It's a very different user experience to typical mixer forms but we are just loving this. Great power as well

Before you buy this, you've got to ask yourself two questions. Do I need a stand mixer? Do I need this obviously pricy one?

I needed a stand mixer because I wanted to make things that I didn't want to do by hand and which bogged down our hand held mixer. I picked this one because of the ratings.

So far I've made doughs, cookies, and whipped dips with this machine. It has done them all well. It is very stable and doesn't walk across the counter like some older stand mixers. It seems to have plenty of power. The speed control is easy to use and smoothly ramps from low to high. There's a timer on the on switch which is a useful convenience, though you never have to use it. Despite its power it doesn't seem to be quite as heavy as competing brands, and seems to be shorter. The mostly wide open top on the mixing bowls provides lots of room for adding ingredients as well as scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary without removing the hook, roller, or whisks (as appropriate).

So far it has no issues. The cost made me gasp a bit, but the quality seems to be there.

UPDATE! Make sure the source you are purchasing from through Amazon is an authorized Ankarsrum dealer. Otherwise, your purchase will not carry Ankarsrum's 7 year warranty.

As an assistant to Mrs. Santa Claus, I do a great deal of baking
and I absolutely love this machine! It kneads my heavy dough mixtures like it's going through butter and the motor handles the 30 minute knead time for specific sweet breads without a problem. Cookies, cakes, even some candy recipes whip up like a dream. I am so happy with how open it is so I can easily add ingredients and its large capacity. I've only had my mixer a couple of weeks and I've already made numerous dozens of cookies, a few cakes, candies, and dozens of loaves of bread. I would be greatly surprised if any other home stand mixer can live up to the quality of the Ankarsrum! It's pricey but so worth it!!

I received a Mockmill grain mill from my husband. After learning what is lost in store purchased flour I and store bought breads I told my husband I wanted to try making my own bread from my own home made flour. What I learned really quickly was using homemade flour is drastically harder than store bought flour due to the different preservatives used in shelf stable flour. Kneading is an important process to home made flour bread making and a lot more required for successful loaves. My kitchen aide mixer couldn't do it and was only good for combining ingredients not heavy kneading of bread dough. I was barely able to make enough dough for two loaves. I made my first batch of bread dough yesterday and I'm completely amazed at the difference in the two. My kitchen aide is in no way comparable to my new Ankararum. The ankarsrum in one batch made 4 loaves and kneaded it beautifully without me having to do any of the kneading and it did it seamlessly without straining at all. It's considered a kitchen assistant not just a mixer and it shows. The old old kitchen aides might have been better than the newer ones but today's kitchen aide isn't any real help at all. My first batch of bread I used the included cook book included with the kitchen assistant it was a great recipe and I made it with 100% home milled flour and it worked I had my assistant ; ) knead it longer than the recipe called for knowing it's needed with homemade flour. It was the best recipe and the best loaves of bread I've ever ever made. I wish I would have purchased it sooner and bypassed the kitchen aide all together. Get yourself an assistant it will help more than you ever thought possible.

What can I say? This mixer is hands down the best non-commercial bread mixer that's ever been made. It's pricey. It has a learning curve. But it's also worth all the time and money.

It isn't a planetary mixer like all the rest ; therefore you have to learn how to ensure there's enough friction between the spinning bowl and the contents within, throughout the process. But once you figure it out, it'll be hard going forward to make bread without it ever again.

In a nutshell, the reason for its popularity is because it combines the mixing and kneading processes into one. But that requires a change of mindset along with a bit of practice.

The resulting dough comes out so buttery-smooth at times it resembles a cake mix more than bread dough. The dough is simply smoother, stronger and better consistently than dough from any other mixer.

Of course the dedicated mixing bowl and wisks are amazing - but that feature can be obtained by purchasing a Braun for a lot less. It's the bread kneader and scraper combo which sets it apart.

It's so amazing that almost everyone I know has been deceived into believing in an cook well. Due to this mixer. And no, that's not a joke nor an exaggeration.