Is the KitchenAid 7-Quart Bowl-Lift Mixer Worth It?
Based on tests by TechGearLab (May 2025). How we score
Save $150Depends. KitchenAid Artisan for most people.
Amazon prices as of Oct 10, 1:57 AM EDT (details)
Why
TechGearLab scored the 7-quart bowl-lift 76 of 100, well behind the cheaper KitchenAid Artisan (92, its Best Overall Stand Mixer): "A heavy-duty mixer with an average performance that doesn't match the price." It did best at creaming butter and sugar (beating 9.0 vs the Artisan's 7.0), where its flex edge beater "greatly decreased the need to scrape down the bowl," but it trailed the Artisan in whipping (6.0 vs 10) and kneading (7.0 vs 10): its bread dough took 10 minutes to the Artisan's 7. Its cons: "Large footprint, heavy, mediocre whipping action." What you're paying for is capacity, a bowl sold as 7 quarts against the Artisan's 5. Splurge if you regularly bake batches too big for a 5-quart bowl; save if you bake a loaf or a batch of cookies at a time.
Cheaper alternatives, scored against the KitchenAid 7-Quart Bowl-Lift
Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
From 1 tester: TechGearLab
From 1 tester: TechGearLab
TechGearLab's Best Overall Stand Mixer: "A do-it-all mixer with an ideal bowl capacity and price for most households." It beat the 7-quart bowl-lift in whipping and kneading, "kneading together the dense dough in just 7 minutes," and it's about 4 pounds lighter and 2.5 inches narrower (measured by TechGearLab). A listed con: "Tilt-head impedes bowl access." The bowl-lift did better at creaming butter and sugar, and its bowl is bigger.
Sources: TechGearLab: The Best Stand Mixers (updated May 13, 2025), Manufacturer specs via Amazon listing
Classic Series 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, White
From 1 tester: TechGearLab
From 1 tester: TechGearLab
The cheapest of the three, and still ahead of the bowl-lift overall in TechGearLab's test (80 vs 76 of 100): "A reliable, smaller capacity mixer that is well-suited to beginners but not as robust as larger options." It whipped cream better than the bowl-lift and kneaded bread dough about as fast. Its cons: "No handle on the bowl, doesn't come with a pouring shield." The bowl-lift includes a pouring shield, and its bowl is much bigger.
Sources: TechGearLab: The Best Stand Mixers (updated May 13, 2025), Manufacturer specs via Amazon listing
Common questions
Is the KitchenAid 7-quart bowl-lift better than the Artisan?
Not in TechGearLab's testing. The Artisan scored 92 of 100 and the 7-quart bowl-lift 76: the Artisan whipped and kneaded better, and the bowl-lift was better only at creaming butter and sugar. The bowl-lift's advantage is its bigger bowl.
What comes with the KitchenAid KSM70SKXX?
Per the Amazon listing: a 7-quart stainless steel bowl, a double flex edge beater, a coated flat beater, a coated dough hook, an 11-wire whip and a pouring shield.
Sources: TechGearLab: The Best Stand Mixers (updated May 13, 2025), Manufacturer specs via Amazon listing
