KitchenAid KP26M9XCOB 6-Quart Bowl-Lift Professional Stand Mixer, Onyx Black

It took me several frustrating tries to get the bowl to settle into place. I almost sent it back as I am using it to bake a 45 cookie batch per day and need something I don’t have to battle with every time I remove the bowl to scale add an ingredient. However, I align the bowl on the two pegs first and then snap it down into place on the back metal holder where previously I was trying to align the back first then the sides. Maybe it’s just me and I’m slow to problem solve easy engineering features. I still think it’s cumbersome but I’ve learned to work with it and other than that am happy with the mixing ability of this model.

I had a Kitchenaid Artisan stand mixer gifted to me 20+ years ago and still runs great. I need to get it serviced as it has not been serviced. However, I do a lot of cooking and baking and some of the recipes are too large for the bowl. After all these years, I finally decided to gift myself an upgrade and went with the 6 qt Pro, and while it's not red like my old one, the black is just as pretty and still works with my kitchen color scheme. My daughter is getting my red Artisan and she's so excited as she's seen me use it since she was an infant and is amazed it still runs awesome. Although, I did tell her if she ever no longer wants it, it comes back to me for the sentimental value.

Haven't used it too much yet but it is obviously a large powerful machine that should serve any serious baker well. It's probably overkill if you are a casual baker who won't use it that often or who only does small batches. You better like the way it looks and choose your color carefully because it is pretty large and hard to store anywhere but on the counter top. Even if you have a cabinet tall enough, it would likely be pretty hard to get out and put away. I saw it as a 'deal of the day' and bought it as a gift for my daughter. She likes it but I probably would have gone with the smaller tilt head model if I'd realized how big it is. We got the red - it isn't as fire engine red as it looks in the picture; it's a more muted and deeper red.

What's not to like about this? So far, it's been great. Used it for stirring my ice cream base, mixing meat to make homemade brats, mixing all the ingredients for cheesy hash browns, and kneading bread dough. I absolutely love it. I remember these from a long time ago and they were soooo noisy. I can't believe how quiet this is. It works as desired and expected. The only thing I don't like (so I don't use it) is the cover for adding ingredients. It doesn't latch to the bowl, so if it gets bumped, one could end up with a big mess.Overall, I am incredibly happy with this KitchenAid 6qt mixer. I would definitely recommend.

If I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn't had bought this. The color is pretty, it mixes fine, but if you are going to use it to knead dough, think again. Not terribly happy with all the clunking and noise. The machine really heats up too, but I think that might be normal. The plastic knob on the lever came off the minute I took it out of the box, so that's been a bit of a pain in the butt too. It won't stay on.

I had the 4qt mixer for almost 10yrs, and only upgraded because of the great deal I got on this. I can’t give it 5 stars because there are a few things I don’t really love about it. I do love the bigger size bowl, and I do love how the speed gradually turns on. I don’t care for how the bowl hooks on. You have to try a few times to clip it on. Also, the mixer attachment, for eggs and such doesn’t really get to the bottom of the bowl, so you need to stop and mix by hand. I’m going to buy the flex edge beater attachment to see if that gets everything.

An early Christmas gift from my honey! This tall beauty replaces a 20 yr old Artisan,which I’m handing down to my daughter. Once you figure out the secrets to attaching and reattaching the bowl ( you tube ), you’ll fall in love! KitchenAid did drop the ball on this aspect. No where in the book are instructions for the bowl or beater attachments. Oh the power! The finish is beautiful. The attachments are also finished beautifully. Having the larger bowl is everything. This model is 17” tall. The Pro 600 does sound and perform differently than the smaller models. I’ll quickly adjust LOL! I was lucky enough to find this on a day Amazon offered an $80 coupon! Thanks Amazon! Bring on the holidays! My home is going to smell amazing!

My daughter bought this on an Amazon deal for $260.00. That’s a steal. I have a hand mixer as I don’t bake often enough to justify the expense. My teenage daughter loves to bake and has wanted one for a long time. I have to say that if I hadn't seen for myself the difference in the quality of her baked items I wouldn’t have believed a mixer could make a difference. Her cookies are 100% better and the only difference is in the mixing. If you catch this on sale, buy it. Totally worth the money. If I had to make one complaint, it’s big and heavy. It weighs 30 lbs so it’s not feasible to put away and get it out as needed. So it’s now taking up an entire corner of my counter.

I bought this to replace a unit that I'd had since 2006, and the quality is simply inferior. The sturdy mixing bowl of the past has been replaced by a thin, cheaply-welded lookalike; the mixing paddle is thinner, lighter, and clearly made of a cheap alloy; the other attachments look similarly flimsy.I made a batch of 18 bagels today to use the mixer. The motor sounds underpowered and whines to reach the mid speeds, and the entire assembly shook when the batch was mixed. I didn't even fill the bowl half-way.Supremely disappointing -- a great product has been reduced to something mediocre.

Cannot apply for warranty

I’ve had KitchenAid’s 5-Quart Heavy Duty mixer for over 30 years, and have been very satisfied with it, but always wanted a larger bowl. So when Amazon had it on sale for $399 instead of $729, I went for it. The larger diameter bowl would have been easier for folding batter together, but there were severe shortcomings:1) It was not easy to seat the bowl into the holder. I had to exert very high force to do so. I could easily envision something breaking when attempting to do so.2) The bottom of the beater did not reach the bottom of the bowl. Turning what looked like an adjustment screw did nothing.3) On my first attempt at starting the machine the motor made noise but did not move. On subsequent tries it hesitated a lot before moving. This was with nothing in the bowl. If there was batter in the bowl I’m sure it would have been worse.Very disappointing, especially since the old one is so good.I returned it!

Build Quality:1. The bowl arrived full of scratches and dents, as if someone had inserted some beating attachment a bit too far, or in a bad angle, before hand. I don't know if this was some already returned machine, but it definitely looked used.2. "Found" two sharp metal splinters while unpacking the machine. They are now attached to my finger instead of the base of the machine. This is a "one-time" negative, but a significant one.3. The egg-beater attachment which comes in the package looks how I imagine a cheap knock-off product: The wires are bend, gaps between the base and the wires and I assume it will become unhygienic rather quickly, unless you carefully scrape the gaps.Overall Design:1. The grip of the bowl is in the worst possible spot for right handed people.2. Inserting the bowl into the machine is a hassle: > You cannot properly do so, while an attachment is connected to the machine. You then have to put the dirty attachment somewhere while handling the bowl > Attaching the bowl requires you to carefully align the pins and holes. You definitely need both hands > Do yourself a favour and watch multiple videos how the "bowl lift mechanic" works. I watched one video by a very enthusiastic reviewer, but it is nothing but impractical to useI cannot rate the machine's performance, because we didn't even bother plugging it in after seeing the subpar design and build quality.Having worked with other brands before I got to say, that I would and will choose them over Kitchenaid, anytime.

After waiting, it arrived. I opened the box and I was happy at that time. I checked the appliance and then started washing the attached tools.. Half an hour later I noticed rust spots at the edge of the bowl, I didn't pay attention to them.. but I noticed an increase in the number of rust spots near the edge of the bowl after each time I used and then washed them. I expect that after a year of use, the bowl will turn into a piece of rust.. I ask (( WHAT TO DO NOW )) ???