Cuisinart Precision Master 5.5-Quart Stand Mixer, Brushed Chrome

I'm older than my mother's trusty mixer, which I'd been using for the past seventy+ years. The machine has been repaired more than a couple times, but as long as it kept spinning, I held on, shoving it back into its corner until the next time I needed it. That says a lot about an old mixer from the fifties and the reputation of its maker. Last Christmas, though, the poor thing laid down on me, and I knew I was in the market for a new one. I'd used my daughter's mixer, with all the bells and whistles. Pretty snazzy. Whip. Whip. Whip. All done. It's not that I couldn't have afforded a new mixer long before, and I confess, I'd considered it a few times. But I knew how to make those old blades sing...even with beaters, warped and bent. Even when the milk-glass bowl slid off its mooring and skidded across the counter. It was time to go shopping. Of course I comparison shopped: this brand versus that brand, and both brands pricing. I didn't shop with a pre-determination to buy any particular brand. I just wanted a good product with the attachments I'd need all in a nifty package. Reputation was the starting point for me. I cared about the strength of the motor. In fact, the motor was key. Do they stand behind their product? I cared about the company who built it. Does this company have a reputation of building their products well? I wanted equipment that lasted. Remember, I'd used the same old mixer for so many years, and my mother before me. I know what a good product is. I looked closely at prices: How can that brand be worth that much more than this brand when all else is pretty much equal? Other comparison points being similar...it can't. So my choice came down to: reputation, power, a sensible price, and a warranty. I chose Cuisinart in a beautiful shade of gray, and I'm so pleased with it I want to shout! I'm glad for this opportunity to make my case.