeboys's picture
berryblondeboys

LOL David. I have an aversion to white for some reason, but I'm sick of stainless steel too - white and stainless steel - where you can see every dirty mark or fingerprint - sounds like GREAT choices for a mixer = DOH!

 

Eidetix's picture
Eidetix

... because they don't have to. If Bosch is selling enough of their mixers as they are, there's no incentive to modify design.

For style points, Kitchenaid wins by a large margin anyway. Their stand mixers are among the  best-looking appliances ever produced by anyone anywhere. I own a small Bosch that does all I need it to do, but I am tempted to buy a KA mostly because the damned things are gorgeous.

berryblondeboys's picture
berryblondeboys

But are they selling enough mixers? You are making an assumption there. I don't see them taking a large market, but a small one that only sells from a few speciality places. If, at $149, it can outperform the KA in most things, is lighter, has a smaller footprint, then why hasn't it caught on? And people should know the name Bosch usually means quality, so it can't even be name recognition problems. These machines are butt ugly, period, in my opinion. Or at least, would look awful in my kitchen - standing out from everything else in the kitchen like a sore thumb.

It's not really a design change, but an upgrade in quality.

I would LOVE to have this machine even though I know it costs nearly 3 times as much as the US offered one. They _should_ offer both and see which one takes off. Or start with the higher priced one, inspire confidence in the product, and then later come out with the 'poor man's" version and see how it goes:

http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/bosch_professional_mixer_bosch_mum_8_8100_bosch_mixers.aspx

 

dscheidt's picture
dscheidt

Everyone I know who's had a bosch mixer has either sold it, given it away, or put it away in a closet, and replaced it with a kitchenaid or a hand mixer.  None of these people are serious bread bakers, but are otherwise pretty active in the kitchen.  That suggests, to me, that it doesn't actually outperform the KA for the things those people use a mixer for. 

 

As for why they don't have mulitple colors:  Money.  It's expensive to make things in multiple colors.  It complicates production, it complicates fulfillment, it means dealers have to carry more inventory.

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

You have now met at least one Bosch owner who has not sold it, given it away or put it away in a closet. And I'm a serious bread baker. (Want references?)

The Bosch is not a substitute for a KitchenAid, but neither is the KitchenAid a replacement of the Bosch. They have overlapping functionality, but for large dough batches and very stiff doughs, the Bosch is far superior. If you are only going to be making small batches of "normal" dough, the Bosch is over-kill.

David

berryblondeboys's picture
berryblondeboys

Is this for the compact or the universal? They are so different in how they work. The universal works in a similar way to the Electrolux DLX i'm told. The Compact seems be more like a KA.

But couldn't they just make ONE more color? (and not have it be ivory?

Bread Buddy's picture
Bread Buddy

I own both a Bosh Universal and Kitchen Aid Professional.  I purchased the Bosh after burning out my first KA Professional on a too large and heavy batch of bread dough.  My finding is I love both machines for different reasons.  The Bosh Universal is definitely a work horse for making bread. I love the art of bread baking so I do a lot of it. But, for me, I prefer the KA for all other mixing tasks.  The KA is just fine for light bread baking (one or two loaves), but heavy dough and large bread batches are better in the Bosh.

The KA is easier to clean, so that is the mixer I use for cakes, cookies, whipping, etc.  It is just easier to clean the bowl and beaters.  The Bosh Universal takes a little more effort in assembling the accessory beaters and to clean. 

That being said, if I had to choose having only one mixer, I would probably have to choose the Bosh because it can serve all purposes.

Regarding the "good looks" of the Bosh vs KA - KA wins absolutely! The Bosh is not very attractive sitting on my counter (righ next to the shinny siver KA).  But for my money I would always choose functionality over "good looks".    

flourgirl51's picture
flourgirl51

I own both machines and can tell you that the Bosch outperforms the KitchenAid in many ways. That said- Bosch concentrates on making a machine that does what it is supposed to do- knead dough and beat batters. While Kitchen Aid does come out with fancy colors the quality and performance of their mixers is going downhill. I bought Kitchen Aid pro mixers for my kids as gifts over the past 7 years and three out of the four had to be repaired, one within the first year. My daughter just had to repair hers for a second time as it burned out while she was making bread. My opinion is that a mixer is just that- a tool to use in the kitchen. It is not an art piece. The Bosch does have a stainless steel bowl for those that want them.

