I initially owned a KitchenAid mixer with a textured gray finish, and I was perfectly happy with how well it worked. Then I saw the Professional 620 mixer in Williams-Sonoma with this gorgeous satin copper finish. When I had my counter tops replaced with black granite that had tiny copper flecks in it, I knew I had to splurge on the mixer (the Professional 620 costs about $900 at Williams-Sonoma as well as on the KitchenAid website). I gave away my first gray mixer and set this new copper beauty on my kitchen counter. As time has gone on, however, the finish is acquiring more and more black spots that do not wash off. The spots also have a feel to them--almost as though the finish has worn away and left a shallow pit. I returned to Williams-Sonoma recently to inquire if there was a product that I could use to try to remove the black spots, and they didn't seem to know what to do about the problem. They said they had never heard the complaint before, but when they inspected the model they had on display, they discovered their model had some areas going black as well. Of course none of this affects how well the mixer works, and I haven't had any difficulty with its operation, but for $1,000 (including tax) I thought the finish should be a durable one.