Customer Reviews

DeLonghi DSM7 7-Quart Stand Mixer, Brushed Aluminum

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I bought this mixer elsewhere (it was a lot less, otherwise I'm a hardcore Amazon.com junkie) but looking back, I have enjoyed having it so much, I would not have had regrets even getting it at the Amazon price.
If I could give it six stars I would. As another reviewer has commented, I'd buy it again in a heartbeat too. But, considering it looks like new after more than eight months of solid and heavy use, I'll probably never need to buy another one.

Things worth noticing if you're a finicky buyer like me:
- The tall narrow bowl lets you work with quantities normally too small for large 7-qters like this one, by letting the ingredients come together and not spread all over.
- The motor is incredibly powerful. I accidentally doubled the oil in a pizza dough recipe, and my only option to let the dough come together was to double the rest of the quantities and get twice the dough. I ended up in a situation where the bowl could not have had more dough without it falling out of the bowl. Yet, the motor kneaded this for 20 minutes without a complaint. I don't think a lesser motor would have survived
- The dough hook is very very good. The Kitchenaid needs a paddle to bring the ingredients together before the kneading hook is used. This one is designed to combine the ingredients off the bat, no paddle-and-switch necessary. Oh, and it has very good nonstick coating. Put away that oil aerosol, your dough will not escape the bowl or stick to the hook.
- Delonghi may be a newcomer to mixers, but Kenwood (now owned by Delonghi) is not. They left the "K" in the paddle design!
- The tall narrow bowl is perfect for the fridge, say when you're getting a slow rise for the best pizza crust ever (Good Eats fans will know this one). The 7-qt bowl nearly fits in the footprint of a milk gallon. This is good for chilling the bowl when whipping cream as well. The steel stays cooler longer than aluminum.
- The splash guard is awesome and stays connected to the swing-open top arm, letting you access the bowl without messing with the equipment.
- Even the spatula that comes with the DSM-7 is very well designed, perfectly mated to the deep narrow bowl

Update to the following: I've had it more than *eight* months now, and it's still going strong with bread dough, cookie batter, whipped cream, and I've added orange juice (about six or so gallons this season, my orange tree has been fruiting like popcorn) with the $30 citrus juicer attachment. Sorry, I lost track of the tally not long after I put up the review, but I'm not bored of the machine yet either...

How much have I used it? Pizza dough. Dough for loaves of sourdough or flavored breads. Cookie dough. Cake batters. Perfectly whipped cream. Donut dough. Whipped cream cheese with vegetable or jalapeno bits. Whole-wheat flour dough (for roti = wheat tortilla). Homemade butter (from cream). Orange juice (with the excellent juicer attachment). I removed the tally I had here because I lost count, and at this point it matters little - I have this powerhouse that simply does everything I need as often as I want.

Yes, I've deviated from what Alton Brown has in his kitchen, and no, I have no regrets.

OH, MY GOD!! Talk about power!! I was going back and forth between "the known" Kitchenaid or Delonghi. I was going to get a Viking, but read too many bad reviews.
I decided on the Delonghi, firstly, because of the name. I have several Delonghi products and am very happy with them. Delonghi acquired Kenwood, so I decided to read some of the reviews for the Kenwood Stand Mixer and they were mostly favorable (nothing is perfect). Secondly, at 980 watts, it is much higher than the 500+ you get with the top of the line Kitchenaid. Thirdly, I read too many reviews that, while praised Kitchenaid, talked about the motor burning out when making dough. HELLO!! the motor is extremely important!!
Let me tell you, this mixer has power!! I made 17 pies, a cake, and 24 tarts for Christmas and making my own dough was a breeze!!
Kitchenaid may be the best for some people, but Delonghi is for me!!
Be Blessed!!

UPDATE: After using this mixer for a while I have dropped my rating to 3 stars. It is making awful gear noise after only a few dozen loaves of bread, and it overheats frequently while mixing bread of more than 1 or 2 loaves. If you make bread, do yourself a favor and knead by hand. No mixer short of an actual commercial mixer at a bakery is going to be suitable. If you consider that this machine made maybe 100 loaves of bread, and cost around four hundred bucks, that comes out to four bucks a loaf. I can buy good artisan bread at the bakery for that and I don't have to go to the trouble to make it. I am updating this review while I am waiting for the machine to cool so I can finish kneading my bagels.

Original Review follows:
After reading all the reviews here and on every other website about many mixers I decided on the DSM7. The other mixers I gave serious thought to were the Viking 7 qt and KitchenAid professional 6 qt. I was looking to get something better suited for bagel dough and double batches of my favorite breads than my base 4.5 qt KitchenAid Classic (250 watt).

Fit/Finish: High quality, almost everything is made of metal. The bowl is nicely polished stainless steel, the mixer is brushed aluminum, and even the covers for where attachments go are polished metal (over plastic). The mixer looks nice. Everything fits together nicely, the included clear plastic 1 piece (2 if you count the flip lid) splatter guard fits snugly on the head of the mixer and seals well to prevent flour and liquid from escaping. Everything fits perfectly except for the speed control knob on my unit drags slightly when I turn it.

