Last Xmas I got a KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer from Mike. It's the lowest KitchenAid model, but I'm not a big baker and it got pretty good reviews. It was also VERY CHEAP ($110, it's currently selling for about $200). I hadn't used it until now, however, because I needed a three prong adapter for my kitchen. Apparently we had one, but I couldn't find it when I looked for it.

In any case, it's been found and yesterday I used the mixer for the first time. Now, keep in mind that this is my first stand mixer - I've been using cheap mixers that you have to hold until now. But I loved it, it was so great to leave the mixer to do its job while I could prepare the next step in the recipe. And I thought it did quite a good job of mixing things. Anyway, for the time being at least, I'm happy with it.