I saw an ad advertising a Cooks brand Commercial Die-Cast 5-qt stand mixer with a 700 watt motor. It's on sale for $150, regular price $300. Is Cooks a good brand, or would I be wasting my money? Any help would be appreciated!

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I dont know, but I had a Wolfgang Puck Mixer before my KA. I got it as a wedding gift and it sucked! The worst part was it costed more than the KA!
For an extra 75 bucks you can by the Classic KA at walmart.

I rely heavily on customer reviews-mostly from Amazon. People give honesst opinions after purchasing and using things. I also use eopinions, and any independent source of reviews. Check the following links:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/appliances/mixers/mixers/how-to-choose/index.htm

http://www99.epinions.com/pr-KitchenAid_KV25GOX_Stand_Mixer/display_~reviews

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00007IT2P/?tag=cakecentral-20

In the last 2 all you have to do is enter the model of the mixers you are considering and compare the reivews. Additionaly, KA has a close out store on their web-site for good pricing, all include full warranty.