Mixers attach easily, but the attachment isn't positive; I usually end up tugging on it to make sure it is in place. Note that the handles on the bowl are offset when it is attached, they are about 10-4 (clock) if facing the mixer. This is because they line up at 9-3 when attaching the bowl, and as you tighten they turn to 10-4.

Function: The mixer is powerful, but not unstoppable. It is also loud (but not obnoxious), 1100 watt motors make a significant amount of noise. After reading all the reviews I became overconfident in the power of this unit so I made a triple batch of my favorite cinnamon rolls, using just over 3 lbs of flour (right at the max for the unit). The mixer was straining a little to knead the dough, and just like my kitchen aid the head wiggles around a lot and the mixer shifts positions when worked hard. After about 5 minutes of kneading the unit shut off. It has an auto power-off function if it starts to overheat. I kneaded the rest of that batch by hand.

After trying to kill the DSM7 with the triple batch of cinnamon rolls (next time I will just make a double batch) I made some bagels. I went with a single batch, or about 12 large bagels. Two batches would exceed the flour limit. The mixer had no trouble kneading the dough and never overheated, even after 10 or more minutes. My 250 watt KitchenAid always strained and groaned with a single batch and became dangerously hot.

One design feature I like is the dough hook. There is a plastic cup around the top that helps prevent the dough from creeping up the hook and getting tangled around the shaft and making a mess. This cup also catches crusty dough and keeps it from falling back into the fresh dough. The hook does an excellent job with kneading the dough. I am also impressed with the tight fitting splash guard, it doesn't leak like the loose fitting 2 piece KitchenAid guard. The guard attaches to the mixer head, so when you lift the head the guard goes up with the head and you have full access to the bowl.

Finally, I love the tilt head. The head on the DSM7 locks in the upright position, so when you lift the head with dough attached to the hook it doesn't pull the head back down. The KitchenAid classic also has a tilt head, but it doesn't lock upright. The cord "retracts" into the base, but you have to push it in and pull it out. It isn't automatic and it can get frustrating (it is like trying to thread a string through a straw).

Cleaning: The unit is easy to clean with the exception of a few small gaps that need to be cleaned with a brush. A rag with some white vinegar does an excellent job of cleaning the brushed aluminum and polished chrome. The bowl is dishwasher safe (I imagine the whisk is too), but the dough hook and paddle should probably be washed by hand.

Conclusions: This is a great all around mixer for making bread every week. The construction quality is impressive, and I have a feeling this mixer will last a long time. I think the power is probably overstated at 1100 watts, but it isn't lacking in power. It doesn't feel more than 4 times as powerful as the 250 watt KitchenAid Classic I have. Before you buy a mixer make sure you know what you want to use it for. This mixer fits my kneads better than any of the other mixers available in this price range, but if you just need it for light duty the KitchenAid might be a better value.

The reason I bought the DSM7 over the KitchenAid and Viking because they both had mixed reviews. The Viking seemed to have poor quality control, and people didn't like the bowl design on the KitchenAid, and the plastic gears were failing. I know if the gear box fails in the DSM7, I can order a gearbox with all metal gears from the UK.

I have a cake decorating business out of my home and have used KitchenAid mixers for 15 of my 25 years in business. When I changed to DeLonghi about 5 years ago I decided I will never go back to KitchenAid. The motor is much more powerful and reliable. The splash guard attaches to the tilting top, so that you do not have to remove the beater to remove the splash guard and take the bowl out of the mixer as you do with the KitchenAid. There is more room to add ingredients because of the tilting top also. The bowl is much easier to put in and out. The speed control is more conveniently located and smoother in its operation. It is easy to clean and sleeker looking on the counter top. With the 7-quart bowl I am able to mix 4 cake mixes at one time which is really helpful.

The only negative I can offer is that the beater is not dishwasher friendly. But the KitchenAid beater was not either.
Viking has a stainless steel beater and that seems better, but I cannot speak to its ease of use and I have not tried that brand.

We also read all the reviews and finally settled on the DeLonghi. This was after sending back the KitchenAid professional model because the whisk didn't seem to touch the bottom of the bowl!
We got the DeLonghi in July 2005. It worked really well for just over a year, and then the "planetary" gear broke. That's the gear that allows the attachments to spin while rotating around the bowl. In September 2006 we dropped the mixer off at the only authorized DeLonghi service center in our little state (Delaware). Since then the service center has been waiting for the part. We are coming up on the first anniversary of the mixer being in the shop!
The service center calls about once a month, just to let us know that DeLonghi says it will be the end of the next month before they get the part.
I've tried dealing with DeLonghi's customer service directly. In January 2007 they sent me a message stating that the parts were on their way from Italy. Well, that must be some slow boat. BTW - In that same message they informed me that the gear for this mixer is NOT the same as the one used in the Kenwood, and would not work.
Bottom line - when it actually works it's a great mixer, very powerful, noisy - but not too much so, and looks great. But getting DeLonghi to support their products after the sale seems to be a lost cause. We could have burned out a cheap KitchenAid while waiting...

