I decided to splurge and bought the Kitchenaid ( 4KP26MIX) pro 600 series 6 quart model. Bought it on the Shopping Channel be...  Read More

I decided to splurge and bought the Kitchenaid ( 4KP26MIX) pro 600 series 6 quart model. Bought it on the Shopping Channel because the price was $499.00,plus you got a $ 100.00 REBATE. The best part was that you could pay it off in 12 easy payments ! That made it affordable.What I like about this product is that it is very sturdy. No shimmying across the counter. The attachments are really solidly made.The attachments reach the bottom so that no ingredients are left untouched,which tends to happen with other shaped bowls.There really isn't anything not to like about this product.  Read Less

I bought this Pro600 to make bread. Only paid $322 here on Amazon. KitchenAid had it listed Sale: $399.99 / MSRP: $649.99 (I co...  Read More

I bought this Pro600 to make bread. Only paid $322 here on Amazon. KitchenAid had it listed Sale: $399.99 / MSRP: $649.99 (I copied/pasted THAT off their website from my code KP26M1XOB). It was delivered today, and the packaging was great! It was in a KitchenAid box, and then inside another box, and then inside an AMAZON box. The KitchenAid box had styrofoam around the machine keeping it in place and totally protected. I had read reviews about the mixing bowl having black dust stuff in it, mine did NOT. I washed it with a touch of Dawn on a sponge & dried it with a white paper towel. It was clean. The manual tells you how to start up the machine, and test the DEPTH of the bowl to the blades. If it is not aligned correctly the manual tells you how to adjust it, but mine was perfect from the factory. I slid a piece of PAPER between the bottom of each blade and the bowl and it fit, with no room to spare. I planned to make a loaf of my LOW CARB bread, but I was out of flax meal, so I will make that tomorrow and leave another review. I also tried (as the manual said) each speed while I was testing the blades in the bowl. The complaints about this being loud are nuts! It is a motor, so there is some noise, but nothing to complain about at all. I thought it was quiet for the power it has. I am so!! excited to use this for all of my baking. We are learning to live a low carb KETO lifestyle and I am looking forward to this being an integral part of our success with that. Thank you KitchenAid! I only selected 3 stars on the versatility because I am not sure about the accessories... just me. But overall 5 stars! (Wanda - Daniel's wife).  Read Less

SPECIFIC COMMENTS:How did my Onyx Black KP26M1XOB refurb look when it came out of the box? It was pristine! There was no dent, ...  Read More

SPECIFIC COMMENTS:How did my Onyx Black KP26M1XOB refurb look when it came out of the box? It was pristine! There was no dent, ding, bang, paint smudge, oil leak, or anything that even looked like another person had first bought and returned it. The 3 enclosed attachments with this 600 Pro are: the Burnished Paddle/ Beater, the Burnished Dough Hook, and the Stainless Steel Wire Whip. Note that web searches discussed the advantages of having the coated paddle and dough hook because the burnished metal versions all shed metal bits into food batter, while the coating allows for dishwasher use. Luckily, there have been no problems with the stainless steel metal whip. The “stainless steel” bowl made in India, however, flaked bits. I solved this quality issue by cleaning the bowl interior with sodium bicarbonate and apple cider vinegar; I may also do this to the 2 burnished attachments (or use fine steel wool). While the sound level is louder than that of my Artisan because of its size and all-metal gears, it still purrs! This is one of my best buys!I registered this unit directly on the KitchenAid Site, located under the ‘Service and Support’ tab (under the regular [no-refurb]) model, KP26M1XOB, after taking digital photos of my mixer from all angles, including those under the front bowl base. (Have another person carefully slide the mixer front bowl base 1/3 way off of the counter, while steadying it strongly on the counter with their other hand, so that you can take pictures). This area has the refurb number and the serial number, all of which can be accessed if I need to have my unit serviced and want to send photos beforehand to authenticate my purchase. Note that the enclosed ‘Warranty’ folded sheet (which I didn’t send in) also has these 2 numbers at the bottom of the front page.Also note that the KitchenAid site, under the ‘Service and Support’ tab has a plethora of free manual downloads for all stand mixers. For the KP26M1XOB, I found that the previous manual (2010) included recipes, while the current 2016 manual does not. I’ve printed out this previous 88-page recipe manual and placed all pages in plastic sleeves to be water/ dust-proof.KitchenAid also has some ‘Troubleshooting’ pages, that are well-hidden but very informative.TO REFURB OR NOT TO REFURB:I did a web search and found this Pro 600 Series 6 Quart Bowl-Lift unit sold as both ‘brand new’ and as a ‘refurb’.Note that it is a bit frightening to buy any major-purchase appliance, even one with a standard warranty, let alone venture into the world of ‘refurbs’ without personally seeing and examining one before deciding to purchase it. Refurbs also have short, limited warranties. Luckily, there is a huge community of online buyers who rate their experiences to help prospective buyers know what to expect when we buy a product from a company. I thank everyone who takes the time to do this because it helped me ultimately decide which company would win my business. My review here is to help future buyers in our online KitchenAid stand mixer communities.My refurb had no dents, bangs, scratches or anything, and it looked like a brand-new-looking unit when it was delivered. (Note: This is my 2nd KitchenAid Stand Mixer refub. Several months ago, I bought my Artisan KSM150PSWH refurb, which like this Pro 600, is pristine! People need to know that they can buy quality merchandise by buying KitchenAid stand mixers through reputable resellers.)Buying a KitchenAid stand mixer is a sizeable investment, so doing multiple online searches for reviews and videos as well as talking to family and friends about their experiences using them is an important part of deciding to purchase one. Also, luckily, older KitchenAid stand mixers have the same Attachment Hub, allowing all owners to purchase the newer accessories that current first-time owners like me can also buy. In short, whenever anyone decides to buy a KitchenAid stand mixer, he/ she can still have the same operational experiences as the rest of the already-established KitchenAid buyer community. It is important to note that most brands phase out their older models by putting newer bells and whistles on their units, so that buyers need to continually update and buy the newer models again and again. By doing this, companies can sell ever more products. KitchenAid products are much more stable in terms of new model rollouts and are often passed down from generation to generation, which told me that I was buying a well-made product that would last me for decades. (Note that this brand is also sold abroad. My mother-in-law bought her KitchenAid stand mixer in Kuwait in the late 1980s/ early 1990s, with all of the attachments available at that time. Every KitchenAid piece is still in great condition, and it is all in use today. Because my husband saw his mom constantly using her KitchenAid stand mixer, he was thrilled that I wanted to buy one, too; he was already familiar with it and what it could do!)SUMMARY:I am thrilled with BOTH of my KitchenAid stand mixer refurbs (and the attachments that I bought for each one of them, which I will discuss in separate reviews).  Read Less