For those doing heavy duty mixing (divinity, taffee, large batches of bread) and doing it frequently, a Hobart or Kitchenaid is a must. Most commercial kitchens will have a Hobart. Kitchenaid makes a couple of levels of home mixers. I bought the top of the line 30 years ago. It is the Kitchenaid with the bowl that lifts, and not a tilt head. It does everything without sputtering. I went through many semi-expensive mixers before that and burned up the motors on them. For anyone who does not quite need that heavy duty, Kitchenaid makes a tilt head machine that is very high quality. It's kind of like buying a sewing machine - if you're going to use it a lot and need the features you're better off spending the money in one big chunk than in many little pieces. It will cost the same in the long run.