I just broke my second mixer!!! Making buttercream not even making a thick frosting. I broke my other mixer on Easter making cream cheese frosting. The same thing happened I heard a funny noise and the beaters stopped moving. Granted I am only using a hand mixer but I can't afford one of the industrial ones yet. Anyone know of and decent inexpensive hand mixers? Hope the frosting is ok cause I still had 5-7 min of beating to go.I will post the pic later when I am finished.

Good luck! I had the same problem until I found a good used mixer then my husband and son got me a kitchen aid for Christmas a couple years ago. Maybe you can find something on e-bay or at a thrift store or yard sale.

Debbie

I am having the same problem. I have stripped one mixer already and the second one isn't sounding to healthy I am checking my local newspaper and yard sales for a used Kitchen Aid. I have only been decorating for 3 months now and am begining to think that at this rate it would be cheeper to invest in one good mixer than 50 cheep ones, not to mention the stress reduction

I have to agree, invest in a good one instead of wasting money on cheap ones.
I bought my KA (kitchenaid) online @ kohls.com for a really good sale price. I was able to get it paid off in a couple of months.
Think about it this way...if you do a few number of cakes in a month, how many of those would it take to pay your KA off if you charged it to a credit card. Then make it your goal to get that many cakes made to pay for your KA. I don't like to charge things either, especially right now with our personal debt that we have, but to me it was worth it. It was also worth it to my husband.
My KA is a stand mixer, but I would also love to get one of their hand mixers, but since I am supposed to be getting a free one from my mom soon, I am not going to get it yet.

mjones, I went through 3 mixers before I decided I HAD to invest in a KitchenAid because I had spent more money on the 3 mixers I had bought than I would have if I'd just bought the KitchenAid. You will never, ever regret the investment. They are just an awesome mixer... there are different models, so look at all of them before you invest

I'm drooling over the one I saw at Target with over 300 watts of power, lots of bells and whistles... mmmmmmmmoney. ouch. Almost $250.

oh no...my old KA is making "noises" now and you've all got me worried! But hey, I've had it for 17 years! I do have a little mixer as back up and it's sounding like "bearings" going out. Thrift shop, here I come! Knocking on wood right now...I have 3 cakes to get done by next Saturday.

OMG....I am so glad this subject has been brought up, now I can assure my husband it really is the excessive use not the mixers. I bought a new one in November and then another one in February and had to buy another one a couple weeks ago.......I have had a KA, 325 watt for years, only got it out occasionally when I had lots to do because it's so heavy......well after the second hand mixer died, I decided it was time to rearrange the appliances in my kitchen and I wanted a stand mixer that had more power as well.......I now have a 700 watt stand mixer and my KA out on the counter,(that took some time rearranging everything) so they are available all the time and the new hand mixer for the really small jobs!

700 watts.... *drooling*....

my bf bought me a ka mixer bout 3 yrs ago.. i use it so much it broke... i invested in a new one last yr... and its gonna go anyday now to.. im considering in investing in a heavy dutybakery quality table top mixer.. i mean yeah it will cost me a pretty penny... but its built to be used all the time... hopefully

Calejo.....it's not a KA but boy does it kick butt!!! I also make alot of cookies and it mixes up a double batch of chocolate chip cookie dough with no porblems at all! It's wonderful......I got it at Sam's and it was less than $200.00 and it has a one year warranty which is exactly what KA has as well.

Hand Mixers are not designed for the heavy duty use we Confectionists put them through. A KA is well worth the $$. DH got me one for my BD a few years ago and it has a place of honor on my counter, it does my cookie doughs and 2-3 cake mixes at a time. Invaluable time saver, I shine it daily like my hubby does his car

my first stand mixer i bought through fingerhut where i could make a small payment on it. What i then did is any cake money i made went to pay off the mixer(we really had no money then and this was the only way i could get one) So thats just another option. My first one was an oster and its still running 15 years later, i now keep it as a back up just incase, it doesn't look as pretty anymore but its still able to get the job done.

I understand the no money but I was in the middle of a course 2 and had already went through 2 hand mixers went to target and they had a KA on clerance for $129.00 but of course I had no money at that time so I ended up puting some rings I hardly ever where anymore do to the feelings that go with them in the pond shop! and went back to target to get the very last KA they had on sale! no regets and the money from my cakes has been getting my rings out the pond shop

try Amazon.com. My boyfriend bought me my KA mixer on there last christmas and he got it for nearly half the price....no shipping charges either!

okay, i dont have a KA, because i cant afford one. but my dh bought me a GE stand mixer from walmart for christmas 2 years ago, and it is wonderful!!!!!! he got it at walmart for right under $100.00!!!!!!! i love it!!! the only drawback is that it didnt come with a spatter cover, and the kitchen aid one doesnt fit just right (but WILL DO the JOB!)
anyway, you could put it on layaway at walmart
just a thought
i love mine!!!!!!!!!
melody

I am reminded of the Christmas I burnt out 5 (FIVE) handmixers within a month. I kid you not! When my Kitchenaid goes, I will NOT even consider buying anything else!
As for buying one, try an outlet store if you have any near you. I have an outlet mall not too far from me and there are two stores that sell them pretty reasonably priced.

