Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(29 customer reviews) 66 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Commercial like mixer without paying commercial price,
February 15, 2005 ThomasN (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
After extensive research on the web and through friends' experiences, I decided to opt for this 7-qt mixer. Two other major brands I considered are Hobart and of course, KitchenAid. The DeLonghi mixer comes close to specs and features, but is also marketed under Kenwood and Hamilton Beach. I sure wouldn't want to pay premium price for a Hamilton Beach. The Hobart is a true commercial grade mixer but overkill for the occasional home use, not to mention at lease twice the cost. The KA doesn't have the 1000 wattage or the professional feel like the Viking 7-qt mixer. One thing my wife appreciates about this unit is that it has rear wheels for easy maneuverability around the countertop - the average stand mixer weights over 20 lbs so this feature definitely helps. Although the availability of accessories for this mixer is few, however, I do notice that the included beater, whisk, and dough hook are well-made, stainless steel attachments (not plastic coating over metal). Overall, the...Read more
76 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Great choice for a bread baker,
October 29, 2006 CKKNH (New Hampshire, USA) - See all my reviews
I've owned a Kitchenaid mixer for 20+ years. I make bread at least once per week. I'd wanted to try this mixer for a long time, but since my Kitchenaid refuses to die, I'd felt guilty spending the money on the Viking. I had an opportunity to try the Viking in a cooking course, and after seeing how powerful this mixer is, decided to take the plunge.
Pros:
1. The power - the Kitchenaid just cannot compare. The Viking can knead large amounts of the toughest doughs in very short time. In fact, breads that I was accustomed to needing 1/2 hour or more mixing and kneading in the KA took a third of that time in the Viking.
2. The attachments - they are big, and they are heavy. The KA attachments seem very flimsy in comparison. The whip also has more "tines", so that meringues seem to take a much shorter amount of time.
3. The "stir" setting - Bread bakers who use the KA will really appreciate this one. The stir, or slowest speed on the Viking is...Read more
72 of 76 people found the following review helpful
Maybe as installation art...,
December 1, 2008 Jon Rosenthal (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Viking Professional 7 Quart Stand Mixer - Stainless Gray
Purchased this mixer for baking bread, especially bagels, with the odd batch of cookies thrown in. I had read about the Kitchen Aid's problems with plastic gearing, and figured the Viking's 1000 Watts could stand up to single batches of bread. I couldn't have been more wrong -- it took a single batch of bagels (about 7 cups of flour) to kill this machine. Granted, bagels are about as tough a workout as you can get while kneading bread, and had the machine simply cut off under the stress of mixing, rather than dying under the strain, I would have continued to use the mixer to start recipes while finishing them by hand. However, several months out of the box and I had to send it in to their service center in Detroit. Out of my hands for 6 weeks, I get the machine back, use it for a couple of batches of cookies and pizza dough, which it does serviceably well, before it chokes again on another batch of bread. The motor just groans at me when I turn the dial. Now, out of warranty, I'm...Read more
