I bought this to replace a 5 qt. KitchenAid Artisan

I bought this to replace a 5 qt. KitchenAid Artisan. I do a little cake decorating and I needed something that would handle large batches of buttercream icing a couple times per week, as well as general kitchen use. It was a toss up between this one and the KitchenAid Pro. I was a little nervous about spending so much money on something that doesn't have the solid reputation that KitchenAid mixers have, but I'm so glad I took the chance! This is a wonderful mixer!! In my opinion, it is far superior to the KitchenAids in almost every way. I would recommend this to anyone.
Pros:
It handles large and small quantities equally well.
The more powerful motor is wonderful! It handles lots of heavy dough and icing with ease.
The splash guard forms a tight seal. Not air tight, but when I make huge batches of buttercream icing (using 5# of powdered sugar) it keeps in all the powdered sugar dust and I don't have quite so much to clean up afterward. In fact, I have very little to clean up!
If you start on a high speed it gets faster gradually so that you don't end up splashing what is in the bowl all over you.
The timer turns the mixer off automatically when time's up. No more over mixing!!
The paddle, whisk and dough hook are dishwasher safe.
I can't say anything about the attachments as I don't have any yet, but I love that I can add a blender or chopper to it without having to by the whole small appliance.
Cons:
It is mostly plastic and therefore much lighter than the KitchenAid. I haven't found this to be a problem at all with it walking of wobbling like I thought I would. But, the plastic body makes it look kind of cheap.
It is louder than my KitchenAid was.

Overall, the cons are very minimal. I've not found them to be enough of a bother to skew my opinion of the mixer. I absolutely LOVE this mixer and I will never go back to KitchenAid!

5-1/2-Quart 12-Speed Stand Mixer, White

5-1/2-Quart 12-Speed Stand Mixer, White

5-1/2-Quart 12-Speed Stand Mixer, White

Cuisinart Stand Mixer Food Processor Cuisinart SM-55 5-1/2-Quart 12-Speed Stand Mixer, White

I've been a long-time fan of the KitchenAid mixer. My grandmother has been using the same KitchenAid mixer since the late 50s, and it's still going strong. I was thrilled to get a KitchenAid "Ultra-Power" mixer as a gift about seven years ago, and it worked great for occasional use. Over the past couple of years I've been doing more and more baking, and about a year ago I began making my own bread. After about six months of using my KitchenAid to knead two loaves of whole-wheat bread every week or so, it made a terrible grinding noise, and stopped working. I decided I'd better buy a new KitchenAid with a more powerful motor, and went online to see which was recommended. Much to my surprise, the reviews for the KitchenAid were no longer as positive as they had been. People were complaining about a decrease in quality and customer service. The biggest complaint was that some metal parts had been replaced by plastic, and while it sounded as if the company had recently started making the parts out of metal again, people were giving tips on how to determine if the model you were purchasing had the metal or plastic gearboxes. On top of that, Cooks Illustrated ranked the Cuisinart mixer above KitchenAid in a March 2008 review.

I did more research and found that the warranty was much better on the Cuisinart than on the KitchenAid. So, nervously, I decided to switch from what I had always considered to be the top brand, and I bought the Cuisinart.

My first impressions were mixed. I immediately liked the way the mixer looked, but I was nervous about it, because the body and the mixing paddles are much lighter in weight than on the KitchenAid. It lacks the solid, all-metal feel of the KitchenAid.Read more 

5-1/2-Quart 12-Speed Stand Mixer, White