I'm a former chef and absolutely love baking, so when my old trusted mixer died, I knew I had to have the best one in the market.
Now, "best" varies for each individual: because I bake so much, my personal preference leans towards something that has a large capacity and is very reliable.
After browsing through the shops and doing some online price comparisons, I finally settled on the Viking Stand Mixer.
Yes, at $600 it's a bit pricey, but reliability means a lot to me - it means I don't have to constantly run to the shops to get it fixed, and I don't have to buy a replacement every two years (which adds up to being more expensive in the long run, anyway).
I've been using my new mixer for the past month, and I absolutely love it.
To start with, it's very aesthetically pleasing: I bought it in grey, and the whole design with the stainless steel bowl is very elegant.
The mixer is an absolute powerhouse: it has a 1000 watt engine, and can cream butter and sugar in seconds.
Mixing large quantities of dough is a cinch, and I've even used it to mix frozen ice cream.
When I bake, I make large batches (yes, my friends magically appear at my house after a baking day!) so it's very important to me that my mixer can handle large quantities of ingredients at once.
The Viking Stand Mixer's design is not only elegant, but also practical.
The bowl latches onto the mixer and stays put during the entire process.
It's very easy to remove the bowl once you're done.
I realize that this mixer might not be for everyone.
If enjoy buying a new mixer every year or so, the Viking's durability won't be of much use to you.
If you're really worried about finances, you may wish to put off this purchase (or hint gently on your birthday!).
Finally, if you don't really bake that much, you'll probably survive with a smaller mixer.
However, if you're an avid baker like me, I don't think you'll find a much better mixer than the Viking Stand Mixer.