Food: choosing a stand mixer - KitchenAid or kMix?

my new acquisition/baby 

Eeeks. I'm very excited  After much research I've just purchased a stand mixer in the form of a Kenwood kMix. It took me ages to decide which to go for - the kMix or KitchenAid. In truth, I've been dreaming about owning a KitchenAid my entire life (that, and a Dualit toaster). However, in the past year, I've seen a little sense and realised that it's important not to buy things just because they're beautiful and as such inevitably overpriced. It's important to do proper research on the topic and not to buy things just because of a name or certain look. However, one thing I do know, is that all my friends who own a KitchenAid are absolutely in love. I've never heard a bad word said about them, but what comes with that, is a hefty price tag - £469.95 on Amazon.

I read a lot of reviews on both the KitchenAid and kMix. The problem with reading reviews is that people obviously tend to own either the KitchenAid or the kMix, never both. They may have used the opposing machine at some point, but very rarely have they used both machines for an extended amount of time. It's therefore difficult making a comparison. People are understandably very biased towards the machine they own -  spending over £300 for a mixer is not something many people will do lightly and obviously they want to feel like they made the right decision.

In the end, I found that the fundamental difference between the machines was the size, power and cost. The kMix mixing bowl holds 4L while the KitchenAid holds 3.8L. Not a large difference, but still, it's there. In terms of power, the KitchenAid has a 300W motor, while the kMix has a 500W motor - a significant difference. Finally the cost, Amazon supplies KitchenAid's at £469.95, while the kMix is priced at £299.99. In my opinion, some people are reassured by a high price. I think KitchenAid gets away with charging such a lot because people will immediately assume that a KitchenAid is better, because it is more expensive. I knew for a fact that I didn't want to fall into that trap as it is something which I have definitely done in the past - think hair straighteners  MP3 player, toasters etc. In terms of reviews, both received almost 100% 5 stars. Customers were in agreement that both machines worked brilliantly and revolutionised cake, bread and meringue making. There were a few comments about the kMix being very noisy and the KitchenAid being less sturdily built is more recent years due to a change in supplier.

Personally, I decided on the kMix - for two reasons - firstly, the larger wattage and volume of mixing bowl, and, secondly, it's hard to justify spending an extra £180 on a machine just for appearance sake. Yes, I would have adored having a brightly coloured Artisanal KitchenAid sitting on my worktop, but I'm not in the position to spend that much more money for aesthetic reasons. It must be pointed out, as well, that I am by no means disappointed with the appearance of my kMix. To me, it's beautiful too -  a lovely almond cream colour which certainly improves the look of my kitchen.

I can't give a full review of the kMix as I've only just purchased it, but I will say that I'm loving it so far. I made Martin some cupcakes for his birthday and never has it been so quick and easy. I love it for making icing especially. The large beating attachment means I get extra fluffy icing and the guard is amazing. No more fine layers of icing coating my entire kitchen, from the kettle to the toaster. I hate that so much.

PS I bought my kMix from John Lewis for £299, because it had a free 5 year guarantee. Bonus!

Martin's birthday cupcakes

attachments - there's also whisk - not sure why I forgot to put it in this photo. Also, does anyone know what the middle attachment is for?

Which do you own - a KitchenAid, kMix or other stand mixer? How is it and how did you make your decision?