Costco vs local kitchen boutique: Kitchenaide mixer

[cash]

So, I bought my wife a Kitchenaide mixer for xmas from a local high end cooking boutique. Just saw what looks to my untrained eye the same thing (with far fewer color choices) at Costco for signficantly less. Is there a difference in performance/reliability etc?
I know with tvs the Costco model is not the same as what one gets from a true electronics store. I know nothing about Kitchen appliances.

Thanks.

[roseyscot]

Same thing, limited colors, as you noted. Also, the tv's are not all Costco specific. They often have the same high end that Best Buy, Sears, etc have and then a Costco/BJ's/Sam's Club specific option as well.

[rowdyhillrambler]

Another thing that I know more about than I ever cared to. My wife owned a bakery for 10 years before becoming an OT, and I have worked on plenty of these.

The new Kitchenaids are the same, internally. They make 2 versions, the artisan and the Pro, but any store that carries one or the other is the same. Up until a few years ago the cheaper ones had a plastic gear, it was actually nice for a beginner cook/baker, because under load it would break as opposed to burning out the motor. The nicer ones had a brass type gear.

All of them now have roughly the same build quality.. We have 6 of them in our kitchen. Is this overkill??? Yep, but I don't complain, cheaper than the 9 bikes in my shop.

[Tom]

After knocking a box with a half a dozen eggs in it out of the ten year old fridge where it bounced off the freezer drawer top (one egg casualty) and then onto the floor (other five) and I spent some time up close and personal with the fridge cleaning them up I have a subject for two days from now.

Rust and cracked gaskets. Ten years. Yeah. Nice workmanship. I'm going to go downtown and buy one from the GE Museum. When my uncle died (GE man that worked at the Mother Ship here in the Dorptown) my cousin donated his STILL WORKING fridge, the one with the big layer cake cooling unit on the top.

[Dallas Tex]

I've had a Pro model for maybe 25 years. My kid put frozen sticks of butter in & busted the gears. Local shop repaired it for maybe $40. Good as new, made in USA, and repairable. I bought my significant other a similar model in bright yellow with a more powerful motor. Both are amazing.

[echelon_john]

Virtually any item that's sold through a big box store will be manufactured for that specific channel at an agreed-upon price point for that channel. The channel could be a reseller/distributor, or a retailer of sufficient scale to have the conversation directly with the manufacturer. Think Home Depot, Costco, Dick's Sporting Goods, Bass Pro Shops.

The "same" item may very well have different internals depending where you buy it. Milwaukee drills sold at Home Depot are famous crappier than the ones sold at specialty tool shops. True across industries; I have a buddy who works for a major (top 3) canoe/kayak/paddleboard manufacturer who tells horror stories about the cuts and compromises they have to make for the models going to a big box sporting goods store. Looser tolerances, cheaper materials, fewer layers...

So is the difference worth the premium price when you can't see it or be certain it exists? Mongo don't know.

[cny rider]

Virtually any item that's sold through a big box store will be manufactured for that specific channel at an agreed-upon price point for that channel. The channel could be a reseller/distributor, or a retailer of sufficient scale to have the conversation directly with the manufacturer. Think Home Depot, Costco, Dick's Sporting Goods, Bass Pro Shops.

The "same" item may very well have different internals depending where you buy it. Milwaukee drills sold at Home Depot are famous crappier than the ones sold at specialty tool shops. True across industries; I have a buddy who works for a major (top 3) canoe/kayak/paddleboard manufacturer who tells horror stories about the cuts and compromises they have to make for the models going to a big box sporting goods store. Looser tolerances, cheaper materials, fewer layers...

So is the difference worth the premium price when you can't see it or be certain it exists? Mongo don't know.

I've learned the same is true with skis.
The Fischer ski you buy at a quality ski shop shares the name only with the ski you buy at Dick's or other general merchandise sporting goods stores with lower price points.

[Hoonjr]

I've noticed the Costco version has a glass mixing bowl. I as the son of a former restaurant owner advise sticking with the metal bowl.

[pdmtong]

I've noticed the Costco version has a glass mixing bowl. I as the son of a former restaurant owner advise sticking with the metal bowl.

the money you save going with costco is enough to cover a metal bowl