Viking Stand mixers are manufactured by the Viking Corporation. Viking began as a major appliance manufacturer supplying commercial ranges designed for residential use. It was only natural that they would look at kitchen stand mixers as a natural fit to the product line they offer consumers. Viking has two basic models the VSM 500 and the VSM 700. The main differences are the power of the motor and the mixer bowl sizes. The VSM500 comes with a 5 quart mixer bowl and 800 watts of power. The VSM700 has a 7 quart mixer bowl and 1000 watts of power. Both Viking stand mixers have the same standard features, colors and attachments or accessories. This can be quite handy if you are moving up from the VSM500 and have all the attachments already. The model reviewed for this article was the Viking VSM 700 Professional Series. I considered a number of factors for this review; power, mixer bowl size, features, warranty, and product reviews:
Power: The VSM700 features a powerful metal gear driven motor that has 1000 watts of power and three speeds. Metal gears last longer than plastic promising years of reliable service.
Mixer Bowl Size: 7 quarts
Accessories: comes with 7 quart stainless steel bowl, paddle, whisk and dough hooks. Additional attachments available include a blender, food processor/slicer, pasta maker, and sausage maker. The splash guard is also an optional attachment available for additional cost.
Features: Viking has a little feature that most stand mixers do not. Easy glide wheels on the base of the mixer allow for easy movement on your counter top. This is a nice feature considering that a good industrial size stand mixer like the VSM700 weighs approximately 27 pounds.
Tilt back construction allows the mixer attachments to be raised and lowered into the bowl easily. The attachments stay above the bowl so that drips don't get on the counter. You can lock it in the up or down position.
Viking stand mixers come in four basic colors; black, white, stainless gray and bright red
Warranty: Viking warranties the motor and parts for 12 full months from the date of purchase under normal household use. The paint or finish, and decorative items are only covered for the first 90 days from the date of purchase.
Cost: Viking VMS700 Stand Mixers purchased directly from Viking are listed at 4.95. They can be found at other websites at around 0.
Product Reviews: 3 stars out of 5 on e-pinions.com total of 5 reviews. 4 stars out of 5 on amazon.com total of 3 reviews. 5 stars out of 5 on cooking.com with a total of 34 ratings.
Overall the Viking stand mixers compare favorably to household favorites such as KitchenAid, Bosch and Cuisinart. All four brands have intensely loyal users and compare favorably for versatility, durability and price. If price is an issue for you and you really want a Viking stand mixer then consider the VSM500. It has a 5 quart bowl and an 800 watt motor. And it sells for about 0 less than the Viking VSM700. It can do everything the 700 series can do but just a little bit smaller batches. If you don't need the huge capacity of the larger mixer then you probably won't miss the 1000 watt motor and the 7 quart mixer bowl.
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