If you are buying a KitchenAid stand mixer in the UK, you are most likely choosing between three chassis: the Artisan, the Classic, and the Heavy Duty (sometimes called the Pro 600). Most online comparisons read like a feature list. Here is a working summary of which one fits which kitchen.
Artisan — the one most kitchens want
4.8L bowl, 300W motor, tilt-head. The Artisan is the default. It does almost everything most home bakers ask of a stand mixer — cake batter, biscuit dough, light bread dough, whipped cream — without straining. It comes in the widest range of colours, which is half the reason people pick it.
Where it is not ideal: stiff bread doughs over about 700g of flour. The motor is fine for it on a one-off, but doing two stiff loaves a week, every week, will shorten the gearbox's life. Pick a Heavy Duty for that.
Classic — the smaller, simpler one
4.3L bowl, 275W motor, tilt-head. Same chassis as the Artisan, slightly smaller bowl, slightly less motor. The Classic is the right call if you are baking for one or two, you are not making bread, and you do not want to give £400 to a £300 problem.
Attachments are interchangeable with the Artisan, so if you start with a Classic and outgrow it, your whisk and your dough hook still work on the next one.
Heavy Duty / Pro 600 — the one for stiff doughs
5.7L bowl, 575W motor, bowl-lift. Different chassis. Different attachment fit (commercial-style stainless bowl with handles, no tilt). The Heavy Duty exists because the Artisan motor is not built for sustained heavy mixing. If you are baking sourdough every weekend, running two-loaf batches of bread, or doing pasta dough volumes that would buckle the Artisan, the Heavy Duty is the right answer.
It is bigger. It takes more counter space. It is louder. It is not as pretty. But it does not flinch.
The short version
- Bake for two, light dough at most → Classic
- The default home baker's choice → Artisan
- Stiff bread doughs every week → Heavy Duty
If you would like the longer version with bowl sizes, attachment fit, and price expectations, the KitchenAid Artisan guide walks through every model and chassis.
If you already know what you want, the live stock list updates Thursdays.