I use my Bosch Universal Plus to make at least 60 loaves of yeast breads and half as many quick breads plus muffins, cakes etc EACH WEEK and it hasn't failed me yet. The fact that it is white just doesn't matter to me.

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

to work correctly ?  I was looking at this machine but I understand that smaller portions, i.e. my usual 600 to 750 gram doughs would be too small to be processed efficiently. Would appreciate your insight.

Best,

Anna

berryblondeboys's picture
berryblondeboys

Several people have talked about the Universal... I'm not interested in the universal as I have the DLX 2000 by electrolux (very similar machine). Thinking about the Compact Bosch mixer which performs in a completely different way. (beaters move, not the bowl).

 

But, the issue is the same - bright white. My DLX is the older style and was called black chrome.

highmtnpam's picture
highmtnpam

It does eve

highmtnpam's picture
highmtnpam

As I was saying, I love my Bosche Universal. I don't like colored appliances, but I sure wish it  came in chrome.

Pam

rhomp2002's picture
rhomp2002

I would imagine it would weigh a lot more if it were chrome.   The light weight of the Bosch is one of the major pluses for it. 

As for white, I would also imagine that white will go with more colors than almost anything else.   Personally I have a Bosch Universal Plus and a Bosch Compact, both white, and the fact that they have no other color means nada to me.   What I want is a mixer that works ss it should, cleans up as it should and does not break down.   Neither one has given me any problems at all.   Best money I ever spent for an appliance.   Now that I have gotten some of the extras for the Bosch machines I am able to streamline my use of tools.   Right now I keep a Kitchen Aid hand mixer for when I want to do something at the stove and the two Bosch machines.   I am going to be left with only the coffee maker, the Bosches and the KA hand mixer and a microwave.   Everything else can be done by the Bosch extras.  And they are so light and easy to store what would be the problem.  Just pick them up with one hand and stick them in the cupboard.   Then you are done.

 

msgenie516's picture
msgenie516

I just purchased a new Hobart N50 mixer and so that I wouldn't get sick of the color in the years to come, I got it in white!  They really didn't have a great selection of colors to begin with, Hobart Gray, a really bright blue, a bright red, black, and white.  The gray seems so commercial, the blue and red were too bright for me, and I don't really like black (could you imagine what it would look like if flour poufed all over?  You would have to clean any of them, but the I think the black would be the worst.)

I do LOVE the Pistachio color of the KitchenAid but, alas, the Hobart didn't come in anything close.  If my old KitchenAid breaks down, maybe I'll replace that one with Pistachio...right now, I can't even think about buying another mixer!

BTW, the Hobart is doing great and I hope to have it for many years to come--unfortunately, it will probably outlive me.

Just my 2 cents!  Genie

highmtnpam's picture
highmtnpam

so weight doesn't mean much to me, but I love having a juicer handy. My counters are polished grey concrete, so white looks fine its just that everything else in the kitchen is chrome.  My husband and I have been married 42 years, so when I tell him that pan isn't the right color he just sighs. This is really a "girl" thing isn't it???

Pam

rhomp2002's picture
rhomp2002

It is just that if the jarring concatenation of the white and the chrome really bothers you then put it away.  It is so light it would be the blink of an eye to have it out when you need it and another blink of an eye to put it away.

 

I don't think many men are concerned that all their tools on the workbench have to be color coordinated.    The concern is that the tool be the right one for the job.

 

 

berryblondeboys's picture
berryblondeboys
t is just that if the jarring concatenation of the white and the chrome really bothers you then put it away.  It is so light it would be the blink of an eye to have it out when you need it and another blink of an eye to put it away.