I spent a long time researching which mixer was going to be best for me. I really liked the fact that this model had a 7qt bowl. I was impressed with how it performed, but when it broke while making a batch of cookies I was very disappointed. I drove to the nearest Delonghi repair company and they were not able to fix it. I then shipped it to Washington (because Oregon only has one Delonghi service center) and waited to hear from that company. I never heard from them after a month and they said "oh, we forgot to call...Delonghi no longer carries the part (plantetary transmission assembly)we need to fix it. So, if you want it back you need to pay for the shipping." I contacted customer service September 10, 2007 to find out what I could do. I have sent several emails and the last one I received was on October 23, "Thank you for contacting DeLonghi Customer Service. We do apologize for the inconvenience, but it may be up to two weeks because the managers are out at this time in training meetings. As soon as we hear a response from the manager we will contact you. Thank You,DeLonghi Customer Service". I decided to call on my day off November 26 and I'm am currently on hold(30 minutes and counting) as I type this. Also, this model is no longer on Delonghi's website. So, if want a machine that can be repaired and you want customer service - DO NOT BUY this one or buy anything from Delonghi. Oh, I just spoke to someone and they said I need to go through American Express to get my refund. They said that the back order time for that part is confidential and they could not tell me if that part is part of the motor, which has a ten year warranty- what???? Enough said......

Theres' a new guy in town. Everything KitchenAid makes isnt all that great. The sturdy looking Kitchen Aid garlic press I got last month I had to return after it just didn't work.(how can you screw up a simple device like a garlic press?) I received a huge ugly 7 quart KitchenAid mixer during the holidays. I viewed all the comments on Amazon before I agreed to take it in and was sorry I did. Everyone who rated them poorly I could relate to. Mine sounded annoyingly loud, like a bad jet engine and pooped out after 2 uses and started making a "clunkity clunk" sound like something came loose inside. I puchased this DeLonghi mixer on Amazon because the mail order company I got the Kitchen Aid from would have charged me 40 bucks extra for shipping. This DeLonghi is superior to the K.A.mixer. It runs smoothly and quietly (has a nice soft whirr sound not a whiney jet engine sound), the bowl which is stunning and very shiny looking just easily drops in and twists into place at its base. It is a beautiful machine and looks great in my kitchen. It is so easy to set up and use and the instructions are pretty much only 2 pages. It will take you all of 2 minutes to understand how to operate this machine. I am extremely happy about this purchase after the fiasco with the Kitchen Aid mixer.

I have the DeLonghi 980 watt 7 quart mixer. I purchased it after reading some reviews that concerned me about the KitchenAid Professional 600 mixer - reviews that indicated that with regular use in kneading doughs, the plastic gear housing would distort and finally give way, which is a lethal event in the life of a mixer.

Although I preferred the classic rounded shape of the KitchenAid to the squared off shape of the Delonghi, I have to admit that Delonghi has done wonders with the design of this mixer, from putting handles on the bowl to fabricating it out of brushed aluminum, to the non-stick coating on the mixing attachments.

The paddle, whisk and dough hook are well designed (comparable to those supplied with the KitchenAid).

The assessment of power and wattage is an area in which many people are mislead. Although this mixer has "980 watts" of power, I used to have a very old KitchenAid that had 325 watts, and I never had a complaint about it being underpowered. I also recently bought a 5 quart Hobart industrial mixer that has a 370 watt motor, and I find it to be every bit as powerful as the 980 watt Delonghi. Today, wattage has become a gimmick through which manufacturers realized that they could sell inefficient mixers that draw a lot of power, without necessarily translating it to the mixing task. (Wattage is a measurement of power drawn from the electrical outlet, not of power delivered by the machine to the task.)

So, the fact that the Delonghi has 980 watts provides nice cocktail party banter when I get together with less informed but competitive cooks, but I know that it is meanigless in comparison to how well and efficiently the machine is contructed. The point is that it does its tasks very well, from the not very challenging creaming of butter to the intensive 10 minute kneading of whole grain dough. Hopefully, they haven't made the boo-boos that KitchenAid has in building in an achilles heel into the gear design, and I therefore expect many years of service from this appliance before it needs refurbishment.

I was a KitchenAid fan. I had the Special Edition 350 watt and burned the motor out twice in just a couple of years. When it burned out the 2nd time I decided not to spend another $100+ on repairs. I bought this Delonghi and love it.

The splash guard is great and convenient to use (I'd never used the KitchenAid splash guard because it was too much trouble). Now I don't know how I ever lived without one--no more white dust all over my counters.

The power is more than I'll ever need but at least I don't have to worry about burning the motor out.

It is very easy to change attachments. You can even change them while the splash guard is on.

It is also very easy to clean.

Great Buy!

We have had kitchenaid mixers for over 20 years, 3 upgrades but still the same machine. The gearbox on our last machine failed and, after much research, we decided to purchase the DeLonghi machine. It is a superior product in all ways, powerful, quiet, and handles bread dough with NO problems. We bake bread at least once a week and it is really a pleasure to use this machine. My only grip is that the dough hook, whip, and mixing attachments all needed adjustment. They were set too far off the bottom of the bowl. The manual explained the very easy fix. All in all, I would purchase this machine over the Kitchenaid.