Cuisinart SM-70 1,000 Watts Stand Mixer

Pros: - heavy duty, sleek, stylish, PRACTICAL, a timing element built in! Splatter guard included
Cons: - the blender attachment is very small

Excellent, durable sturdy; does half my work for me -- maybe I should have bought two of them! Wonderful attachments available, P O W E R F U L. Cuisinart has actually designed something for people who actually cook in their kitchens! For the serious cook! Excellent video.s-- this one is a life time purchase. Got mine on e-bay on a Buy-it-now. Fantastic! Best money I ever spent on a kitchen appliance!

Pros: Looks great. Large capacity. Fairly quiet
Cons: Not the workhorse that you would be believe

Bought it for my wife who makes challah and other breads on a weekly basis. She was making dough with mixture of bread dlour and some whole wheat flour. The amounts were way about 3 cups below mfr limit and the motor burnt out after about an hour of use. Very diasppointing.

The splash guard was very limiting and got int the way more than it helped

Pros: Powerful, solid, reliable, 12 speeds, timer, dishwasher friendly parts.
Cons: Too much plastic outside; slightly less "pro" looking; tilt-head not for everyone, priced high.

This is a solid, dependable, utterly fearless machine that I think deserves to dethrone the Kitchenaid as king! I think Kitchenaid needs to learn that professional looks on the outside plus cheap mechanics inside do not equal a professional machine. Quality will always rule the day, and no matter how you slice it, 475 watts simply ain't 1000. You won't notice it with cookie dough, but you certainly will with two batches of whole wheat bread. Get the 7 qt model to ensure your dough won't ride up the hook. You will not regret the purchase, I rely on it for a great deal of work in my very busy kitchen, and could kiss it every single time!