KitchenAid Artisan 5-Qt

Should you buy the KitchenAid Artisan 5-Qt?

The KitchenAid Artisan 5-Qt is the stand mixer most people picture when they hear the words, and it tops our blenders and stand mixers rankings for the reasons Wirecutter and Consumer Reports keep naming it: a 325 W direct-drive motor, a 5-qt bowl that handles four loaves or nine dozen cookies, and an attachment hub with a deep ecosystem. It is for the regular baker who wants one machine for cakes, cookies and the occasional bread. If you bake big batches of bread weekly, the 7-Qt Bowl-Lift is the better tool; if you bake small, the Artisan Mini fits.

Where it earns its score

• Reliability score of 96. The highest in this group. These mixers run for decades, and the Greenville, Ohio build drives the Quality score of 90.
• The attachment hub. The power hub takes 10-plus optional attachments, from a pasta roller to a meat grinder and spiralizer.
• Full kit in the box. Coated flat beater, coated dough hook, 6-wire whip and a pouring shield, which the Classic 4.5-Qt leaves out.
• Made to be seen. 20-plus colors, so it will match whatever your kitchen already is.

What to know first

• Warranty is the weakest ViperScore factor. One year of hassle-free replacement is short for a $400 machine; the Cuisinart Precision Master gives three.
• Stiff dough makes it move. The tilt-head can bounce or creep on very stiff bread dough, which is what the bowl-lift design is for.
• Heavy. About 26 lb, so it lives on the counter.
• Value is only 74. $379.96 is a lot for 325 W, and the Classic 4.5-Qt gives you most of the same mixer for $80 less.

Questions buyers ask