 

I don't think many men are concerned that all their tools on the workbench have to be color coordinated.    The concern is that the tool be the right one for the job.

Well, very few kitchens have room to put away a stand mixer. My old kitchen did, my new kitchen does not. It's either out, or in another room.

And there's a big difference between a workbench and a kitchen. A workbench is in a garage or a basement or somewhere not frequented by many people. The kitchen is the heart of the home, the place everyone gathers.

We just put in a $35000 kitchen. It was so much because we doubled the size, removed the entire sublfoor, put in new and tile, moved plumbing, added a gas line and changed all the lighting AND windows. Our actual 'stuff" (appliances,  cabinets, counters weren't that much). Anyway... it's the first thing you see when you walk in the front door and it really is the center of the house. a white appliance sitting out would be blaringly out of place.

rhomp2002's picture
rhomp2002

The machine is 8" x 8" x 8" and weighs a little over 10 lb total.

berryblondeboys's picture
berryblondeboys

13x11x10.5 is the compact (which is what I was referring to in the first message.)

I don't have shelves in my kitchen, I have drawers (which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE). I suppose I could put it away in the pantry cabinets or perhaps in the lazy susan cabinet, but, for me, I would rather put them on the counter in the mud room (which is set up with kitchen counters and cabinets.

 

But, while I might be able to find room by rearranging, I know not all people do. Some kitchens have ridiculously small space for storage. And if you use it daily or near daily? Most people prefer to keep those appliances out. Like the toaster and the coffee maker. The only time I had to put EVERYTHING away was when we were selling our house and the realtor told us to stage the kitchen as if empty.

gary.turner's picture
gary.turner

When I was a boy (a really long time ago), it seems everyone had what we called cozies to cover the small appliances when not in use. My mother kept the toaster and mixer covered when not in use. As I recall, hers were of a blue and white floral design, sewn of quilted material with cording to stiffen the seams; probably had some pellon to stiffen the quilting. Mom sewed them herself. I suppose if you're not into that particular craft, one of your friends may be able to fabricate a cozy for you, or a local crafts/fabric/yarn store could probably connect you with someone who to do it for you.

flourgirl51's picture
flourgirl51

There are cabinets out there that have a pull out shelf that is meant to hold an appliance. To put the appliance away you simply lower the shelf and it tucks into the cabinet  with the appliance still on the shelf, without having to physically lift or move the appliance by hand. It is possible that something like this could be added to a cabinet.

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

garage I think they call that  :)

highmtnpam's picture
highmtnpam

I used to do that years ago! It's something to think about.

Pam

berryblondeboys's picture
berryblondeboys

The way you described cozies is exaclty how I remember them - which is why I don't know why anyone likes Vera Bradley stuff - they are toaster cozies!

to the previous poster about getting a lift mechanism for a mixer. Yes, they make them, but they are designed for a heavy machine like a KA. to be honest. that's a lot of wasted storage space and only worth it if A. you can't lift the machine. B. you have a lot of storage space in the kitchen.

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

me the best dough volume to put into the Bosch Deluxe ?

Thanks much,

anna

pattycakes's picture
pattycakes

when we built our new kitchen, we put in only drawers and one big garage. Into go the KA mixer, the Vitamix, and the Cuisineart. I drag them out when I need them, and the power source is also inside the cubby they live in. Very out of sight and nice. The garage door retreats into the overhead when I open it, just like the real thing. Drawers are great for those who hate to get on their hands and knees to find things. Very practical and easy to use, too. No overhead cabinets, either. We put everything in the pantry. Clean kitchen, uncluttered. Thank heavens my husband likes to remodel!

Patricia

flourgirl51's picture
flourgirl51

Anna, the Bosch Universal Plus can handle up to 15 lbs of dough. I do 8 lbs of whole grain dough in each batch and it handles it beautifully.

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

you, flourgirl51 :)

flourgirl51's picture
flourgirl51

You are quite welcome.