Hi everyone!

I just have a new KA proline 7 qt mixer.  I posted this question elsewhere but I am reposting here as a separate question.

its a great mixer, its quiet, moves through batters and cookie doughs very easily. .

However I really bought it for kneading bread dough and I can see that it is not the 'pro' or as 'powerful' it is touted to be.  There are explicit warnings not to use it higher than speed #2 yet I can see it going nowhere to a finished correctly kneaded dough at #2 even with  5-6 cups of flour. or maybe it would have taken 20-25mins?  I didn't try that long.  Rose Levy Beranbaum openly instructs in many of bread recipes to use a KA at #4 and even #6 for both paddle and dough hook for extended periods of time until the dough comes together.  Well, why would she do that?  I tried #4.  At speed #4 there is a constant clicking, clacking sound.  Its not the motor but some part hitting against another part at the higher speed.  And it does begin to heat up after 10-12 mins of kneading. If it does this while brand new it is going to wear out sooner rather than later if I use it regularly for kneading (which I want to do!) I don't think I have a lemon.  I think the mixer works very well but its not as powerful as I was led to believe.  And upon reading the reviews more closely many people have heard the clicking which gives them pause. I think it will be inadequate for kneading whole wheat, whole grain doughs or big batches of dough. I think there are ways to work around these limitations in power, more autolysing, stopping the kneading periodically and resuming after 5-10mins of resting both machine and dough.  But I don't want to, I just wanted a simple strong mixer for when I just wanted to get some kneading done quickly!  Maybe my expectations are inappropriate for this type of mixer?

Just a question: do you all never use it above #2 for kneading? and still get proper kneading?  On this forum, as an example, other than RLB, people are making Jason's ciabatta at highest speed?

I welcome any feedback please.

 Thank you so much for patiently reading about my discomfort with my new and fancy toy.  I did really want to love and live with it forever, but I don't know now.