if you're buying a hand blender, make sure that the beaters are large and ribbon-shaped (flat steel, not wires -- wires are for whipping air, not beating frosting) and that the base feels substantial and is comfy in your hand (and has a heel rest).

i don't do a lot of cakes anymore at home (and i left the baking industry 5 years ago), but i killed my old hand mixer making royal icing a couple of christmases ago. the $65 (canadian) westinghouse (no kidding) hand blender with several attachments (beaters, whips, and dough hooks) that i bought to replace it has been just wonderful, and has all the qualities i described above that go into making a good hand mixer.

invest in what you need. for serious work you need serious equipment. if you think kitchenaids are grand, imagine owning a little hobart mixer (i always wanted one at home like i used at work!)

my xbf bought me a 5qt kitchenaid mixer 5 yrs ago.. last yr i burned it out.. so i purchased a 6qt one right away...sure enough this one is going too.. i give it a month... i may just invest in a small hobart mixer.. for the money iv already wasted on the kitchenaids its not worth buying a new one

debsuewoo
LOL you have me beat. Years ago when I decided to start makeing cakes. I was just you know trying everything out. I was real impressed with the things people were doing with royal icing. I had a hand held mixer, you know a cheapo deapo. Anyhow I burned it, so then I borrowed my sisters, I burned it and last but not least I borrowed another from my other sister (good thing I have 5 sisters huh LOL) well damn it I burned it too. Little did I know you can't make royal icing with a hand held mixer.. Man that stuff gets hard..Now that I know alot about baking I laugh at myself. HAHAHA... I now own a Kitchen Aid, best damn gift my hubby ever bought me.. Love it, Love it, Love it!

Well, a few things. First of all, actually mixing up icing is hard on your mixer, stand or hand mixer. How much you mix up is also hard on your mixer, a handmixer cannot handle more than about 3 cups of icing sugar. It is just too much for the size of the mixer and the amount of power. Prolonged use is very hard on a hand mixer, they can handle about 2 minutes at a high speed and then you should shut it off and give the motor a chance to cool, so that would prolong the life of your hand mixer too.
If you can, get a hand mixer with about 200 watts or more, you need that amount of power. A hand mixer with the "burst of power" feature is a good thing to look for. There is a good reason for this feature and why it doesn't run on continuously and that is so you don't overheat the motor. Don't use a recipe of more than 3 cups of powdered sugar.
A stand mixer with 350 watts of power is enough power for likely most things that most folks will make. That can handle icing recipes with about 5 cups of icing sugar.
I find that many folks use the 4 1/2 quart Kitchen Aids for too large a recipe of either icing or cake batter. The batter or icing should not be higher than the top of the beater. Even a Kitchen Aid needs a break, 10 minutes of beating on high is a lot to expect of any motor. It isn't so bad for a thinner consistency icing like Royal, but it is harder with a stiff buttercream.
I only make a single batch of buttercream in my 4 1/2 quart Kitchen Aid, which in my case is about 5 cups of powdered sugar. I have tried doubling it and must say that though it can handle it, it actually is more trouble than making the single batch and more mess too.
Just my opinion,
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Well consider how many mixers you have or will go through at say...$35.00 or more a pop!! I would invest in a smaller Kitchen Aid!! I have a 4.5 quart mixer and I love it!! It cost me $299.00 Canadian which is about $170.00 US but well worth the price!! It will pay for itself before you know it!! Close your eyes and fork over the money...it may hurt at first but the ease on your hands alone will be heaven!!

Heehee, there are two things that I would sell my hubby and kids for, not the cats, just hubby and kids, haha! Those are central air and my Kitchen Aid. I could do without a lot of things, television, just about anything, but those two things, no, I would be lost!
It is a big investment, I know that and sometimes you just can't do it. But if you can get your hands on a used and reconditioned one or get a really good price, you won't ever regret it. I thought I had died and gone to heaven the first time I used the Kitchen Aid, it really made that much difference. However I do miss the smell of burning rubber when the motor is close to catching on fire, haha! It is just something you have to live with, haha!
Hugs SQuirrelly Cakes

The smell of the burnt motor and the little 'thunk' noise that it makes when it seizes!

I'll tell you what I don't miss though.... not being able to turn the machine on and go onto another task while the icing is mixing. Having to stand in one place for 5 or ten minutes isn't exactly fun.

Debbi

Hhmn, have you had the flames shooting out experience?
Funny thing is the older ones held up for years. The biggest problem with them was the housing that held the beaters would get loosened and either the beaters would fall out or you couldn't get them out with the release button. Now you haven't really lived until you had a hand mixer running on high and a beater whizzes out and whipped cream foams out all over the place, haha! Hhmn, brings back fond memories, haha!
And what about those hand mixers with the removable cord that keeps removing all by itself as you are using the mixer. That about drove me nuts too!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Or when the cords refused to cooperate and twist itself around and make things difficult?

Debbi

Haha, yes, why do they put those awful cords on things? They have the technology to put a decent cord on an appliance. These days they either make cords too short or way too long.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

HaHa- maybe someone should make a cordless mixer, just like a cordless drill?!?