Stand mixers are a sound investment and a mandatory countertop appliance for the seasoned home cook. But they can also be a bit pricey.
Nowhere is this more true than with KitchenAid, the iconic American brand that’s behind some of the best stand mixers on the market ever since it launched its first model, the H-5, in 1919.
KitchenAid stand mixers look great, work hard, and, thanks to the wide choice of attachments, can be extended to do almost any task in your kitchen, from grinding sausage meat to rolling and cutting pasta.
But they don’t come cheap. Their entry-level tilt-head 4.5-quart stand mixers start at $279.99 and, if you feed a large family or often find yourself cooking for a crowd, they’ll set you back even more.
When you’re eyeing a KitchenAid stand mixer but budget is a concern, a more affordable and frankly just as good alternative is to buy a Certified Refurbished one.
To help you decide if this is the right choice for you, here’s everything you need to know on the topic.
What are refurbished (renewed) KitchenAid stand mixers?
Refurbished KitchenAid stand mixers are unused or lightly used products that have been inspected and restored to perform like new. They’re cheaper than their brand new counterparts—but come with a 6-month instead of a 1-year warranty.
Unsurprisingly, the price is the most common reason why a home cook like you and me would consider one.
On the day of publishing this article, a refurbished KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart stand mixer sold at a list price of $259.99, compared to $399.99 for a brand new one. That’s $140 of savings that you can either pocket for something else or use for buying an attachment to extend your model’s built-in functionality.
In general, refurbished stand mixers are the better alternative to buying used models from a garage sale or an eBay or Craigslist listing. They go through a rigorous inspection, restoration, and certification process—coming out free from defects before ending up on your countertop.
The same can’t be said for used products, which almost always come with “a catch.”
Even if you’re unlucky and end up getting a defective refurbished stand mixer, which will usually show in the first six months of regular use, you’ll be protected by KitchenAid’s limited warranty (more on that below).
Are Refurbished KitchenAid Stand Mixers Worth It?
If you don’t want to break the bank for a stand mixer and you’re wondering whether or not to go down this path, what should you do?
Here’s my take:
Yes, refurbished KitchenAid stand mixers are worth it. Because they undergo rigorous testing and careful restoration, they’re affordable and can last a lifetime.
Regular readers know that, when it comes to appliances and cookware, I almost always go by the saying of “buy it nice or buy it twice.” Yet this is one of those rare instances where paying a lower price doesn’t necessarily mean getting a lesser-quality product!
When going through inspection, refurbished stand mixers often get extra attention to ensure they’re working well. That’s not always the case with brand new models, which are assumed to be perfect after assembly and routine testing at the factory.
“My first KitchenAid was a refurbished model and it was a total champion,” a user says in a Reddit thread on the topic. “It worked flawlessly for a decade and then I moved and gave it to a friend, who I think it still using it.”
“I bought my wife a refurbished one a few years ago,” the husband of a refurbished KitchenAid stand mixer shares. “She has since dropped it at least one time that I know of—and it’s still going strong.”
To help you decide, here are the pros and cons of this type of purchase in a nutshell:
Pros:
- When budget is a constraint, refurbished stand mixers are cheaper;
- They come with a 6-month limited warranty, unlike models bought directly from garage sales or listings of previous owners.
Cons:
- The warranty for a refurbished stand mixer is only 6 months, compared to 12 months for a brand new model;
- These appliances are older, and so are their inner workings. Technically, they might not last as long as brand new ones.
Certified Refurbished vs. Used KitchenAid Stand Mixers
As you do your due diligence online, you’ll come across plenty of anecdotes of people buying second-hand stand mixers on the cheap—only to end up having to spend as much money as they would for certified refurbished to fix and get them to work correctly.
One Redditor shares the story of how they bought a 6-quart stand mixer off Craigslist for $50. They gave it a test at the seller’s house, and it all seemed fine, but found issues as soon as they put it to work at home.
“When I tested it at the guy’s house, the planetary ring spun. But when I was inspecting it at home, I found that, if I put any resistance on it, it would stop. Turns out the worm gear and the follower were shot.”
In the course of repairing their mixer, they found that the planetary ring’s shaft had been broken all along, so they had to replace it as well. “All in all (with the repair parts and missing attachments), my $50 mixer ended up costing me closer to $300.”
Those looking for my 2¢ should save yourself the hassle and get one that’s likely not to give you a headache and, as long as you use it properly and care for it well, last a lifetime instead.
So where can you find one?
Three good places to start are on KitchenAid’s website, at Amazon, and, for those of you with a membership, Sam’s Club.
Don’t take too long to decide what to do if you find one you like; refurbished models are not always available, and the most beloved colors, like red, blue, and cream, get swept up quickly.
Do Refurbished KitchenAid Stand Mixers Have a Warranty?
Refurbished KitchenAid stand mixers come with the company’s 6-month limited warranty. If your refurbished appliance turns out to be defective, KitchenAid will fix or replace it as long as you’ve used it by following the instructions in the owner’s manual.
The warranty is valid only for consumers in the United States and Canada and is effective from the purchase date of the appliance. While it covers the cost of labor and parts, shipping or handling costs to deliver your product to a service center are excluded.
If you bought the appliance in the United States or Canada, but you used it in another country (suppose you have a summer house in Europe or a villa in South America), the warranty doesn’t apply.
So, as with any other major purchase, make sure to save your receipt. If something happens to your stand mixer, you’ll need it as proof of purchase in order to get warranty service.
In Conclusion
There’s nothing like unboxing a new KitchenAid stand mixer. But, when the price tag is too high for your budget (or what you’re generally willing to pay), a refurbished model can come pretty darn close.
