KitchenAid (KSM8990DP) 8-Quart Stand Mixer with Bowl Lift (Dark Pewter)

Remember when KitchenAid used to make great mixers (when they were owned by Hobart)? The kind that didn’t have plastic and rubber parts inside? The kind that were passed down from grandparents to kids? They took a break from that and started producing lesser quality mixers in the 1990s. This mixer screams “old style craftsmanship”. For starters, the all metal gear box means that you wont need to replace broken plastic gears in a year or two. Next is the noise level, its much quieter than my old 4.5qt (flip top model). A previous poster mentioned that the machine shakes, I made a big batch of bread (16 cups of flour) and the mixer didn’t move a noticeable amount). The 1990s-2000s mixers had a silver ring around the part that moves. This is where oil would leak out and ruin your breads. This machine doesn’t have that ring, the gear box is sealed! It also doesn’t have the spring where you attach the parts (where my old one used to also leak oil). And the best part: All the parts that get dirty can go right into the dishwasher because they are stainless, not that white material!

One thing to note: In the box is this weird shaped rectangle thing. Its not mentioned in the manual, so I called and found out that its a chute to add ingredients through the protective cage.

First of all, the bowl is huge. I can easily fit four 1.5lb loaves of bread or a triple batch of cookies. If using the mixer for commercial use or large batch baking its safe to assume 50 average size cookies at once can be made (measured using a cookie scoop). I’ve tried doing larger batches of cookies and while it doesn’t bother the mixer at all it does overflow the bowl. I’m fairly certain the seven quart bowl will fit this mixer and there is a small bowl/whisk set for whipping cream or beating egg whites available for smaller jobs.

While I understand the reason for the orange power cord it’s not exactly a color that fits in well with most kitchens. It’s very long, which is nice, but it does stand out against our gray granite countertops.

This machine is big. It does not slide under our upper cabinets but will fit under them if I tilt it then bring it upright once it’s under. Since it’s a lift bowl style rather than a tilt head it can be used like this without a problem.

One of the best things about this mixer is the soft start. My artisan mixer would get flour all over but this mixer starts slowly enough to prevent messes. Even with black painted cabinets I seldom have to clean up flour dust. It also changes speeds softly. If you accidentally bump the slider you have a moment or two or put it back, it won’t suddenly be going at full speed.

The paddle and dough hook work as they should. The spiral hook is a vast improvement on the small hook that comes with the artisan mixer (the mixer I upgraded from). The whisk is great. It makes fantastic merengue in just a couple minutes. Attachments work well. I make quick work of 50lbs of roasted apples with the applesauce/tomato strainer attachment.

Overall I’m happy with this purchase. When I first got it I thought I had made a mistake and should have gone with the six quart instead. Now that I’m used to it I’m glad I have the extra size, power, and features of the 8 quart commercial version. The fact that it’s made in the USA just makes it that much better

Have had it for 6 months, it stoped working while i was making pizza dough, at first it seemed really tough,silent, but sometimes make a clicking sound. waiting for warranty since it says it has 2 year warranty. Will keep you updated., next day i called for warranty, they where very polite just asked me for the model.number and the serial number on machine got 1 back in 2 days and they even paid returned shipping. Great custommer service. Will buy another if something happens to this one. Highly recommended

I purchased the black model = KitchenAid KSM8990OB (unfortunately not sold by Amazon right now)

I purchased it when I got fed up by the Hamilton Beach 63227 that I’ve had for about 1 year. I was always eyeballing a KitchenAid, but when I found the Hamilton for just 60 bucks new I pulled the trigger. It was not a bad mixer, but it was never powerful enough, and regretted my decision every time I was using it. Well, time came to get a meat grinder attachment (the stainless SmokehouseChef one) and what a better opportunity to change my mixer? So I searched and researched and stumbled upon this commercial KitchenAid. What a great find!

This mixer is similar in size to the Professional 600 that we also considered. It is almost 17” tall, so it fits perfectly under the cabinet (and it looks fantastic too, orange cord included – tucked away in the back). And because it doesn’t tilt, I can keep it in one position and never move it (the Hamilton – a tilt head model – we needed to take out every time as we couldn’t tilt it under the cabinet). Also, the 8qt bowl is big (or at least that’s my impression after switching from a 4.5qt one), but it is mostly tall. It is so tall in fact that there are issues adding ingredients – when we use this bowl we always have to lower it to add ingredients. It seems (from what I read) that the pouring shield from the Professional 600 6qt bowl fits this unit. But we never bought the shield – instead, to mitigate this issue we purchased the KitchenAid KSMC5QBOWL 5qt bowl for about 40 bucks) and that one is perfect for our everyday mixing needs.

We love the fact that all attachments are stainless steel. Very good quality too and NSF rated for restaurant use. They are BIG, and solid! We switched most of our small appliances and cookware to stainless, and this is one very important reason we chose this KitchenAid unit (the Hamilton aluminum-coated attachments started to chip after just a few uses). We have tried all attachments and all performed very well. But we needed to adjust the bowl height to get them to properly scrape the edges. There is one attachment that we considered (the KitchenAid KAFE7L) but didn’t yet really feel the need for it.

Using it is a pleasure! This thing is a beast. Nothing can stop it! It has so much torque! And it is do quiet too. It features a slow start – when it gets to the speed selected all you hear is a very quiet motor driving the gear drive (I cannot really explain it; it just sounds like a well-built, solid machinery). It mixes anything we through at it – pizza dough, play dough, paleo (sticky) dough, panettone dough, eggs, etc. – with so much ease. It also drives that meat grinder without any strain – almost as if nothing is there.

The lift-bowl is a bit more inconvenient than the tilt-head model (as my Hamilton was) but the torque on this puppy would have probably torn that hinge apart. To see the true difference in the motor design please refer to the pictures I uploaded – the KSM8990 has direct drive, and the entire motor unit is actually cheaper to replace (about 50 bucks) than replacing all parts that could go wrong in the other 2 models.

It is one of my best appliances (I try to purchase commercial quality as often as I can – I also have the Waring WFP14SC, the Waring MX1200XTX, the Weston 08-0801-W, among others) and I reach for it every time I have the chance.

All in all, highly recommended!