Hi all - I'm trying to decide between an 8 qt Kitchen Aid Mixer or an Ankarsrum and was hoping to get a little feedback. I love the large bowl in both, as I double or more many cake and buttercreams when I bake. I'd like to get into baking more breads, but not something I do regularly at the moment.

Ankarsrum: I love the open top and the scraper option in the Ankarsrum. It seems like it would be easier to add ingredients as it's blending and you don't have to stop to scrape the sides of the bowl down. My main concern is what attachments to use for mixing cake batters and buttercreams... I know it comes with the whisks, but it looks like those can only be used with the smaller bowl which wouldn't be conducive to doubling batches. Also, since there doesn't seem to be an attachment similar to the paddle, I'm unsure what would be a good substitute.

Kitchen Aid: I have a smaller kitchen aid (5 qt, maybe?) which I am used to, of course. I am comfortable with knowing how my cakes and buttercreams will turn out and what attachments to use. However, it seems to struggle with thicker batters (even just chocolate chip cookies!) and the mixer head moves back and forth. I've never tried bread in there, but I know that's an issue some people come across. I also hate having to stop the mixing to add ingredients and/or scrape down the sides and across the bottom of the bowl to ensure it mixes together properly.

I know this is a lot of info, but I'm hoping to hear from people who have first hand experience with the Ankarsrum to help make a decision. Thank you!